An Atypical 'Performance' Talk
summary
Background as a conservatory clarinetist informs practical claims about learning and focus: break complex scores down, sing it before playing, practice problem spots very slowly, and limit concentrated practice to no more than four hours because deep focus exhausts. Work life details include full‑time open source work at ManageIQ for Red Hat and five years remote; tradeoffs drove leaving music for software to preserve balance. Cites Cal Newport’s Deep Work and contrasts seven‑hour grind anecdotes with sustainable routines.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Introduction
- 2:42Clarinetist to developer
- 7:17Complexity in music and code
- 13:44Deep concentration
- 16:32Practice and burnout
- 21:27Hero worship and impostor syndrome
- 24:34Music to software
- 27:07Closing and gratitude
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