I got into surfing while I was studying at Columbia, because there's a surf break just 45 minutes from downtown Manhattan. So on days off from school, or in the winter time, I would just go out by myself in a wet suit and figure it out.
Anything can teach you lessons that you can apply to what you make. And I still feel that way - I still feel like the more experience I have outside of music, the closer my music is to what I want it to be. It's just about chasing those experiences, and applying that to what you do.