The Soloist

autonomous, independent, a loner, a maverick, a star

In music, a solo is a work for a single instrument, or a work in which a single instrument is featured; the person who plays that instrument is the Soloist. Soloists are often talented, expressive, driven people -- that’s how they get to be Soloists. If they’re not stars yet, they’re usually working on it.

Soloists in the Muzoracle are like solos in a composition. If they’re not alone, they’re alone in the crowd: they stand above. True, it can be lonely at the top -- for the most part, though, it’s an exciting time when we become the Soloist. If we’re not already experiencing success, we’re in the process of building it; we’re heading toward recognition and appreciation. People are drawn to us -- our charisma is kicking in.

As Soloists, we are driven to express. We are consumed with getting our stuff out there in a pointed and focused way, with feeding our audience. Creatively, though, we are focused inward -- the main thing we’re listening to is ourselves. The band, if there is a band, and even the Conductor, are taking cues from us. This can be problematic: as Soloists, we may be overly self-absorbed, arrogant, or isolated.

Related discussions on the J S Kingfisher Blog

The Soloist and Boundaries