The Oboist to The Drummer

I keep making metaphors from domains I know nothing about, but nevertheless. I’ve been thinking about ways of living and life coaches.

More and more, context and nuance rise up in my priorities. To know where that person wants to go rather than where I think they should go.

That’s been a hard lesson especially when I feel like I know the person.

But my data set aka life living has kept reminding I’m always wrong. Because they aren’t me.

So I’m thinking about what advice or feedback actually applies.

Things from my expertise seems obvious. But how often is that other person also a tech-based designer with an art background growing up in the 90s in an Asian-American household?

Seems fruitless.

But then I was re-reading some old music advice quotes I had written down. And thinking about the oboist and the drummer. They’re both musicians, but because of the instruments — it seems much clearer what music advice would apply. Maybe rhythm, maybe reading music, maybe getting gigs.

But the actual instrument itself, or how to play it (“just blow air hard into your snare drum”, or maintenance, or how you fit into the orchestra or band. It’s clearer to see the limits of guidance.

At the same time, it’s clearer to see where the overlap is. It’s murkier when it comes to life, but I’ll be thinking about this as I think about giving feedback in the future.