“Why?” That’s a question I often get when I tell people I want to do both Art and Engineering in college. They will ask “So you’re doing architecture?” When I reply “No”, then they go “Well, it’s good to have hobbies, engineering is such a tough subject.” Truth is I want to merge art and engineering on equal terms, and do that as my job. People incorrectly think of art and engineering as total opposites. In fact, both subjects are based on visual thinking and require creativity. The sculptor and the mechanical engineer both build structures, if for different reasons. Unfortunately, in today’s world the artistic element is usually an afterthought, because society has split the engineer from the designer, valuing function much higher than beauty. This might make sense in the zombie apocalypse, but until civilization falls, this idea is completely wrong. It wasn’t always this way. In the past, function and aesthetics often went together. Gargoyles, for example, are fantastical sculptures as much as functional spouts, protecting buildings from rain. But there are areas where both subjects combine equally, even today. Pop-up books, for example, are both engineered machines and works of art. This is why I recently got into paper art. It allows me to combine the two subjects that I love, and show the world that aesthetics can be an equal partner with functionality from the start, and not just a decoration added at the end.