DEV Community: Buono Make Studio

The Goal for English Learners Is to Have a Dream in English

Buono Make Studio — Tue, 12 May 2026 03:53:28 +0000

Hi, this is Buono.

I had a dream in English 2 times before.

1st time: When I was working as a project manager with foreign people in an automobile company.
2nd time: When I was reading many English books.

Not so many. And the durations were short. (Furthermore, I didn't remember the contents very well.)

But I guess there is a significant gap between 0 and 1 (or more) because a tremendous effort is needed in order to have a dream in English.

I can say it confidently based on my experience.

How to Have a Dream in English

The key to having a dream in English is: Fill your brain with English. That's all.

Before I saw an English dream for the first time in my life, I had held meetings with foreign people on Zoom almost every day.

Since my English skills were poorer than they are now, I was struggling to catch up with their conversation.

So, naturally, my brain filled with English.

But after quitting the position and the job, I haven't seen any dreams in English. (Very sadly for me.)

Then, how about the 2nd time?

All of a sudden, it happened to me one day.

As I mentioned in the other article, I have read many English books recently. Sometimes 30 minutes a day, sometimes 4 hours a day.

When I got up in the morning, I found that I had had a dream that I was having a hamburger with foreign friends somewhere in McDonald's.

Even though I was not sure why I dreamt this kind of dream (because I haven't read such kind of books), I was very happy to have an English dream again, long after the 1st dream.

Fill Your Brain With English

So I encourage you to fill your brain with English through these activities:

To read many English books
To watch many English videos/movies
To have conversations many times online. (Like Native Camp)

Catch you later👍

The reason why we should not read English books using dictionary

Buono Make Studio — Thu, 07 May 2026 13:37:55 +0000

The Reason Why We Should Not Read English Books Using Dictionary

Hi, this is Buono.

I love reading English books recently and have read around 30 books over the last year.

Below is the list I read during this period:

The Giver
Darren shan (#1 to #6)
Wonder
Factfulness
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The House With Chicken Legs
It Ends With Us
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Danny the Champion of the World
Atomic Habits
Tuesdays with Morrie
etc…

As you can see, I'm open-minded and read books of several genres.

Disadvantages of Using a Dictionary

Since I'm a middle-level English learner, I often see a word I don't know whenever I turn a page.

The frequency depends on the genre and the target of the book.

Anyway, I don't use a dictionary at all nowadays.

You might think about how you proceed to read ahead without understanding the detailed meaning.

But I can say from my experience that you don't have to worry about that point.

Even if you catch only 60% of 70% of all sentences or wordings, you can figure out the overall story and what the author wants to tell us. I'm sure it doesn't matter.

You don't have to be a perfectionist. You must not.

On the other hand, below are the disadvantages of using a dictionary to look up all the meanings of a word you see.

The rhythm of reading turns bad
The power of anticipating the meaning of a word you don't know diminishes

In order to avoid these cons, we should read books using the dictionary as little as possible.

How to Assume the Meaning of a Word You Don't Know

Let me show you my idea for how I determine the meaning of a word I don't know when I encounter it.

We can predict the meaning if we find these words listed below. (In this case, A is your familiar word, whereas X is not familiar to you.)

A and X: The meaning of X is almost the same as A.
A but X: The meaning of X is the opposite of A.
Although A, it's X: The meaning of X is the opposite of A.
A, so X: X is a result of A.
X so that / therefore A: X causes A.

These are just examples.

Additionally, we can use the "context" power to predict the meaning.

If that paragraph contains several positive emotional words like smiled, empowered, and happiness, the X in the paragraph should be a positive word or something related to positive words.

In that way, I succeeded in reading many books.

Catch you later👍

Those Who Ask If They Need To Study English Don't Need To Study English.

Buono Make Studio — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:58:24 +0000

Hi, it's Buono.

I'm often asked by friends and subscribers of my channel if they need to study English.

The background of the question is obviously the era of AI.

In this era, AI can translate any language into any language they want. Some devices like a pocket-talk allow us to have a conversation with anyone who has a different mother tongue in real time.

No wonder they have such a kind of question in these circumstances.

But, I hate to tell you this: if you have this question, you don't need to study English.

The Purpose of Studying English

Why are you interested in learning English in the first place?

Some people might say that they want to travel abroad alone without a tour guide.

Some people might say that they want to exchange different cultures.

For me, the reason why I learn English is related to the foundational experience when I was young.

I've been to a language school in Sydney for 1 month.

It was so memorable for my entire life that I couldnt't forget. English class with a funny teacher, a passionate Brazilian girl, and wild European boys.

But what I cannot forget most is the moment I saw at the gathering held one night.

Korean, French, and other friends who are from other countries were talking about Manga.

Japanese was only me there.

I was right there at the moment when they wanted to ask something about Manga. They asked me some questions and opinions to me when I was found.

But I couldn't reply with an appropriate answer and opinion to them.

"Why don't you know Manga at all, even though you're Japanese?" is written in their faces.

After that regrettable happening, my top priority in learning English became to discuss Manga with foreign people.

Do You Have Emotional Motivations to Learn English?

The previous story is mine. All of you have different stories.

But, no matter what story you have, I can say that "emotional motivation" is mandatory to keep you learning English.

You can see two main reasons why we learn language:

Useful motivation: To earn more wages, to be helpful in daily life
Emotional motivation: To conquer regrettable/unforgettable things. To be cool. To be what they want to be.

You can easily imagine that the first one can be represented by AI. If you're learning a language for the number one reason, you must quit learning it immediately because AI will obtain that skill in the near future and speak/translate just for you. You don't have to ruin your precious time.

But, on the other hand, if you're currently learning a language for the number two reason, you must keep going.

In my experience and feeling, those who ask me if they need to study English are learning or seeing just for the number one reason.

I'm absolutely sure that those who have the number two reason are driven from their hearts.

Like the experience I faced in Sydney, we need firsthand experience regardless of the place, type, or situation.

I strongly recommend you remember that you have had such kind of things in the past.

Catch you later👍

Why Isn't There a Reward for Obtaining TIME Instead of MONEY?

Buono Make Studio — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:45:43 +0000

Hi, this is Buono.

Let me talk about the reward system spreading around the world today.

What can we get as a result of working?

You're right, it's money.

But this time I'd like to ask you, "Is money all you need?"

We Need Money, But…

Needless to say, money is important for our lives, especially to provide for our families.

We need it when we go out anywhere, go to the restaurant with friends, enroll our children in school, and more and more (Since I'm a father, I understand how you feel).

But please ask yourself this: Do we need money INFINITELY?

I suggest you calculate the exact value you need in a year.

If the value exceeds the money you earn, you must keep working continuously and maybe more.

But if your earnings exceed the threshold, this article is written for you.

You have to make a decision that you keep earning as you have been, or focus on more important things in your life.

Prioritize TIME Over MONEY

My suggestion is that we apply a new work style where we work only 2 or 3 days a week, instead of 5.

It sounds like a freelancer. In a sense, it's true. However, my suggestion covers all work styles.

Why is it that we only have the option that we proceed going up?

The more we work and make achievements, the more we earn money, and more importantly, the busier we are.

That situation comes from the fact that the opportunity loss of a high-earning person is greater than that of others if he is free. That's why such a person is demanded everywhere to minimize the loss, ending up always occupied.

Does it ring a bell?

I'm very sorry for you.

This is one of the reasons I don't want to promote myself and become a boss.

I need time rather than money very much. I love free time. I have many things I want to do in my life.

After considering many hours, I came up with one idea.

Companies offer two options as a reward of something great like below:

Money and position: Same as the current way
Time: We can reduce our working time with same wages

The latter one represents more high cost performance.

Imagine that you are currently working 5 days a week and earn $3,000 a month. After getting this reward, you will work only 3 days a week with same wage $3,000.

Conglaturation! You obtain completely free 2 days a week.

You can go everywhere you want, you can do everything you want using this space.

This is my suggestion.

I hope many long-sighted companies apply this work style in the near future.

What do you think about it?

Catch you later👍

What Is the Significance of Reading The Giver Now, in the Age of AI?

Buono Make Studio — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:18:09 +0000

Hi, this is Buono.

Recently, I have loved reading foreign books. It gives me many chances to face new things and thoughts.

"Can't find good books to read?"

I'd like to introduce a book for you today.

https://amzn.asia/d/02wpNgHZ

Outline

The Giver depicts a so-called dystopia in the distant future. (The exact year is not described, though.)

No pain, no stress, no out-of-control…

And all of the memories and experiences have disappeared from them (except a small portion of people, as I'll explain later.)

Even emotions don't exist.

That word seems like an eutopia rather than a dystopia at a glance.

But…

Can you imagine a world that ACTUALLY doesn't have these pains?

The boy, the main character in this book, is one of the "normal" people in such a world. He spent his daily life until 12 or 13 years old (I forgot the detail.) by the time he was sentenced to be "The Giver" as his profession.

What is The Giver?

These are the people who have all the memories and experiences instead of other people.

They know how chill the snow is, they know how beautiful the flowers are, and they know how terrifying the war is.

The process of being The Giver is no longer easy, but the boy ends up taking after the man who currently holds the role.

Despite the fact that these memories and experiences affect the boy, he struggles to put up with them and gradually changes his thoughts and feelings.

Then, finally, he decided to do one thing one day.

Why Should We Read This One at This Moment?

This book hints at a lot of things we all have to consider for our future.

We all believe a completely controlled world is like heaven. That's why we develop technologies and industries every day.

If it is raining when we go out, we wish it could be fine. So we improve weather forecast accuracy, and we will develop a weather control machine someday.

If our body is hurt by injuries, we wish the pain could be away. So we give the first-aid in no time, and all pain will vanish just by swallowing a pill.

However, what will happen if all of these wishes really come true?

I'm sure you have this answer because the answer is completely the same as the feeling you feel right now when you use AI (like ChatGPT, Claude code, and so on)

Do you realize you lack knowledge and skills day by day?

The more we use AI, the more we become foolish.

And we continue this… The goal is obvious. The Giver depicts the scene we end up reaching in the future.

But needless to say, we don't want to lose our precious memories, emotions, and experiences.

If so, what we should do from now on is also obvious.

We must stop to improve and grow everything someday.

Firsthand Experiences Are the Key to the AI Era

Even if technologies help us keep safe, be useful, and make everything easy, we should not abandon firsthand experiences.

That is the right that only a human being can enjoy.

What do you think about it? I hope I can hear your thoughts!

Catch you later👍

Doing Everything You Want to Do Is Actually the Fastest Path Forward

Buono Make Studio — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Hey it's Buono. This one might not apply to everyone, but if you're the type of person who constantly wants to try new things — what I'd call "multi-passionate" syndrome — this might hit hard.

I'm not talking about ADHD in the clinical sense. I mean the kind of person who just can't stop getting excited about new projects. Can't sit still. Can't commit to one lane.

That's me. Always has been.

Society calls it "unfocused" or "jack of all trades." Not exactly flattering. And honestly, I used to believe them.

The Problem With Having No Specialty

Every time I hit a wall in life — career setbacks, pivots, difficult decisions — the same thoughts came up: "What's my specialty even?" and "Man, if I just had one clear weapon this would be so much easier."

I hated being this way. So I tried to fix it. Over and over.

"From now on, THIS is the only thing I'm doing for the rest of my life." I've made that vow to myself probably 10 times. Maybe more.

It never stuck. Sometimes it lasted a month. Sometimes I'd wake up the next morning and the conviction was already gone.

Every time it fell apart, I'd spiral: "Guess I'll never be a real expert at anything." Brutal cycle.

You Can't Fix This (And You Shouldn't Try)

Here's what I finally figured out: this isn't fixable. And more importantly — it doesn't need to be.

Two books helped me see this. "How to Find the Impulse to Leave the Rails of Life" and Koichiro Kokubun's "The Ethics of Boredom and Idleness."

Kokubun's argument blew my mind. His stance is basically: decision is the enemy.

Think about it. You quit your corporate job and declare "THIS is my path now!" Feels liberating, right? But then you spend the next five years trapped by that decision. Bending your life around it. Defending it to yourself.

And at some point you realize... how is this different from being trapped at the company? You just swapped one cage for another.

His proposal? Be more like an animal. Stop overthinking. Let yourself move toward whatever pulls you in the moment. Give yourself permission to not have a master plan.

When I read that, I nearly fell out of my chair. It was saying the exact same thing as the impulse book — from a completely different angle. That can't be a coincidence.

What Happened When I Stopped Deciding

This newsletter? Started on impulse. No plan. No idea how long it'll last.

Once I started trusting impulse over decision, I tried a bunch of stuff without asking permission from my own brain:

Newsletter
English vocab learning app
Cooking (went deep on pasta, now eyeing homemade pizza)
Unity + electronics projects
Netflix foreign dramas
AI image generation

Looking at that list, it makes zero sense. No common thread. No strategic narrative.

And that's fine.

The Time You Spend Hesitating Is the Real Waste

When I believed "commitment" was the only valid approach, I'd suppress every urge that didn't align with my Chosen Path. I'd resist the pull toward new things and force myself to stay in one lane.

But every time I resisted, this massive internal conflict would build up. "Is this really the right direction? Am I sure? What if I'm wrong?"

That hesitation phase was the real killer. Not the switching. The agonizing. Zero motivation, zero output, zero joy. Just sitting in indecision burning through days and weeks.

Eventually I realized: trying the thing and moving on quickly is WAY more efficient than debating whether to try it for months.

Horiemon said it best: "Get obsessed like a monkey." I used to think that was reckless. Now I think it's genius.

If you try something and it doesn't stick, leave it. Come back a year later if the itch returns. That's perfectly fine. Way better than staring at it sideways while forcing yourself to do something else.

This is partly a reminder to myself. But if you're stuck in the same loop — paralyzed between what you "should" do and what you actually want to do — I hope this helps even a little.

Just go do the thing.

Catch you later ✌️

Why You Need Empty Space in Your Life

Buono Make Studio — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Hey it's Buono. This connects to the 50% rule I talked about yesterday, but today I want to zoom in on something more specific: the importance of leaving blank space in your daily life.

I'm not perfect at this. Not even close. But since I started intentionally protecting empty time, I've noticed three things that simply wouldn't have happened without it.

If you're a business person buried in work 24/7 or a content creator grinding for impressions every single day — both of which used to be me — this might hit differently.

1. You Can Jump on Trends Before Anyone Else

Have you noticed how many new AI tools are dropping right now? New models, new image generators, new everything — at a pace nobody can keep up with. And most of them are genuinely game-changing.

Has there ever been a year this wild? Maybe when web services were exploding 10+ years ago, but even then, only a handful had real impact. Now it feels like every week something massive drops.

Am I keeping up with all of it? Absolutely not. But because I have empty space in my schedule, when something hits and I think "I need to try this" — I can act immediately.

Case in point: when Google dropped Imagen 4 around June this year, the AI-generated photos looked impossibly real. I had a gut feeling this was a step-change moment. So I started experimenting.

Got obsessed with eliminating the "AI look." Bought courses, tried hundreds of iterations, burned through every technique I could find. (Ended up using Imagen 3 for Asian faces because the consistency was actually better.)

Then I made a TikTok account to test public reaction. It blew up. First time I ever broke 1 million impressions. Hit 10k followers in under a month.

None of that happens if my calendar is packed. The experimentation alone took massive amounts of unstructured time. Being early, going deep, and iterating obsessively — all of it requires blank space.

2. Your Weekends Actually Become Weekends

Old me: weekends were just extensions of the workweek. Always thinking about Monday's tasks, always planning the next social media post, always "on."

When my first kid was born, I was like this. I'd take him to the playground but have earbuds in, consuming content the whole time. I wasn't really there. And that's something I genuinely regret.

So when my second kid came along, I made a decision: I'm going to actually play. Fully present. No distractions.

But to do that, I had to work backwards. If I wanted an empty head on weekends, I needed to eliminate the things that fill it. Less responsibility at work. Fewer tasks. Less social media pressure. Smaller scope everywhere.

Gradually, it worked. The mental noise on weekends got quieter.

Recently my wife told me something that caught me off guard. She said: "You look like you're genuinely having fun when you play with the kids. How do you do that?" Dead serious face.

I didn't think I was doing anything special. But compared to the guilt-ridden, half-present version of me with my first kid? I guess something changed.

I want to keep this up while they're still young. It matters more than anything else on my to-do list.

3. You Find Your Impulse

This is the biggest one for me.

There's a book called "How to Find the Impulse to Leave the Rails of Life." It's become my recent bible. I lose my sense of purpose and direction more often than I'd like to admit, and this book pulled me back.

The core argument is simple:

Impulse is the driving force of your life
To feel that impulse, you need blank space — you need to turn yourself into a receptive medium

"Receptive medium" really stuck with me. You can't pick up on subtle signals if you're drowning in noise.

This also connects to "Every Day Is a Good Day" — a book I read during paternity leave about finding beauty in small, ordinary moments. Different frame, same underlying truth: you have to be open and empty enough to notice what's right in front of you.

Having blank space doesn't mean something magical happens every day. But it makes you available for when it does. And it reframes impulse as something positive rather than reckless — which is how most people see it.

Watching my kids helped me understand this. They run purely on impulse. That's why they can play until they literally collapse. No strategy, no calculation. Just raw "I want to do THIS" energy.

There's a manga I love called "Chi." The main character Rafal becomes consumed by heliocentrism in a way that looks completely irrational to everyone around him. The book argues that's pure impulse in action.

That kind of moment — where something grabs you like a ghost possessing your body — I'm still waiting for mine. But I know it won't find me if every second of my day is already claimed.

Keep some space open.

Catch you later ✌️

The 50% Rule: How I Split My Day Between My Job and Everything Else

Buono Make Studio — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Hey it's Buono. You've probably heard of Google's 20% rule — employees get to spend 20% of their time on projects outside their main work. It's been around for over a decade and gets referenced constantly.

I always admired it. My personality naturally pulls me toward trying new things, so any framework that encourages exploration outside your core job was right up my alley.

But 20% wasn't enough for me. So I took it further.

The 50% Rule

Exactly what it sounds like. Half my working hours go to my day job. The other half goes to everything else.

Let me break down the math. I sleep about 6 hours, spend 4 hours with family, and lose about 1 hour to random life admin. That's 11 hours spoken for. Leaves me 13 hours of actual working time per day.

Split that in half: 6.5 hours for work, 6.5 hours for me.

That's the target. Every single day.

What Goes Into the Other 50%?

Whatever I feel like. Seriously. Here's a typical mix:

Vibe-coding an English learning app
Testing a brand new image generation model
Prepping my next YouTube video
Reading a book I grabbed over the weekend
Writing a blog post
Watching a foreign drama on Netflix with English subtitles

Some of it's productive. Some of it isn't. I don't really care. The core principle is: follow the impulse. Do whatever pulls you in that moment.

This connects to the idea of serendipity — those unexpected discoveries that only happen when you're exploring without a fixed agenda. The best stuff in my life has come from exactly this kind of unstructured time.

The Portfolio Theory of Life

Shu Yamaguchi — the author of "Why Do the World's Elites Train Their Aesthetic Sense?" among other things — talks about this idea of running your life like a portfolio. Alongside your main career, keep investing small amounts of time into low-risk, high-upside bets. Things that probably won't pay off, but if they do, they pay off big.

He speaks from experience. That book made him famous in a way his main career alone never would have.

I've seen the same pattern in my own life on a smaller scale. YouTube, electronics, content creation — none of it was part of my "career plan." But all of it compounded over 5-10 years in ways I never predicted.

If you want a life that isn't completely dependent on your employer, this kind of long-term side investment isn't optional. It's essential.

"But Can You Really Do Your Job in 6.5 Hours?"

Fair pushback. Especially if overtime is your normal.

But I genuinely believe it's possible. Here's what I do:

Eliminate commuting — Remote work is the single biggest time unlock. No debate.

Cut tasks ruthlessly — Only work on what actually matters. Issue-driven, not busy-driven.

Avoid leadership roles — More responsibility = less control over your own time. I stay as an individual contributor on purpose.

Minimize meetings — Only attend the ones that are truly necessary. Say no to everything else.

Optimize sleep — A 15-minute afternoon nap gives you hours of effective energy. Shift your sleep, don't just add more.

Run work and side projects in parallel — AI makes this very doable now. Let AI handle chunks of your day job while you focus elsewhere.

None of these are instant fixes. But none of them are impossible either. I treat each one as a necessary investment in my future and I practice all of them.

"But What About Your Career?"

Yeah. This approach means you're off the promotion track. You're probably leaving money on the table. Your boss might not love it.

But is climbing that ladder actually what matters most to you? Be honest.

I know this kind of life philosophy is a hard sell in Japan right now. But I think the AI era is going to push a lot more people in this direction whether they plan for it or not.

Might as well start on your own terms.

Catch you later ✌️

Why I'm Still Learning English When AI Can Translate Everything

Buono Make Studio — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Hey it's Buono. Sunday. My oldest is at cram school prepping for middle school entrance exams, so I took my wife and 3-year-old daughter to the local mall.

My current weekend rule is simple: play with my daughter until she's completely exhausted. It was raining, so indoor playground it was. But my wife was extra energetic today and basically took over, leaving me with nothing to do.

So I wandered into the bookstore. And that's where I found a book that hit me right between the eyes.

"Why Study English in the AI Era?"

The Question I Couldn't Answer

The reason this title jumped out at me is because I'd been stuck on this exact question for months.

I've loved English for a long time. Back in my early twenties, I did a one-month homestay in Sydney — my first time abroad. I'd never even been on a domestic flight before that. Just threw myself into it.

After that I kept studying on and off, eventually landed at a foreign car manufacturer at 35, and spent five years working with people from all over the world.

But then I left that company. Now I'm surrounded by Japanese speakers all day. Zero English in my daily life. My skills are slowly rusting and I can feel it.

And every time I think about picking it back up, the same question kills my motivation: "What's the point? AI translates everything perfectly now."

Brutal loop to be stuck in.

The Book Wasn't What I Expected (But It Gave Me Something Better)

I bought it immediately. Read the whole thing in one sitting while waiting at the tire shop for my winter tires to get swapped.

Honest take? Not quite the book I was hoping for. The author is a linguistics professor, so the angle was very linguistics-focused. The core argument was basically: "Different languages give you different perspectives on the world, so learning a foreign language expands how you see things."

Valid point. But with "AI Era" in the title, I was expecting something more forward-looking. More tech-adjacent. A little disappointing on that front.

BUT. There was something in there that grabbed me — not from the thesis itself, but from the feeling it triggered.

What I Actually Realized

Reading that book brought back a rush of memories from Sydney. Landing in a foreign country for the first time with zero experience. Struggling through conversations. Being shocked by how differently people communicate, think, and connect.

Everything was electric. In my twenties, the whole world looked like it was glowing.

That was almost 20 years ago. But it still feels like the foundation of who I am. Being buried in a Japanese-only work environment and the daily grind had dulled that feeling. I'd almost forgotten it was there.

This book reminded me: that sensation of discovering another culture, another way of seeing the world — I want to feel that again before I die.

That's the answer. That's why I'm still learning English.

Not because it's practical. Not because AI can't do it. Because the experience of genuinely understanding another language and culture changes you in a way that no translation tool ever will.

AI can convert words. It can't convert the feeling of finally getting a joke in another language, or the moment a cultural reference clicks and you see the world from a completely different angle.

The Real Reason Has Nothing to Do With Utility

So yeah. The book's actual thesis wasn't quite what I was after. But it accidentally gave me exactly what I needed — a reminder of why this matters to me on a deeply personal level.

English stays on the curriculum. For life.

Catch you later ✌️

Why I Keep Creating Content When It Makes Almost No Money

Buono Make Studio — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:29:02 +0000

Hey it's Buono. Winter's fully here in Yokohama. There's a big tree outside my desk window and I usually feel the seasons shift through its leaves. Right now? Completely bare.

Anyway. Today I wanna talk about something I've been asked a million times: why do I keep putting out content when the money is basically nonexistent?

"YouTubers Make Bank Though, Right?"

Every time I tell someone I'm a YouTuber, this is the first thing they say. And I get it. That's the perception.

And yeah — the top creators are printing money. No question. Even below the top tier, there are plenty of people pulling in thousands a month. The game has matured.

But that's not my reality.

I've got 45k subscribers. On paper that sounds decent. Maybe even impressive to some people. But the actual revenue? Embarrassing. When I factor in equipment costs, editing software subscriptions, and parts for my electronics projects, I'm basically doing charity work.

So why keep going?

Honestly, I didn't have a good answer to that question for a while. That uncertainty — plus being genuinely busy — is why my upload frequency dropped off.

But recently it clicked.

Content Creation Is Like Deep-Sea Fishing

I go ocean fishing sometimes. I'm terrible at it. But here's the thing — the part I actually love isn't catching fish. It's dropping the line.

The ocean is massive. You can't see what's below the surface. Your line connects you to the entire world through the water. And in that moment, anything could bite. A tuna. A shark. Something you've never even seen before.

The probability might be 0.001%. But the possibility is infinite. That feeling is everything to me.

Content creation is exactly the same.

The moment you put something out — anything — it's available to the entire world. And you have no idea who might see it. Most of the time, nothing happens. But occasionally, something unbelievable does.

The Catch That Changed Everything

Here's my proof.

Through my content, someone at CQ Publishing — the most respected publisher in the Japanese electrical engineering world, basically the bible of the industry — noticed my work. They invited me to contribute to their magazine.

Me. A completely average engineer. Leapfrogging colleagues with way more experience and talent. Doing something none of my seniors had ever done.

That one opportunity gave me a level of confidence I'd never had before. And it made me a true believer in the power of putting yourself out there.

No amount of private skill-building would've created that moment. It only happened because I was visible.

The Real Reason

There are still days when the motivation dips. "Why am I working this hard for content that makes no money?" It comes up more than I'd like to admit.

But every time it does, I remember the fishing line analogy. I remember CQ Publishing. And I remember that the whole point was never revenue.

The point is maximizing encounters with the unknown.

In a world drowning in content, if you're not putting anything out, you're invisible. You don't exist in the digital world. But the moment you start — even small, even imperfect — you become discoverable. And that's when the unexpected finds you.

That's why I keep going.

Catch you later ✌️

Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Learn About Zen

Buono Make Studio — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:25:25 +0000

Hey it's Buono. I'm not a Zen expert by any stretch. This post is basically me thinking out loud. But I had to get it down because something clicked recently and I want to share it.

Here's the thing: right now might be the best moment in modern history to learn about Zen. And I say that as someone who came to this conclusion completely by accident.

Two Waves Are Rewriting Everything

We're in the middle of two massive shifts happening at the same time:

The AI era — obvious, everyone feels this one
The plateau society — the era where growth is no longer the default (I've written about this separately)

A lot of people haven't fully registered the second wave yet, but trust me, it's real.

When TWO waves this big are hitting at the same time, of course the old playbook stops working. How could it not?

And yet most people are still clinging to the old values. Still trying to force the old way of living to work. Still miserable with no exit in sight.

I was there too. Until pretty recently.

Zen Isn't Just About Sitting Cross-Legged

If that sounds like you, I genuinely think learning about Zen could change things.

I don't know the formal philosophy, I don't know the history, I don't know the terminology. But from the fragments I've picked up, it feels like it was made for this exact moment in time.

Here's what's wild. When I was lost and confused about the future — reading everything I could get my hands on, sitting in silence trying to figure out how to live — I kept arriving at certain conclusions about what a good life looks like. Looking back now, those conclusions were basically Zen. I was reinventing Zen from scratch without knowing it.

So at some point I thought: "Wait, why am I doing all this work when the answer already exists in a 1,500-year-old tradition?" Now I low-key recommend it to anyone who'll listen.

The parts of Zen that feel most relevant to right now:

Valuing the process itself, not just the outcome
Living in the present instead of getting stuck in the past or anxious about the future
Finding joy and creativity in small, ordinary things

Just writing those out hits me in the chest. These are exactly the things I've been trying to figure out for 42 years. Zen basically handed me the answer key.

A lot of people think Zen = sitting meditation (zazen). But that's just the form. The actual substance of Zen is a whole way of living that affirms these principles.

I go for runs and stop by temples to pay my respects along the way. That alone feels like enough. There's a temple near me that holds group meditation sessions — I'm curious about those too and might try one. But you don't have to go full monk to get something out of this.

Everyone Lost in the New Era Should Look Into This

Zen isn't for everyone. I get that. But if you're one of the people staring at a future that no longer makes sense — whose entire framework for life just stopped working — I really think Zen is worth exploring.

I took the long way to get here. Years of trial and error. If you're reading this, you get to skip the detour.

And if the word "Zen" feels too religious or spiritual for your taste — don't worry about it. You don't have to call it Zen. Read books like "How to Find the Impulse to Leave the Rails of Life" or "Every Day Is a Good Day." Keep digging into how to live well in this era and I promise you'll end up in basically the same place. The language is different. The destination is the same.

What I really wanted to say is this: if you're struggling right now, a Zen-style way of living might save you. Not as a religion. Just as a framework that actually fits the world we're in.

Give it a shot.

Catch you later ✌️

Subscribe to my YouTube channel!

I'm an electronics YouTuber in Japan.
You can learn how to make your own gadget, what electronics are, and more.
let's check it out!

[Beginner] Start electronics if you want a hobby

https://www.youtube.com/@buonomakestudio

Stop Chasing Virality. It Won't Save You in the AI Era.

Buono Make Studio — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:52:10 +0000

Hey it's Buono. I've been thinking about how to live in the AI era for about two years now. No grand conclusion yet. But after reading a bunch of books and listening to other people in the AI space, one keyword keeps showing up everywhere.

Obsessive love.

What I Mean by Obsessive Love

The Japanese word is "henai" — roughly translated, it means a deep, borderline irrational passion for something that nobody else really understands.

Everyone has at least one thing like this. Something you're weirdly into that you maybe don't even talk about. Something that makes zero sense to the people around you.

In the AI era, that thing might be the most important asset you have.

Why? Because without it, you're going to be lost.

I don't mean you'll starve. Basic survival will probably be fine. But your sense of purpose, your reason to get up in the morning — that's what's at stake.

AI is going to keep absorbing more and more of what humans currently do. Which means the list of things you "need" to do keeps shrinking. Eventually you hit the bottom: "What am I even supposed to do with myself?"

If you have nothing when you reach that point, it's devastating. I know because I've been there. Having money, having free time, having zero obligations — and having absolutely nothing you want to do. It's genuinely one of the worst experiences of my life.

But if you have something you're obsessed with? Something that's entirely yours? You're untouchable.

Virality Is the Opposite of This

Here's where it gets interesting.

Everyone right now is optimizing for virality. "Will this blow up?" has become the default filter for every decision — what to post, what to create, even what to think about.

I was doing this too.

But think about what "going viral" actually means. It's entirely based on what OTHER people think. Whether YOU find it interesting is completely irrelevant. The metric is external validation, not personal meaning.

Live in that mode long enough and something scary happens: you lose yourself. You stop knowing what you actually like. You stop knowing what excites you. Your inner compass disappears because you've been navigating by everyone else's compass for so long.

That's the exact opposite of obsessive love.

The Stag Beetle Guy Gets It

I heard this story on Ikehaya's podcast. There's a community of people who are completely obsessed with catching stag beetles. It makes no money. Nobody outside the community cares. Their wives and families look at them like they're crazy.

But these guys don't care. They're out there chasing beetles because something deep inside them says THIS IS IT.

I have zero interest in stag beetles personally. But watching someone that locked in to their thing? Kind of jealous honestly.

What's Your Obsessive Love?

So here's the question: do you have something like that? Something nobody around you understands, but you can't stop thinking about?

Mine right now is 2D animation with motion graphics. I've fallen completely into the rabbit hole and nothing else can hold my attention.

It actually started almost 10 years ago when I made an animation for a friend's wedding. I was supposed to be organizing the whole event but I got so absorbed in the animation that I basically ignored everything else. Classic.

Then life happened and I drifted away from it. Until I discovered Kurzgesagt on YouTube. The moment I saw their work I thought "I want to make stuff like this." Instant obsession.

(Then I found out a single video takes them over 1,200 hours and I wanted to cry. But still.)

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell - YouTube

Animation videos explaining things with optimistic nihilism since 12,013. We’re a team of illustrators, animators, number crunchers and one dog who aim to spark curiosity about science and the world we live in. To us nothing is boring if you tell a good story. For updates on our videos and other news from the kurzgesagt universe follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

youtube.com

The point is — find your thing. Not the thing that performs well. Not the thing that makes strategic sense. The thing that hijacks your brain and won't let go.

That's what survives the AI era.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got animation to study.

Catch you later ✌️

Subscribe to my YouTube channel!

I'm an electronics YouTuber in Japan.
You can learn how to make your own gadget, what electronics are, and more.
let's check it out!

[Beginner] Start electronics if you want a hobby

https://www.youtube.com/@buonomakestudio