In his most recent opinion column in the New York Times, Frank Bruni details a significant experience. It suggests a strategy for encountering the creative muse. His neighbor told him about a new walking trail near his house. Bruni had never seen it before. At first glance it was nothing more than a bit of low-lying duff amidst the higher grass. But, as he ventured forward, the scattered leaves gave way to a more cleanly-edged trail. He had left the familiar road behind. This is how he described this moment:

But where did it go? I hadn’t grilled my neighbor properly on that.

I didn’t know.

How I love not knowing.

By that I mean I love this stage of a relationship: when there are still secrets in store, epiphanies around every bend, the nerve-prickling suspicion that you have no idea where you’re headed.

Bruni recalls a familiar refrain found in this blog. Often, I suggest creating one’s own adventure with nature. I promote a couple common exhortations: try a new trail or disregard the trail altogether and venture into unfamiliar terrain without a compass. The mystery – for that is what it is – sharpens the senses and makes you aware of your surroundings in an entirely different way. This excitement provokes a creative response – it allows one to connect to the greater mystery of the work that confronts the artist back at the studio.

Sometimes, I need to follow my own advice. I haven’t gotten lost in quite a long time when I think about it. I am working on a fiction piece right now – and I have hit a crossroads, where I have put out everything on the page that is definite, items that have the patina of much consideration. The passages are substantial. But the story is far from complete. I am in a waiting game with the universe. I hate this part of the process, for no matter how many pages you write down, still inspiration doesn’t strike.

I must follow my own advice and get out there – chart a new path through some nearby wild land. Allow the process of physical discovery – such as coming upon a new vista – to trigger the mysterious unfolding of the creative project. Give the muse some new adventure, so that some of their secrets are revealed.