Posted by Rick Denney on November 27, 2002 at 23:48:14:
In Reply to: When are you a brass player/musician? posted by LV on November 27, 2002 at 16:06:19:
I'm an engineer first and a musician second (or, perhaps even third, after photographer). I'm quite good at the engineering, and more than capable to do commercial-quality work in photography. But I'd starve in a big hurry if I had to put food on the table playing the tuba!
That said, I don't draw boundaries. I always think like an engineer, and I always think like an artist (however ineptly). The photography and music shape my approach to engineering to an even greater extent than engineering shapes my thinking about the tuba. Consequently, I see patterns and directions that other engineers miss, and my thinking sometimes allows non-linearity that makes sense in visual art but baffles most engineers.
Come to think of it, the best engineers I know have a strong artistic streak that they practice routinely, even if it is done passively (i.e., by very sophisticated listening to music).
Rick "who only acts like he has multiple personalities" Denney