Indie fever: more about pursuing creative interests, than making money

Interesting research paper about the small Mac developers who form a community with its own role models and non-written rules. (via Gruber)

I feel identified with this description of independent Mac developers. Hopefully I can join this ‘creative class’ soon.

Indie Mac developers appear to be prototypes of what Richard Florida (2002) calls the ‘creative class’. On average they do not make a sharp distinction between their personal and professional lives (Florida, 2002, p.14), they appreciate systems of meritocracy and subscribe less to the status of wealth, they seem more motivated by the respect of their peers than by money (idem, p.78) and rally around their professional identity as a software entrepreneur (idem p.80). Indies fall into the category of ‘free agents’ (idem, p.107): people whom willingly sacrifice the securities of a job to be able to pursue their own creative interests.

But you can only pursue creative interests full-time once you’ve solved the money problem. Thus making remarkable products that sell is the most difficult part of the equation.