A few days ago, I released Months, my debut EP under Again and Again.
I spent the last few months writing, producing and polishing the tracks. Not because I thought they would become a business or reach thousands of listeners, but simply because I wanted to finish them.
That might sound obvious, but I don’t think it is.
We Get Used to Justifying Everything
Most of my projects start with a problem.
There’s something to improve, automate or simplify. I enjoy building products because they solve real problems, and I naturally gravitate towards projects that feel useful.
Over time, though, I noticed another habit creeping in.
Before starting something, I’d instinctively ask questions like:
- Who is this for?
- Is it worth the time?
- Could this become a product?
- What’s the return?
They’re good questions.
They’re also the same questions that quietly stop plenty of interesting ideas before they ever get started.
Building Becomes Transactional
It’s surprisingly easy to convince yourself that every project needs permission to exist.
If it won’t make money, why build it?
If it won’t improve your CV, why spend the time?
If nobody is asking for it, what’s the point?
Without realising it, building becomes transactional. Every project has to justify itself before you’ve even begun.
That’s a mindset I’ve slowly drifted into over the years.
This EP broke it.
Sometimes You Just Want Something to Exist
When I started working on Months, I already knew what it wasn’t.
It wasn’t a startup.
It wasn’t going to become a product.
It probably wasn’t even going to pay for itself.
None of that mattered.
I wanted to make music again, and I wanted to see if I could take a collection of unfinished ideas and turn them into something complete.
That alone was enough.
Ironically, I think I enjoyed the project more because I wasn’t trying to optimise it into something else.
Building Is Reason Enough
One thing I’ve written about before is keeping systems small and sustainable. In Small Systems, Long Horizons, I argued that consistency beats intensity over the long run.
Finishing this EP reminded me of something slightly different.
Not everything has to become a product.
Not every idea has to justify itself before it’s allowed to exist.
Sometimes it’s enough to make something because you’re curious, because you enjoy the process or because you simply want it to exist in the world.
Maybe only a handful of people will ever listen to Months.
That’s okay.
A few months ago, it was just a folder of unfinished tracks on my laptop. Today it’s something I can point to and say, “I made that.”
Sometimes that’s all the justification a project needs.
If you’re curious, you can listen to Months by Again and Again here: Spotify, Apple Music.
