[vermasque]

What are these walls that you hit? Is the problem too hard to solve with your amount of experience or something else? Perhaps you should explore why the walls happen.

On finding something to build, it can be tough. You have to keep thinking about things that scratch an itch of yours but are also practical to build. For the longest time, I used to think and even plan out ideas that really seemed to be like science fair projects: 2D drawing using contour maps to design 3D structures like for game design, an app to tell me how to fit a bunch of boxes optimally into a truck/van, a form creator (an ultimate GUI over DB to replace many GUI-over-DB apps). The problem is that I wouldn't use any of these for my own needs because I don't need these things. And I didn't know anyone who actually needed this stuff and could use it if I built it. Find something that scratches an itch. Do you need something but all the existing tools aren't quite right? Go for it. And don't worry about using "cool" tech to get it done. If Clojure can be used to solve the problem and you really want to learn it, great. If not, then stick to what you know but focus on getting the problem solved and building something of value to you.

Perhaps a new job might give you a fresh environment, a change of pace, or something different to learn during work. That could be used to stimulate more or different learning on the side.

As far as feeling depressed when you see hackers who have done a ton of stuff, I imagine everyone looks at someone who has done more than them and wonders the same. What matters is that you do more than what you are currently doing. There are times that I wish I had started sooner on things or been more passionate about things. I can't change the past now. But I can change the future.