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As a developer, I’ve always harbored a small but precious dream: to go beyond the technologies I learn at work and put something I personally planned and built out into the world. And if possible, I wanted it to be a side project that could even lead to some revenue.
However, my reality is that I’m a mother raising an 8-month-old baby. Finding a long, uninterrupted stretch of time to focus solely on development was practically impossible. AI was the answer I found in the midst of these constraints. It wasn’t just out of curiosity; it was an inevitable—yet necessary—choice to keep my side project alive in a situation where I had to produce results in very short bursts.
For someone like me, who has to split time between a baby’s 30-minute nap or those precious late-night hours after finally getting the little one to sleep, AI was the only tool that could turn a “vague imagination” into an “actual launch.” While I’ve mostly worked as a backend developer, I also wanted to use this opportunity to lean on AI to get a feel for UI/UX and frontend development.
The Process: A Next.js App in One Prompt
I’m familiar with coding and debugging, but this was my first time truly using AI for a project. To get a feel for it, I set my first goal as a “Portfolio Template”—the simplest form I could think of.
I used a tool called d0 from Hostinger, and the prompt I entered was this:
“Create a modern, minimalist one-page portfolio for a frontend developer. Use Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and Lucide icons. Sections: Hero (with a professional intro), About, Skills (using badges), Projects (grid layout with hover effects), and a simple Contact form. Style: Clean typography, plenty of white space, and a soft dark mode toggle. Make it fully responsive for mobile.”
Amazingly, a Next.js app was generated instantly from just this one prompt. There were no major bugs, and the dark mode felt natural. To be honest, the design wasn’t 100% to my liking. However, the core of this project was “finishing it” rather than “perfect design.” I resisted the temptation to tweak the code and focused on speed, moving forward as it was.
How Long Did It Actually Take?
Surprisingly, it took exactly 10 minutes from generating the template to registering it as a product on Gumroad. The time spent getting used to the tools was separate, but the process from creation to launch was instantaneous. For a developer like me, who is always pressed for time due to childcare, it was a revolution that significantly lowered the barrier to entry for side projects.
Gumroad Experience: Better Than Expected
I uploaded the finished template to Gumroad, a global sales platform. It was my first time using it, and I was surprised by how beautiful the UI was. It didn’t feel like a stiff corporate tool; it had a kitschy, trendy vibe. The product registration process was incredibly intuitive, and with real-time previews, even a beginner like me could work comfortably without getting lost.
💡 Quick Tip for Free Products When you upload a free product on Gumroad, it automatically sets up a ‘Donation’ model. Anyone can get it for free, but those who want to express their gratitude can enter any amount they wish to donate. If you’re planning to distribute a side project for free, definitely use this feature!
I’ve listed this template for free for those who find it hard to start. Feel free to grab it whenever you need! 👉 View Portfolio Template
How I Felt Hitting the ‘Publish’ Button
There was no immediate revenue, and the result wasn’t perfect. But the moment I hit that ‘Publish’ button, a strange emotion welled up from deep inside.
“Ah, this is what I really wanted.”
While I enjoy the process of coding and solving problems, I realized then how much I had longed for that feeling of putting something I made fully out into the world. Being a mom is precious, but it was a touching moment to reaffirm my identity as a ‘developer’—someone who creates.
What’s Next?
Successfully finishing my first side project has given me a lot of confidence. Now, I’m preparing for the next step: building my own brand and working on a second template. This time, I plan to mix in more diverse AI tools and melt a bit more of my own design philosophy into it. I’ll be recording that journey step-by-step as well, so please look forward to my next chapter! 🙂