As you infer it is great for the creative process to get "out of ones comfort zone" and I can see that it has even more challenges with your style of music than it would with something like electronic or rock!
I'm sure something amazing will be created at the end. Keep faith!
Yes, as an Early Music musician, we are less constrained than our modern Classical cousins (in general!). We still improvise and do things that aren't over-rehearsed, so in many ways we are closer to our Jazz cousins (though not completely!). However, this style of doing things is completely new. But I'm eager to learn!