Mirror or Light - What Kind of Musician Are You?

Mirror or Light?

I have been thinking a lot about recently some of the musicians in my life and also about my role as a musician.

I see that some musicians are like lights… they have an inner and outer radiance that illuminates their audience.  My greatest hopes and ambitions start to flicker, and moth-like, I am drawn to them, either to play or buy their CDs or to go to their shows.  In either context, I learn about myself and how I want to be in the world of music.

Others are different, and I have realized that though they seem like bright lights, they are actually mirrors.  Many students, though by no means all, are mirrors, reflecting in some form whatever is presented to them.  Many professionals, though not all, are also mirrors, and reflect very keenly and accurately all that is presented to them.  You have to be very very careful to send out the best to these ones because they can refract and shatter or shimmer and shine.  And what if you are both mirrors?  Will that work?

Anyway, most of us are a combination, which can be confusing until you know what is happening.

Given a choice (and you never really have any choice in the matter), I prefer bright lights to mirrors. 

Mirrors are alluring… things seem real yet can disappear… small rooms can seem large and endless but are still small rooms.  

You can get burned under the lights, but you will always see something new. 

Enough metaphorification, back to work now.

But first, here is a photo from my living room, when the afternoon sun was so completely captured within the globe of my antique floor lamp that it (lamp) appeared to be blazing... mirror?  or light?