Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the next Vincent van Gogh, nor will I be taking the stage at Carnegie Hall any time in the near future. The pages of the sketchpads I’ve kept during my 18 years of life are littered with disproportionate animals, and my musical talent is limited to five years of unsuccessful piano lessons and a painfully off-key singing.

My lack of artistic ability does not inhibit my appreciation for the arts, but as a freshman juggling 14 credit hours with work and late-night homework and study sessions, “free time” has started to become even more of a rarity.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has put art and culture on the backburner while I struggle through pages of reading for my sociology class.

On my first, and unofficial, tour of East Lansing and MSU’s campus this summer, I had high hopes of visiting the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. The building was closed by the time we were able to stop by, but I shrugged it off and added it to my MSU bucket list of things I would do once I was actually living on campus. After living here for more than two months now, I still haven’t been able to make time to explore the alluring museum.

This might not seem like a monumental issue, but in the long-run, taking the time to appreciate art is important. A recent study done at MSU has linked an involvement in art at an early age to certain achievements later in life.

The State News article, “MSU study shows connection between art and success” written by Brian Palmer, discusses a study indicating those who dabble in arts and music before they turn 14 are more likely to become successful business owners, inventors and entrepreneurs.

The study focused on graduates of MSU’s Honors College from 1990-95 who majored in fields related to math or science, shattering the stereotype that those only those who excel in math can be logical and only those who devote their time to art can be creative. Bringing both fields together can create something powerful and beautiful.

Rex LaMore, director of MSU’s Center for Community and Economic Development and one of the researchers who conducted the study, said individuals who participated in arts and crafts were more likely than those who didn’t to have generated a patent, started a business or published a book or article.

Still, many students, including myself, don’t take enough time to take advantage of the opportunities on campus to broaden their horizons and explore their inner artist.

MSU’s campus provides a bounty of opportunities to take part in the arts. Outside of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Wharton Center puts on Broadway, theater, dance, classical, jazz and pop music performances and is the home to the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.

Thanks to my grandma, I was able to experience the musical “Wicked” at the Wharton Center during my junior year of high school. It was the first time I’d ever seen a Broadway performance, and as soon as the first note of the first song echoed from the stage, I was mesmerized. I was bombarded with the vibrant sights and sounds of the spectacle and found myself quietly singing along with the songs from my seat and laughing with the rest of the audience. For the few hours of the show, I was transported to a whole new world.

Needless to say, I will be attending more performances at the Wharton. I want to explore the art museum. I want to dabble in the different arts that MSU has to offer while I still have the chance.

A person doesn’t have to be amazingly talented when it comes to art. They just have to have an interest or a passion in it for it to expand their horizons. Exercising that part of your brain can prove beneficial in the long-run and give you the skills to really create something valuable, whether it be a ground-breaking new product or a business that no one else could have dreamed up.

So make the time to explore what campus has to offer and explore a side of yourself you might not have had a chance to see yet.