Early UI Exploration

I'm beginning a new project! It's really fun to be in this stage of a project where everything is new. There are so many possibilities that it can seem overwhelming at times.

This is some early exploration for the visual language. I always try and drum up several directions before going too far. It's great in theory, but can be tough not getting bogged down in the details, especially when a lot of what makes great UI design is in the nitty gritty details.

Do you explore lots of concepts before heading down a particular path? How do you normally decide what direction you want to go?