minor update : dentistry & art
Thanks for still keeping this tiny artblog alive! I’m still amazed when I check and still see reblogs and likes on my dash.
Things that have happened recently that have necessitated a massive length of quiet and subsequent pseudo-hiatus.
Essentially, I’ve just been busy with uni work. Although to be more specific, the challenges that moving interstate, starting a new course, worrying about finances, creation and breakdown of relationships as well as trying to adhere to all the unrealistic deadlines I’d set for myself. I’d started the year with much optimism, confident that I would be able to balance my passion for art as well as this exciting new course I was starting. Unfortunately, as most people might be familiar with, I took on more than I could handle and burned out massively, subsequently disappointing many project creators in the process. It is something I deeply regret and am disappointed that I could stoop so low.
I know I’d read about how degrees such as dentistry and medicine are placed on a much higher pedestal socially and financially, but damn if they don’t make you work for it. Speaking from a pharmacist background, this degree is beyond a level I’d anticipated and unfortunately they try their hardest to frustrate and break your spirit to try and make you into a better clinician. This is not to denigrate other professions or chosen fields, because I also understand how, as someone artistically inclined, how difficult it is to improve upon your work and even now, to market oneself to a consumerist market.
Things I’ve learnt in the process:
1) PACE YOURSELF - it can be tempting to overload yourself with projects but never ever take on more than you can handle. Pride always comes before the fall.
2) BE AWARE OF YOUR SUPPORT STRUCTURES i.e family , friends, and professional help especially. Emotional wounds are much much harder to heal than physical ones
3) Be okay with disappointment. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes its better than replaying the “what ifs”.
If you’ve come all the way to the end of this, thank you for reading. For now, I’m coming into the end leg of my first year and will likely be inactive for the remainder of the year, whilst I try to survive and then subsequently rebuild my mental health and buffer my resilience for the remainder of the journey ahead.
To anyone else struggling to balance art/health sciences/sciences, know that there are more of us out there, and we will always be in your corner. Your struggles should not isolate you. There are others who understand.
