According to philosopher John Armstrong, “Reverie is the state of giving ourselves up to the flow of associations. This state of letting something happen—a species of relaxation—is one we need to cultivate when we look at paintings or buildings. . . . Reverie is a mode of introducing personal material into a picture or building: it brings an abundance of thoughts and feelings into play. It also frees us from merely following routine assumptions. . . . Reverie operates at the root of thinking: it is essential to the creative process in which we come to make thoughts for ourselves.”