Philosophy and BDSM

A philosopher asked his apprentice

"Which is more important, an artist or his canvas?"

The apprentice thought for a moment....and replied

"The artist of course. Because he is the driving force behind his art"

The philosopher smiled and shook his head.

"Both are equally important in the creation of the art. The artist is the driving force, but without his canvas he cannot create art"

Now think of the above as my philosophy. BDSM to me is like a constant give and take.

The Dominant and submissive equally take responsibility for a healthy BDSM relationship. In my scenerio above the Dominant can take the form of an artist. The submissive the canvas. The artist may provide the vision and the driving force to create the art, but the Dominant needs a submissive to complete his artwork. The submissive is a blank canvas, one ready and open to transformation.