<p>The high school I attended had great fine arts teachers who produced a lot of art themselves and encouraged their students to do so too. I loved art and took many courses in it. I even sold some stuff. But I was afraid that tethering my affection for art to a job with deadlines would kill it. So I studied something practical.</p>
<p>I like my practical job, but the older I get, the more I wish for more creativity in my daily life. It might have not paid the bills earlier in life, but it would nourish me more now.</p>
<p>(BTW, had you stuck with engineering long enough to be proficient, it would have provided you with its own sort of creativity. After all, engineers invent and build stuff!)</p>