Maxwell Perkins

Music and software development have more in common than most people think. Both are languages. Both are puzzles. You start with a problem or an idea, build a structure toward a solution, adjust as new information surfaces, and end with something that works and feels right.

I spent years as a composer and entrepreneur building that way of thinking. Running a business taught me to solve real problems for real people, not the problems I assumed they had. That discipline carried into everything I built next.

As AI tools became more accessible, I adopted them into my music and business work, then studied them more seriously through prompt engineering and data annotation at an AI lab. That work deepened a passion. Building became a hobby. When I started freelancing for Sprout Society, a Brooklyn nonprofit focused on mental wellness and community connection, I realized the hobby could become a profession.

The suite of tools I built for them is in active daily use. Since shipping, I have been deepening my technical foundation to take the work further. That foundation is growing fast.