Hi! Rising sophomore here. Any tips on how to prepare for MIT? Extracurriculars advice please

I don’t have a lot of ECS yet so I’m starting this year
I’ve been learning Python through Harvard cs50p online
autodesk fusion CAD with a youtube playlist
And not stem related but a skill I’ve always carried is drawing/painting, so I’m planning to have that be somewhat weaved into my application later to differentiate myself maybe. Is that a good idea?

I’m also planning to get an arduino in a few months
Anyway, what are ideas for applying my potential skills in Python and CAD? I’ve been thinking about competitions or passion projects, but since I just started I’m not really sure competitions are the way to go, so how can I make a good passion project and make my skills tangible?