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Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

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11–20 of 55 posts

Re: Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

#11
All of mine successful projects was created while learning new thing. I did learn Portuguese and can't find flashcards tool that I like, so I create mine, did learn to play piano and needed some way to practice sheet reading skill, so I created tool for that.

I am also wine maker and in need of one analytical tool and found out that it costs 30k, amount I can't afford (or even justify for business my size) so I found a way to create same tool that will costs just 3k.

First category is kind of simple: I do need it and the app is simple enough I can do it in few evenings so I just do it. The second category is something I really need and will be really happy if somebody else created it and because there is nothing like that on the market I have to do it by myself (and then sell it to other winemakers who I am sure need it as well).

The problem for me is the middle ground: something I found quite interesting (say nicely formatted tabs app with timing, sounds, fretboards...) and might use it from time to time. But the novelty wears off soon and I am not desperate to have it in my life. Still these kinds of projects need sustainable effort to make it work so I just keep working less and less on it and then quit.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

#14

For me it always starts as a need to automate something or frustration at a software that doesn't behave like I want. I usually say "it's no that hard to do this" then to later discover once I am knee deep in code that in fact it's especially hard to do it right.

Agreed, but I do love that moment where I'm thinking, "This should do X" and then realize, "Hey, I can make something that does X!". Then months later, I wonder what the heck I was thinking...

Re: Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

#16
I get emotionally inspired by Art or sometimes even just block colours.

However on a logical level my inspirations come from analogies between different domains. I have one of those minds that accidentally splices ideas together when I daydream so I read a lot to give myself material.

The paintbrush is applying the language of one topic onto another: this is an early stage, later you read these thoughts back and sometimes something clicks. It occasionally leads to ideas that have some game-theoretical economic value. Other times they remain poetic/fun.

The problem with inspiration is that it only leads you part of the way. Convincing yourself to forgo other interests to pursue them is a whole other thing. Additionally not all surface-level "good" ideas are economically viable today or (if they are) within my reach.

Practical ideas are a whole other deal. You need to empathise with your own and others pain. Personally I think it's often not worth creating these however unless they are partnered with ideas that can be executed to significantly alter the underlying economic reality.

I am interested in granular ideas and insights that can be used in the pursuit of better products. Not just the idea that "a product to do X should exist", but the ideas that would allow it to work well.

I would love to meet and discuss thoughts like these with others that live or work around Central London by the way?

Re: Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

#18
Jimmy DiResta. You can laugh as it's not exactly related to CS but you can't help yourself when you watch him. You wanna build stuff, it doesn't matter what. He really makes you want to just build stuff... to solve a real problem... with the right tools for the job... the way you know how... and be proud of building it.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you get your inspiration from?

#20
Whenever something else sucks.

I have never built anything when there is already something acceptable available. That's probably why I've never spent much time building low level stuff like platforms, utilities, and tools. People way smarter than me have that covered really well already.

But when a customer needs something and examining their options causes me to vomit, I am highly motivated. "I can do way better than that!"

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