There is a special moment in the creative process, when you finally see the structure, the underlying foundation, of what you are trying to accomplish. You can see it clearly, seemingly for the first time. Up until this point, you have felt a bit lost, like you are groping in the dark, trying to touch and feel the contours of this thing that you are creating, no matter the medium – a novel, a building, a score.

Your work is far from over – the work demands countless more hours carving out its details. But the form of the project has finally revealed itself. Prior to this moment, your sight has been occluded as you struggle with disparate elements that have continued to call to you over the weeks and months. Just where does everything fit in?

Faith has become a close partner leading up to this moment. You know that there is something valuable within and between these incongruent details. You just must blindly persevere through the creative darkness, until you reach some opening in the path before you, from where you can turn around and see the thing from a more remote vantage point. The muse has rewarded you with just enough respite from the constant slogging through the mire.

Part of this process is all about getting lost – having the courage to tread into uncharted terrain, not knowing what you might uncover along the way. If you have not yet reached this point of repose, then take an afternoon off and physically mimic this internal terrain. Get lost, literally. Leave the trail for the high grass in a nearby state park or find your way to a new neighborhood in the city that you have never explored before. Get in touch with the heightened sense of awareness that comes over you. All your senses come into focus. Carry this feeling into your creative space, once at home. See how this physical journey has transformed your thinking about the project. Maybe resolution is near at hand.