Always have a model, my first teacher told me. While he was primarily talking about a model for every piece, I had been looking for a model for this phase of my career. How should I dress and present myself? How should I behave in rehearsal? Should I even go to rehearsal? How do I lay the foundation for what's next?  I spoke to old teachers, old-timer composers, active European composers who were kind enough to offer a little time, but didn’t find a lot of answers; no roadmap, no master plan, no definitive advice. 

Where I am now is the composer mentor I needed then.  

An expansion on the blog post, "After the Mountaintop: Notes from the Rubble Pile"