Wednesday 20 April 2016

Visual Arts Night 2016 - What an Inspiration!

CREATIVE Doctors - the blog is back!

We’re sorry about our absence over the last few months – like many doctors (and real people for that matter!) our lives have caught up with us and time and inspiration have trickled away.
But our Visual Arts Networking Night this month was such a treat it was worth coming back to tell you about it.

We know there is a lot of talent out there amongst medicos and nights like this are a great way to display some of it and share our passions with our colleagues. We also know we are probably only looking at the tip of the iceberg. There are many more of you who dabble in or seriously engage with the arts, and it would be great to hear your stories and see your work.

On our networking night we heard some terrific and inspiring stories. We heard of one man’s dilemma in having make a choice between general practice and a life as an artist after studying at the National Art School and another man’s sadness – having made a choice in favour of art over medicine 30 years ago and establishing an international reputation as a glass artist he is now closing his studio as fickle art investors turn away from the fragility of glass

We learned of one woman’s development of herself as an award winning artist when depression forced her to retire as a physician and a GPs use of art to ease the pain of being uprooted by her partner’s career.

A psychiatrist told of her lifelong affair with art and displayed the exciting and eclectic art she has produced

Two haematologists with similar stories of struggles in achieving recognition in their specialties after coming to Australia told of turning to art to provide solace – one is now an accomplished painter while the other displayed her fabulous felt creations and fabric dying work

We saw the work of a GP psychotherapist with a penchant for double exposure photography, a GP with a talent for faces, two others who make jewellery into the night and an young doctor who displayed a fabulous kinetic sculpture that incorporated a beautiful pastel artwork and a message for humanity.

If you are a doctor whose world is made richer by creative pursuits, let us know your story. It may be helpful to others who are struggling to put medicine in its proper place in their lives.