a metaphor

You know how ducks always look like they’re gliding effortlessly along the smooth surface of the water? (Well, swans, geese, all waterfowl do it, not just ducks.)

However: underneath the water, their feet are paddling wildly (most of the time.)

The illusion of the effortless gliding is what we want people to see; but it’s also helpful to note that effortless gliding isn’t what anybody really does. If you’re in a place where many people admire you, chances are that you worked hard to get there, and you work hard to stay there. That’s a helpful thing to note.

 

I got this analogy/metaphor thingy from my school orchestra conductor (I don’t really like her, but she says interesting things at least.) She was using it to describe a musician’s performance. On the surface, everything should seem smooth, almost effortless. But in reality, there’s a lot of work going on inside to create that illusion. You mind should at least be working, and you’ve got to be working that vibrato! And for me, I always need to be aware of my bow position.

In hindsight, the music performance analogy only works for some types of pieces, because many also showcase the difficulty and skill level of a piece.