This brings to mind his advice that is basically 'If you want 10 good songs, write 30'.

His method remind me of Nail Gaiman: "And I think it's really important for a writer to have a compost heap. Everything you read, things that you write, the things that you listen to, people you encounter-- they can all go on the compost heap. And they will rot down. And out of them grow beautiful stories."

(And of course the pottery teacher story.)