How do you exercise your creative side?

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ChebyshevII PE PMP

No longer dancing
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Most of us are engineers and predominantly left-brained, but I have a hard time believing I'm the only one who needs to utilize his right brain at least as much. So how do you use it?

For me personally, I play guitar, bass, piano, and a little percussion, and also sing (choir and solo). I kept my sanity through high school and college by participating in choir as much as I could.

I actually wanted to be a career musician for a long time but, at the advice of my parents (who both majored in music in college), ultimately decided I didn't want to be one of the majority of musicians who can't land a decent job.

Definitely don't regret my choice to be an engineer; you can be a musician without the degree, but it's difficult to be an engineer without one.  :th_rockon:

 
I have CNC machines and run a side business doing laser cutting/engraving.  Designing in CorelDraw kills my CAD/Engineering soul, but I can see the artistic benefits of the way the software is configured.

 
I sometimes use my imagination instead of watching porn when choking the chicken.

 
@ChebyshevII_PE YOU AND I ARE THE SAME.  My parents are both musicians/both went to school for music/teaching and my dad was like, "Get a job so you can enjoy your hobbies, don't make your hobbies your job."

I'm not involved with as much music as I'd like, not counting the lessons I hear on the weekends at my parents, but I do a seasonal choir with my mother and do a couple gigs with them (aka; guilted into doing, but I get paid, so it's all good).  I def think this year I want to get involved in more classic choirs again.  I'm not that great of a soloist, but I was classically trained as a coloratura, so I can hit high notes and make them pretty.  Which is a bit of a requirement since half the sopranos in volunteer/fun choirs either belt or screech the higher notes.  😦

 
I paint, have spontaneous dance parties, and figure out better ways of doing things (kind of like engineering my life, or the things in my house, or whatever). I always have a project (or seventy) on deck for a creative outlet and am always trying to learn new things. 

but mostly right now i'm just studying forever.

 
I really enjoy being creative and it keeps me sane!  I really like music and used to play drums back in the day, but haven't played for awhile.  I read a lot.  I'm also very crafty - I love knitting, crochet, etc.  

 
I do photography. 

Infrared flash (Candid)

Selection from 'Wide Open NYC'

*pic snip*
This is really cool looking!  Was this a pic taken at night/in the dark, or did the flash somehow separate out the colors (I ask this as someone who is completely ignorant of photography and never takes her camera off 'auto')?

 
Playing or listening? If playing, what instrument(s)?
Mainly guitar (and then mainly electric) and banjo. Though I used to play piano, and occasionally hook up my midi keyboard and play around with MainStage sounds. I also dab around with my mandolin. Then there's the didgeridoo I made.

I also enjoy making tube amps (working on perfecting my current 40W design). Also, I'm working with a friend of mine to possibly start an electric guitar company. The first one we made was a success, but needs a few minor tweaks for any sort of production.

 
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Here's the first prototype. Spalted maple body and neck with a rosewood fretboard and mother of pearl inlays. Medium Jumbo frets. Seymour Duncan P90 pickups with vit q caps. Chrome hardware. 12" Fretboard radius with C shape neck.

I think this would look really good with a tortoise shell pickguard or solid black/white/black. 

IMG_20190917_205203.jpg

MVIMG_20190917_205151.jpg

 
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He's the woodworker, so I designed everything and printed off templates and measurements. Then he worked his magic and this popped out.

 
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