
Ask HN: As an engineer what art forms should I learn - sahilshah91
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!
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devbyte
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!'

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protonimitate
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.

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pizzaparty2
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.

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ryanchants
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!

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b215826
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...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_of_paper_folding#Flat_folding)

[2]:
[https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/](https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/)

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giaour
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.

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h2odragon
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.

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muzani
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.

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madhadron
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](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.

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m3tr0s
Try music programming: [https://github.com/ciconia/awesome-music#music-
programming](https://github.com/ciconia/awesome-music#music-programming)

Or you can start learning making music the classical way, I suggest Melodics.

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polymathemagics
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).

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combatentropy
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.

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GaryNumanVevo
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.

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ta0987
"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?

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mattchamb
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

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sevilo
music composition, teaches you to be creative within boundaries :)

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ThomPete
Music hands down. Learn to play en instrument.

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devbyte
I don't think you can play a lot of instruments with your hands down.

~~~
ThomPete
Keyboard and lap steel guitar :)

