Watch this Blogspace for 2015 event dates

Three times a year Creative Doctors hosts events for creative doctors.
Early in the year (March/April) we host a Visual Arts event in a variety interesting spaces around Sydney where doctor visual artists and medical students are invited to display their works.
Mid-year we have a Writers Night where poets and novelists, playwrights and historians get together to discuss their writing and to read a little of their work to us all.
And in September we have a performance night at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville, a cool venue with everything a performer could want to show off their talent. Medicos who are musicians, magicians, dancers, actors, comedians, songwriters and filmakers are all welcome. Audience members are especially welcome!
In 2015 we are planning some extra surprises so keep a close eye us.
Get in touch with Creative Doctors via this blog  if you'd like to be involved

Allana Bruce at Camelot 2014

Afternoon Run

I've just posted another of my stories on the Original Words page of this blog
Its called Afternoon Run (click on the title to find it) and a version of it was first published in an anthology called The Fat Lady Collection in 2012
For this story I owe a debt to the example set by Israeli author Etgar Keret whose quirky short stories encourage me to be a little wild sometimes. My goal is to eventually do quirky as well as he does!
Any creative doctors out there who are keen to share their work on the blog are very welcome to contact me.

News for Budding Writers

There is an Emerging Writers Festival in November that Creative Doctor writers may be interested in attending.
This year the Roadshow will visit Melbourne, Canberra and Wagga Wagga before the big Festival event at the NSW Writers Centre (in the grounds of Rozelle Hospital) on Saturday 8th November.

Who is this delightful and mysterious young woman and what is she doing?

There's more to creativity than just staying sane - it actually might make us better doctors.

Here is some reading material to help convince you of the importance of your creative pursuits (Click on the titles of the articles to link to them):

What Are You Doing Creatively these Days? is an article from the November 2012 issue of Academic Medicine which deals in detail with the reasons why doctors need to nurture their creativity.

Danielle Ofri MD (Joon Park)

How Creative is Your Doctor? is an article by New York Times blogger and Assoc. Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, Danielle Ofri, from March 2013 in which she expands further on the subject of the importance creativity in both diagnosis and treatment and the importance of being able to "actively consider ideas that don't normally sit together".
She says "We need to flex the oddball neurons that connect the disparate corners of our consciousness. They need to be honed in the same manner as muscles at the gym, with ongoing stretches and workouts."

Help me out!! Tell me if I should keep bothering.

I have now made 20 posts to this blog. I am still very keen to get the Creative Doctors message out there.
I know from the Google stats that people are looking at the blog but I don't know who they are or if those who look are the only people receiving its content.
If you like this blog please sign up to get email notifications of posts. (There is a place to do that at the very bottom of the right hand column on this page). If you get email notifications please click through to the blog itself rather than just reading the email. If you click through, the stats tell me you have visited but I won't know that if you just read the email.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please make some comments! The place to do so is at the top of the right hand column (right now it is just beside this post) or you can just click where it says how many comments there have been in the box below each post. (The advantage of doing it via the box below is that you don't need to give your email address.)
ALSO, have a close look at the box below this post and you will see that  in that box are some tick boxes labelled "interesting", "cool" and "inspiring". Please tick these boxes if you agree. (If you want to make negative comments you will have to go to the trouble of typing them in!)
If you make a comment it will not appear on the blog straight away because I've got it set so all comments are moderated. Your comments will however appear pretty soon after you make them.
Let me know you are out there!

See Nick Brennan Live in Concert Sunday 9th November

Here's an opportunity to hear some great live music and help a worthy cause:

Dr Nick Brennan at Camelot in 2014

Sunday 9TH NOVEMBER
at Sydney's newest acoustic venue -
“The Stables” at War Memorial Hospital Waverley.

Drinks and finger food will be served from 6.30pm and the music will  begin at 7.30pm

This, the first ever concert in this new venue, features local artists performing covers and original material.

Performers will include: Nick Brennan, Naomi Crain, JohnConnell, Adam & Sally Gotlieb, Bryony Adams and

Ewan Battersby

The original 19th century stable of the Vickery Estate has been refurbished into a modern education venue and is ideal for intimate performances. It is situated at the rear of the hospital with the entrance at the corner of Carrington Rd and Church St., Waverley

$40 entrance fee includes food and one complimentary drink. Students and pensioners $25

All proceeds of the night go directly to the War Memorial Hospital “Art for Life” program which raises money to enrich the hospital ward environment.

For tickets or more information ! contact:

NICHOLAS.BRENNAN@SESIAHS.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU OR 93690238

Click here to find out more about the War Memorial Hospital Waverley

Obituary

Here's a little story by Jan Orman (me) that asks you to read between its lines to get to the truth:

 I saw you in the obituaries today. Excellent photo – taken at the best time of your life. A little after I knew you I think, just as the newly greying temples were distinguishing your face. A little bit before you were someone important enough to have his obituary in the Herald.

I haven’t been looking for you there. You have not been on my mind much at all these last years. I just read the obituaries as a pastime and today, right out of the blue, there you were.

When I was young, at high school perhaps, clock radios were new. Mine jolted me awake at 8.15 with the news of who had died overnight and whose funeral could be attended that day. I was fascinated by the scant details about people’s lives I gleaned from the announcements. I filled in the gaps as best I could with extra imaginings and waited breathlessly when I heard a surname I recognised to see if the children or grandchildren that survived lovingly were anybody I knew. Country towns are small worlds. I got a hit at least once a week.

Do you want to be in the movies? Here's your chance!

Dr Tony Chu

Filmmaker Dr Tony Chu is extending an invitation to interested Creative Doctors to participate in his current cinematic projects.
Tony is the founding President of the Creative Doctors Network. His main creative interest is cinema. He has acted in, directed and produced many short films and currently convenes a group of doctors with interest in film known as Cinematic Doctors.





Film projects currently in pre-production include:

• Dud Stethoscope - a short film about a famous detective who asks his doctor for help in solving a case
• Target - a short film about an army lookout who reports seeing a ghost
• The Dolls - a short film that asks the question about how many people in Seattle are trained in CPR
• Inflame- a feature film in which a corporate "terminator" rediscovers his medical skills to help people after an unnatural disaster

If you are interested in this project contact Tony on tonycdn@gmail.com. Tony will be pleased to hear from you.