I got a good piece of advice recently, and it hit home with me.
The people we work with a long time aren’t necessarily your friends, even if there is that feeling of friendship from having worked together for many years. It just means that you have/had a good working relationship.
A friend would give you a call to meet for drinks, meals and hang out without necessarily discussing anything work related. A colleague does exactly the opposite, even if it’s just hanging out.
In our music circle, it is difficult to determine where that line is sometimes - depending who you are interacting with and how long you've known and interacted with them. Sometimes, some colleagues will give you the impression like they’re your friends, but they really aren’t. You just have a close and good working relationship with them. It’s just that you’re in close proximity with the work, and basically you’re getting called to play gigs with some of the same people. They need you the same way you need them, but that’s not always the case.
How do we determine which is which? Well, when the working relationship ends, just see how often you get called after that.
Time to get some perspective.
Thanks for reading. Have a good day and stay safe.
- JC