I Didn’t Have Time for an Opus Moment. Then It Found Me.

David Fowler is right about the opus moment. Here’s what it looked like in my actual life.

David Fowler wrote recently, “The AI hype is absolutely real for software engineering. If you have not had your opus moment yet, I suggest working on a side project that does not matter and letting AI take the wheel. Just to experience (in a safe space) what is possible.”

I completely agree with him. You do need that moment. And doing it in a safe space is a great way to start.

The challenge is that “safe space” sounds easy in theory and much harder in practice. We are busy. We have deadlines. We have families. We want to sleep. The idea of carving out time for a side project that does not matter can feel indulgent, or simply unrealistic.

And yet, finding that moment can make a real difference.

I found mine in December.

I had signed up for an AI course that started at the end of October. Like many things I am excited about, it immediately collided with real life. Work ramped up. The calendar filled. The course sat there, untouched. By the time December arrived, I finally had some breathing room and decided to start. Luckily, all the recordings were available, and I could go at my own pace.

The course was divided into seven sections, each with multiple classes. The first section was a refresher on Python.

This is where I should admit something. I had used Python exactly once before, more than five years ago, in a statistics class. It was not a pleasant experience. I was trying to learn statistics, learn Python, and learn the ecosystem of libraries all at the same time. My coding partner was not thrilled that I was new to the language. I made it through, but it left a mark. Python, in my mind, was annoying and fiddly and stressful.

This time, I decided to do something different. I decided to let Copilot help me.

I opened VS Code and started typing.

Almost immediately, code suggestions appeared. Real, usable code. Not magic, not perfect, but helpful in a way that reduced friction. It saved me a surprising amount of typing as I worked through what I wanted to do. Python stopped feeling annoying. I did not have to hold all the syntax and edge cases in my head at once. I could stay in my usual stream of consciousness mode, the way I think when I am analyzing data, and let the tooling handle more of the mechanics.

For the first time, Python felt approachable.

That night, I turned to my husband and said, “This was so cool. I have to tell you about it.”

And in saying that out loud, the floodgates opened.

I realized I have a long list of projects I have wanted to do for years. Not because I lack ideas or understanding, but because I lack time and hands. I know how to make them work. I can see the architecture. I can reason about the data. What I do not have is the capacity to write all the code and fix dinner and drive people to activities and pet all the animals and still be a functional human.

AI did not suddenly give me more hours in the day. What it gave me was momentum.

Opening VS Code and letting Copilot help meant I could finally start on that project list instead of staring at it. I was not even doing the interesting analysis yet. That part is coming. What changed was trust. Trust that AI could reduce the friction enough to make starting possible.

This is why David’s advice resonates so strongly with me. You do need an opus moment. You do need to feel it yourself. Reading about AI is not the same as experiencing it. Watching demos is not the same as letting it sit next to you while you work.

But I also think we need to be honest about what “safe space” looks like for people who are already stretched thin.

Sometimes the safe space is not a brand new side project. Sometimes it is a course you already paid for and have been avoiding. Sometimes it is revisiting a language you once disliked, with better tools this time. Sometimes it is a small, low pressure experiment late at night when the house is finally quiet.

For me, that was enough.

I am still early in this journey. I am still learning where AI helps and where it does not. But I have crossed an important threshold. I trust it enough to invite it into my work. I trust it enough to let it reduce the toil. And that trust has already changed what feels possible.

If you are waiting for your opus moment, my encouragement is this. It does not have to be dramatic. It does not have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.

Sometimes, all it takes is opening the editor and letting AI take the wheel, just a little, long enough to see what could be.