Why engineers need to think like artists
A reflection on my path to engineering
I have always considered myself an artist. Even though I am an engineering student, computers have always come second — second last that is — on my list of favourite subjects. However, in my traditional family becoming an engineer or doctor was an absolute requirement.
When I applied to the Lassonde School of Engineering, I didn’t apply as Farees Ahmed — I applied as the eldest daughter of an engineer who just wanted a proud father. I applied to see the smile in his eyes as I received the admission letter. His warm embrace and proud face are the purest forms of art I have ever witnessed. I applied because of him and for him only.
Though that’s not entirely true.
I enjoy engineering more than I admit. Growing up, I found that I enjoyed a variety of subjects and activities that let me use both sides of my brain — the creative and the rational. Throughout high school I would alternate between my love for math and my love for art, trying to decide which was most important to me.
But I started realizing that these two seemingly different passions have a lot in common. After all, as Karl Weierstrass — a German mathematician often cited as the “father of modern analysis” — said, “A mathematician who is not also something of a poet is not a complete mathematician.” I know now that engineering is a mathematical art, a balance between creativity and technology.
I realized that my love for science, physics in particular, wasn’t just a rational reaction. I admire physics. Forces fascinate me. I often find myself lost in thought over the concept of relative velocity on the bus ride home. Schrödinger’s cat sends ripples of intrigue and excitement through my body. While many people may say that science and math is devoid of emotion or creativity, that is simply not true.
Engineering has both rational and passionate qualities. It is engineering that encompasses my love for math, physics, creativity, and art.
Creativity is wrongly attributed to only a select group of people, such as artists and writers. However, engineers also need to possess creative problem solving skills, because they need to generate feasible solutions with whatever materials they have by taking different aspects of the scenario into account.
For example, in one of my classes, we studied the Liter of Light Project, which provides 25,000 homes in the Philippines with cheap and affordable lighting. Instead of traditional light bulbs, marginalized communities use plastic bottles filled with bleach water attached to roofs as a source of light. Without this creative solution, millions of people would not have lighting in their houses.
Creativity aside, the prospect of a financially stable future helped guide me towards engineering. And as a career, I’ve always wanted a job that lets me work outside of a cubicle and out in the world, interacting with people. I believe that engineers build the future — both with their technical skills and creativity — and it’s high time we care about those in the world that we build.
