Its not a question of being original. it is a question of tuning in because it’s all there. Now, are there techniques for tuning in? Yes, there are. I’ve given courses about creativity, and in one exercise, I had my students walk around the block, come back, and put down everything that they had seen and experienced in that walk, with particular attention to the points where what they were thinking of when this or that occurred—when they crossed a street or saw a sign—so they begin to see that there’s a distinct relationship. Often, they’ll be thinking about something and then they’ll see something that’s very directly related to what they’re thinking: synchronicity. And sometimes they become quite paranoid as a result of keeping their eyes open and realizing that everything that happens has significance to you because you experience it. That’s one of many exercises. And of course, paying attention to your dreams. Many people forget them if they’re not written down. There’s a difference between the brain choices, the memory choices of waking, and dream experience, which is much more ephemeral. And there’s the cut-ups, when you want to introduce randomness into the picture—which is an integral part of experience. Many of the Buddhist exercises are applicable—those of undirected thought. Instead of trying to solve the problem, just sit there and look at it, not trying to solve it. And the solution is there, the solution will occur to you, or it won’t, as the case may be.
