A lot of what Bill Thurston says here resonates with my personal experience:
https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9404236
I don't understand his mathematical work, and, if he were alive, he probably wouldn't understand mine.
But this is precisely the kind of things he discusses! Among many other interesting things.
I am sure his experience will resonate with yours too!

On proof and progress in mathematics
In response to Jaffe and Quinn [math.HO/9307227], the author discusses forms of progress in mathematics that are not captured by formal proofs of theorems, especially in his own work in the theory of foliations and geometrization of 3-manifolds and dynamical systems.

