Ask HN: As an engineer what art forms should I learn
I am a highly analytical person and a software engineer. I like to believe I am creative because I create software and convert my ideas into products. However, I wonder if this creativity transfers to other art forms where I can conceive an idea and deliver a finished art product. What should I start with? I am considering sketching, sculpting or wood work. Would love to hear what other engineers have enjoyed the most!
19 comments
Why not give expressive dance a try?
Something like "Ausdruckstanz" would be interesting. You could fuse this with modern dance styles such as body popping. You could also fold in some programming references mid dance and shout stuff out like 'Null pointer!' , 'statically typed!'
Something like "Ausdruckstanz" would be interesting. You could fuse this with modern dance styles such as body popping. You could also fold in some programming references mid dance and shout stuff out like 'Null pointer!' , 'statically typed!'
Try a bunch of different art practices, and see which one sticks.
Painting, working with clay, and sculpture (wood, metal, found materials, etc) are what I enjoy.
You'll know you find what you enjoy when you hit the "flow state", which is very similar to hitting a stride programming.
Painting, working with clay, and sculpture (wood, metal, found materials, etc) are what I enjoy.
You'll know you find what you enjoy when you hit the "flow state", which is very similar to hitting a stride programming.
I vote woodworking. It uses both your body and mind. It teaches you to quintuple check your work before cutting. In programming, mistakes are cheap. In woodworking, mistakes are best avoided. It also gets you on your feet handling large/heavy pieces of wood which does wonders for improving core strength and ...gracefulness. It also gives confidence and the ability to shape the world around you.
Some downsides are the learning curve, startup costs, time you will have to spend setting up your shop, and sharp spinning blades. No matter how good you get there's always a chance for a mistake. If I were rich I'd using nothing but sawstop or at the very least kregjig stuff.
Some downsides are the learning curve, startup costs, time you will have to spend setting up your shop, and sharp spinning blades. No matter how good you get there's always a chance for a mistake. If I were rich I'd using nothing but sawstop or at the very least kregjig stuff.
I've recently taken up weaving and it's a lot of fun. You can start simple with a frame loom and do more tapestry stuff. I picked up a rigid heddle loom and have done a few fun projects on it. Soon I'm going to build a 4 shaft loom.
Weaving has a lot of patterning and strikes, for me, the perfect balance between "I need to pay attention to what I'm doing" and hit a rhythm and zone out. Plus the Jacquard loom was had a lot of influnce on Babbage's Analytical Engine!
Weaving has a lot of patterning and strikes, for me, the perfect balance between "I need to pay attention to what I'm doing" and hit a rhythm and zone out. Plus the Jacquard loom was had a lot of influnce on Babbage's Analytical Engine!
I would suggest origami. Origami is probably the art form that's been studied by mathematicians and computer scientists more than any others, e.g., flat-foldable origami crease patterns obey some simple mathematical theorems [1]. There has also been considerable research into finding an origami crease pattern for a particular target shape, and software such as TreeMaker helps one do that [2].
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_of_paper_folding#F...
[2]: https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_of_paper_folding#F...
[2]: https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/
I really enjoy baking as a creative outlet because:
- Projects are always short, ranging from ~30 minutes for really simple cookies to ~2 days when ingredients need to rest at an intermediate state for extended periods.
- You have to work within constraints (whatever you consider delicious), but you can incorporate basically anything edible into a project, so there's a lot of room for creative expression.
- Coworkers, neighbors, and casual acquaintances react really positively when you bake too much and give away the overage.
- Projects are always short, ranging from ~30 minutes for really simple cookies to ~2 days when ingredients need to rest at an intermediate state for extended periods.
- You have to work within constraints (whatever you consider delicious), but you can incorporate basically anything edible into a project, so there's a lot of room for creative expression.
- Coworkers, neighbors, and casual acquaintances react really positively when you bake too much and give away the overage.
Sketching is great because it adds another dimension to your ability to communicate. Even a crappy sketch can convey an idea more effectively or quickly than thousands of words, sometimes.
Pixel art, animation, game design (even game theory). These are the obvious ones that synergize with high technical skill.
Writing too. I like to just rewrite notes from things I read or compare notes between books and fields. I actually like using tropes as building blocks for other kinds of writing.
Not so much creative output, but martial arts and running are interesting as an art form.
Writing too. I like to just rewrite notes from things I read or compare notes between books and fields. I actually like using tropes as building blocks for other kinds of writing.
Not so much creative output, but martial arts and running are interesting as an art form.
This is probably not what you want to hear, but...whichever one you'll actually do. Forget whether you're any good or if you're progressing. What will you noodle at every day and find your life enriched? That varies from person to person.
Writing a novel was pure therapy for me when I wasn't sure what continent I was going to be living on in a few months. Short stories (http://madhadron.com/fiction.html) have been an ongoing source of pleasure, as I giggle my way through my imagination.
Music was rather more than a hobby for many years, but even now I love noodling at it. Today I arranged Lachrimae for solo violin, while I'll play at an open mic night at work in a few weeks...followed by Cohen's Hallelujah accompanied on the ukelele. Did I enjoy the couple hours I spent building the ukelele part? Absolutely.
On the other hand, drawing never did anything for me. I have a couple of sketches in my files that I'm quite proud of as accomplishments, but the impulses that make it enriching seem to come to me only once every few years as opposed to as part of my daily life. Similarly, I learned woodworking from my father and have built a number of lovely things for our home, but unlike my father, it's not something that I particularly like to go down and noodle at.
I have enjoyed the community from various kinds of dancing, occasionally do a little choreography, and really got into historic dance reconstruction years ago, but outside of such settings I do the equivalent of humming to myself around the house rather than really engaging with it. I have spent more time noodling with dance education than with dance itself. It's a crying shame how much time people waste when trying to learn things like waltz...
Try some things. See what sticks.
> I am a highly analytical person and a software engineer. I like to believe I am creative...
I have found most self identity involving being creative to be more limiting and damaging than its worth. You start questioning whether you are overly influenced by something, or if it's original enough, or if you're squandering your creativity by writing a poem about defecating in the woods, or if you're not being true to yourself by creating within constraints that let you get paid. All of which are a complete waste of your time and are more likely to reduce the incidence of behavior that creates things.
The serious artists that I have known are generally highly analytical. The whole "I'm expressing my pure, authentic self" I think is mostly a form of pickup line.
Writing a novel was pure therapy for me when I wasn't sure what continent I was going to be living on in a few months. Short stories (http://madhadron.com/fiction.html) have been an ongoing source of pleasure, as I giggle my way through my imagination.
Music was rather more than a hobby for many years, but even now I love noodling at it. Today I arranged Lachrimae for solo violin, while I'll play at an open mic night at work in a few weeks...followed by Cohen's Hallelujah accompanied on the ukelele. Did I enjoy the couple hours I spent building the ukelele part? Absolutely.
On the other hand, drawing never did anything for me. I have a couple of sketches in my files that I'm quite proud of as accomplishments, but the impulses that make it enriching seem to come to me only once every few years as opposed to as part of my daily life. Similarly, I learned woodworking from my father and have built a number of lovely things for our home, but unlike my father, it's not something that I particularly like to go down and noodle at.
I have enjoyed the community from various kinds of dancing, occasionally do a little choreography, and really got into historic dance reconstruction years ago, but outside of such settings I do the equivalent of humming to myself around the house rather than really engaging with it. I have spent more time noodling with dance education than with dance itself. It's a crying shame how much time people waste when trying to learn things like waltz...
Try some things. See what sticks.
> I am a highly analytical person and a software engineer. I like to believe I am creative...
I have found most self identity involving being creative to be more limiting and damaging than its worth. You start questioning whether you are overly influenced by something, or if it's original enough, or if you're squandering your creativity by writing a poem about defecating in the woods, or if you're not being true to yourself by creating within constraints that let you get paid. All of which are a complete waste of your time and are more likely to reduce the incidence of behavior that creates things.
The serious artists that I have known are generally highly analytical. The whole "I'm expressing my pure, authentic self" I think is mostly a form of pickup line.
Try music programming: https://github.com/ciconia/awesome-music#music-programming
Or you can start learning making music the classical way, I suggest Melodics.
Or you can start learning making music the classical way, I suggest Melodics.
Guitar playing (justinguitar.com)! Swing dancing (or other types, look up classes in your area)! Writing (journal, or essays, look up writing nights on meetup)! Weightlifting (r/fitness FAQ beginner routine).
Filmmaking is the hardest art form I've tried.
Drawing was my first love.
I still enjoy writing, but now mainly nonfiction.
I am not much of a musician. I can play the drums a bit. But I have heard that music is highly mathematical. So it might appeal to analytical people more than they might first guess.
Drawing was my first love.
I still enjoy writing, but now mainly nonfiction.
I am not much of a musician. I can play the drums a bit. But I have heard that music is highly mathematical. So it might appeal to analytical people more than they might first guess.
As a fellow analytical person, I really like abstract art, doing splatter paintings / acrylic pour paintings. It doesn't involve high level thinking beyond basic color theory, it's very free form.
"The best form of exercise is the one you will actually do."
Which form of art do you most enjoy or appreciate? Which form of art has output that will motivate you to keep practicing?
Which form of art do you most enjoy or appreciate? Which form of art has output that will motivate you to keep practicing?
I do pottery - it can be a lot of things for a lot of people; all the way from just playing with mud to complex glaze and clay chemistry
music composition, teaches you to be creative within boundaries :)