Time to update this mess...
I am an artist, mostly a painter. I'm not a religious person, but I have a Taoist-Confucian approach to the world (they aren't as contradictory as people seem to think). I see D/s as a 'unity of opposites' thing rather than a 'control by force' thing- although there is a time and place for the judicious application of force.
The Confucian side of me values the order and harmony that a benevolent D/s relationship can generate. The Taoist aspect sees the futility of striving against the true nature of anything- or anyone- but also sees how the application of energy in the right way at the right time can transform a situation, a dynamic, or a person into a significantly new form.

As an artist I enjoy the myriad differences that give things, and people, their special and individual qualities. As a Dom, I have no interest in erasing these. As both artist and Dom, however, I do have an interest in shaping these qualities into their highest and most beautiful expression.