conscious / unconscious

The process of composition is both conscious and unconscious, deliberate (intentional) and accidental. For example, I can consciously say that I'm going to go I, vi, ii, V, or introduce a passing chord between vi and ii in this same progression. But then I don't know what melody is going to come out of that. I can set up a formal problem for myself to solve: how to get from there to there, but I need to feel my way through the solution.