I’ve built many things over the years, but most of my creative projects have started with a solution.
- “What if there was a tool that…”
- “I want to build something that does X.”
That approach isn’t necessarily wrong, but starting with a solution somewhat commits me to building before I’ve fully understood what I’m trying to explore.
So recently I’ve been trying something different: instead of starting with “What should I build?” I instead start with “What am I actually curious about?”
I start with a question, and that shift changes the posture.
- If I start with a solution (e.g., “I want to build a visual system for representing hierarchies”), then I’m already pointed toward construction. The question becomes how to build it.
- But if I start with a question (e.g., “How do people understand complex systems?”), then building becomes optional. I might research. I might write. I might prototype something small. Or I might realize the exploration doesn’t require building at all.
The building is no longer the goal. Exploring and understanding are. Building is just a means to an end.