Michelle Shafer describes her musical identity as that of a "singer songwriter poet" with guitar skills. She believes songs are happenings, unique events in the life of the performer and the audience. Her guitar arrangements have been described as a framework for her voice. Her playing is worldly, most directly flavored by traditional classical guitar, folk/rock/blues, and traditional finger style. She writes using nylon string, steel string and electric guitars. Eclectic but always authentic, her work speaks from and to the heart, resonating with a voice that has been described as mesmerizing, transporting and beautiful.