I realize this is a broad question, but my life has changed drastically in the last few months, and I'm looking to experience more before I get too old. I know the usual answers like getting married, having kids, and so on.
I'm more interested in skills, hobbies, fields of education, practices, habits, and experiences that have shaped (for the better) the person you are today.
Not too often you hear about people getting the fine arts degree after the programming one ;)
When I was in school I considered going into graphic design. I won a few local contests for logo design before college, and even landed a small scholarship, but I decided against the major in favor of a more "marketable" degree. Your story makes me think that I should look into art again. It would definitely balance out my highly "left brain" career, even if just as a hobby.
Thanks for the reply, and for sharing your art!
You're welcome!
Fine Art can include web and graphic design. They are marketable skills. After all, every commercial, movie, magazine uses principles of art and design. Think of graphic design like this:
Graphic design is to art as statistics is to math.
Statistics is not math but it uses math. Graphic design is not art but it uses art.
From there, you can go in to web design (which is high paying), graphic design, not quite as high paying but still cushy. You could do print, electronic media, advertising. With a little more, you could go into design and principle photography of film as film uses the same principles of art in each shot. If you combine Art History and Chemistry majors, you could restore art pieces (such as the Mona Lisa) - imagine how few people do this and how much it could pay to restore world famous pieces of art!
Everything you see, use, touch in some way uses elements of design. Even architecture (though sometimes not quite as much).
Probably the most important thing I could say on this, however, is that art, especially meaningful art, requires that you be aware of and in touch with your emotions.
Getting my second college degree. My first was computer programming. My second was Fine Art.
It was therapy for me after losing everything I had worked for within the span of three weeks.
It helped my design skills in development.
It helped me regain self confidence.
It was an avenue for traveling abroad. Ireland, England, France.
I fulfilled a secret passion for being an artist that I never acknowledged to myself.
I gained skills in photography and now have a back-up field behind the backup field of graphic design. I can also take fantastic photos for myself just because. It's always great having an image that you created that is good enough to be your desktop background and look like you got it somewhere else.
Preserved dying skills in black and white film photography as I can shoot, develop, and print all of my own photos myself. I have a darkroom at home. Here's what my darkroom looks like
Some examples of my work:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/metalphoenixrising/16993970230/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/metalphoenixrising/16850340426/in/album-72157651052859950/
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Sleeping%20Beauty-1572.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Wall-1581.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/But%20a%20Kiss-1539.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Game%20Changer-1548.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Jerpoint%20Abbey-1554.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Kara%20Chambers%202-1557.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Moon-1563.html
http://www.gigspotting.net/assets_c/2014/08/Perigee-1566.html