Wow - lush and healthy - great
There isn't much info on using sagebrush. Look at style photos and styling techniques for rosemary. I think the growth habit is similar. I see no evidence of back budding in spite of all the lush growth. Rosemary is the same way, no back budding on old wood. So when you cut, do not plan on back buds, because I doubt you will get them, or if you do, it won't be a predictable pattern.
If you are not sure what to do, don't do anything. Prune it back to keep the current size, but don't do a styling until something hits you as ''right''. Another year or two of waiting won't hurt. Look at it from all sides, Periodically tilt the pot at different angles and see what grabs you. Take your time. There is a nice tree in there.
Most of your branches have some twists and turns. But the one slender branch that shoots left in photo and is arrow straight, I think no mater what you do, this one won't be part of the final design, get rid of it now. But leave several inches as jin, don't cut it flush. The one that doesn't look like the others is the branch to cut off.
Basically for design, any style that junipers do well, this could be a stand in for. But remember, you probably won't get any back budding at all on bare wood, so always leave some green on a branch you want to keep.
To test it for back budding, next year, 2017, late spring early summer, when it is in active growth, cut every single growing tip off every branch. Always leave some leaves on every branch, but cut the growing ends. The disruption of growth hormones this will cause should cause it to back bud. See where it does. If it only backbuds in areas with leaves, you will know that it is unlikely to back bud on old wood. If you get back budding on old wood, then you know what you have to do to get the back buds.
You have long branches without green, so any design will have a "' literati'' feel in that foliage will be sparse and only out at the ends of branches.
Interesting project
