Of course, there are times and reasons to stay with the black dots (like when doing a traditional piece that you want to keep traditional), but for most Pop work, the palette is wide open - you just need to be able to be open to it yourself!
For example, if the engineer got confused during editing vocal percussion and a couple of measures have the snare where the kick should be and vice-versa, maybe listen again before "fixing the problem". Is it an interesting change? Are you afraid people will think it is "wrong"? The most important thing is that if it sounds cool, it probably IS cool. Don't worry about that the arrangement says, or what the original version did, or even that people might think you made a mistake - sometimes these unintentional additions are what will rescue a mediocre arrangement or performance and put it on BOCA or get a good RARB review. I've seen it happen many times on songs I was ready to just toss off an album, and one little unintentional happening sparks an idea that not only saves it, but makes it the anchor song of that album!
In my next column I will talk about "planned randomness", but for now, look for the little hidden gems in your own work that you think don't belong there, and give them a second listen. When someone comes in on the "wrong part", make sure it's not a "new" part that could add more texture. Be open to stuff that's not printed in the arrangement, and do not be afraid of things you did by accident! It's worked very well for many of us in this business!
Click on the wrench in the upper left-hand corner to see what else you can do.