Creative types have long been teased about following an academic route in liberal arts. They were chided to keep their passion on the side, but aim for a more “practical” degree that would lead to a better job or higher salary. But that’s been upended as more companies need the art, English and philosophy majors and the skills those studies give an applicant. Esteban Gast taught creativity to engineering students at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and calls himself an entertainer and educator. We talk to him about aligning those worlds to build a career. How has your liberal arts education or creative passion fueled your professional life?