Composition has almost always been solitary.
I'm really a very weak musicologist. Wish it weren't so, but there's only so much you can dig deeply into in one lifetime, as if you hadn't noticed.
As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser.
A nice blend of prediction and surprise seem to be at the heart of the best art.
It's best to incorporate a broadly eclectic point of view, and let whatever moves you be your inspiration.
I suppose I was affected by raw sounds and timbres more than a lot of other composers. Had I been involved with orchestral composing, I think the aspect that would have most endeared me to that field would have been the orchestration.