Let’s face it, as engineering students we all get really stressed. There are many different ways to relieve stress. You can go to the gym or you can hang out with friends all the time, but I think that as engineering students we need creative hobbies. Creative hobbies force people to think differently and to meet new and different people. Being creative also changes how you tackle problems.
Having a creative hobby will change the way that you think about everything. Many studies have been done in recent years researching this. Musicians use both hemispheres of their brain more frequently; meaning that creative right brain functions can be more easily meshed with logical left brain functions. Artists also generally have more developed structures in regions of the brain relating to fine motor skills and procedural memory. The brain is definitely still a mysterious place, but creative people definitely use it differently.
Having a hobby will also force you to meet new people in different social circles. As students our lives revolve around campus and around class. The majority of our interactions are with other students. Having a hobby can help you meet new people, whether they’re the store clerk who sells you painting supplies or another student of your guitar teacher. These seemingly chance encounters can add up though. One day you might get asked to play in a band, or lend a piece of art to a gallery, creating more of a chance to meet new friends with similar interests to yours.
Creativity is an under-emphasized quality for engineers. Engineering is very systematic and logical, but without creative minds nothing would ever evolve. Creativity led to personal computers for everyone, to phones the size of a pack of cards and many more things we take for granted every day. Creative parts of the brain work like anything else, the more you use them the better they work. Practicing creative thinking through a hobby will make you a more creative thinker. Creating something is a very emotional experience, and showing someone else a creation for the first time can be a stressful moment, but learning how to deal with this experience can prepare you for similar times in the workplace.
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