"Writing" or WRITING

I am unused to artistic freedom when it comes to writing. I have, of course, written my own little stories, letters, emails, and blog posts. The idea of a creative "essay" has, up to this point, never crossed my mind as a possibility. The reason for this being, that I apparently did not have a proper idea of what an essay truly is. I feel like I just stepped into a maze and there are twenty different paths in front of me. They all lead someplace different and I have to figure out which path will take me to a headspace that I am happy with. It's both difficult and super exciting. I've never had so much creative freedom in a class before.