Last year, I did a whole series of posts reviewing my maker journey of launching products every month (I made it to 8 products). That was my very first year as an indie maker, albeit part-time.  This year again, it was still part-time in the sense that I only started on it in June. But since, I’d been plugging away fulltime on it. I’d just recently done a review of my journey learning to code, so I won’t rehash that. I want to just reflect on the products instead.

Overview

Total products launched: 3

Revenue: US$120 (one-time sponsorship)

MRR: $0 ?

Tech & tools dabbled: HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Bootstrap, PHP, mySQL, Ruby, Rails, React, Gatsby, Netlify, Stackbit, Contentful, Foresty, DatoCMS, Sanity.io, Git, Github, Heroku, Table2site, command line, Sublime Text, Brackets, Sketch, Figma, kintsugi 

Physical products made from scratch: 0

What did I make?

Jan-Jun: A spattering of mini learning projects from my Udemy course, using HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, Bootstrap, PHP, mySQL - landing page in Bootstrap, weather forecast app, secret diary app

Apr: Kintsugi - went to Kyoto for a month to learn the traditional Japanese art of repairing bowls and cups with gold. Repaired 4 bowls/cups when there, but didn’t complete my 100-day challenge of finishing 1 bowl from scratch.

Sep: Your Life In Months - a life log app where people can share and review monthly goals. Made on Ruby on Rails.

Oct: Keto List Singapore - a local Singaporean directory of keto-friendly eateries, products and events. Made with nocode tools - Table2site, Airtable, Mailchimp.

Nov: Sweet Jam Sites - a web design-and-build service for other professional services, using JAMstack web technology. Made using Stackbit, Gatsby, Github, Netlify, NetlifyCMS.

What did I learn this year about making products independently?

Too slow, too little money

Slow is always relative to something. In my case, slow relative to being able to reach my goals of being able to make a living off my indie products. Many others in similar situations had done it, like Product Hunt maker of the year - Andrey Asimov, who didn’t know how to code but hit $2000 MRR after one year. If they can do it, so can I, I tell myself. A wiser part of me calls for patience, but the achiever side of me feels I should have gone faster on the monetization aspect. Learning coding is fun, but it can get comfortable too. Learning marketing and monetization tactics is uncomfortable, so I should GTFO and do that next year. And break that f**king zero on the MRR. 

Too little time, too much fun

But nonetheless, I’d never been happier and more excited to work. In fact, I was even quite bummed by all the holidays, especially in December. Too many distractions. Sometimes I just want to get back to micro-habit routines and work! Because I love it and I’m having fun. I’m finally following my energy and my own curiosity, doing it at my own pace, and in full control. And most importantly, I learned to spark joy in my work. Joy truly is the ultimate creator. Productivity is a function of joy you bring to your work, and despite the money being slow coming in, it’s still amazing to look back and realize that on the same date last year, I didn’t know how to code. 

Too many projects, too little hands

I said before that I loved making things with my hands. Actual, tangible, physical things. I got to do it in Kyoto this year, through the traditional Japanese craft of kintsugi. But since returning, I’d not touched it as much as I like to. I would have liked it to be my weekend hobby, but it didn’t quite pan out. Actions reflects priorities, so I guess my priorities (and heart) weren’t in kintsugi (after the trip)? If I am to be honest with myself, it’s true. Since Kyoto, kintsugi isn’t quite the same. Maybe it’s something about doing it there, where the vibes nurture the motivation. Perhaps after having spent a whole month doing it, I’d accrued enough hands-on time for the rest of the year. Or maybe, I’m just not that into it. Perhaps I was more into the healing metaphor it projects, and with my (health) healing done, so does the interest. Perhaps.

What next?

Keeping it simple:

? More money.

? More joy.

? Less plans.

? More hands.