Time and again artists, when asked about creativity, describe giving themselves over to an indefinable muse –– one that leads away from preconceived notions. Here's an excerpt on that subject from Pablo Picasso:
Ideas are simply starting points. I can rarely set them down as they come to my mind. As soon as I start to work, others well up in my pen. To know what you’re going to draw, you have to begin drawing… When I find myself facing a blank page, that’s always going through my head. What I capture in spite of myself interests me more than my own ideas.