Why does it seem easier to transcend the ego when we are part of a tradition in the performing arts? This is my sense coming from my own experience, particularly in storytelling. It is as if the entire culture and heritage holds one in check when one is representing that culture and heritage; in the face of that reality, one must be humble.

When what one offers is one’s “own” as an individual, it is as if there is no entity looking upon us and reminding us that we had better not inflate ourselves. The ego takes an upper stance and prevents us from accessing that which is “more.” Of course, we know of artists and composers who have entered into a state where something greater comes in, where the whole takes over. But for this one must make great effort, and then completely surrender.