Does medicine inhibit your creativity?
Is the profession of Medicine so structured that it’s difficult to remain creative?
Do you wish you were able to do more such as make things, paint pictures, sculpt or compose music?
Have you thought about these things for some time but use the excuse of too much work or being too tired to actually make a start?
Many doctors are so busy and even overwhelmed by the demands of their jobs that they forget that it’s important to explore their creativity too.
When there are so many demands made of you, your time and your learning and training that it’s difficult to be assertive enough to put aside some dedicated time for creative pursuits.
Here are some tips to enable you to tap into your creativity again.
Become more aware of the importance of creative time.
A lot of Medicine is routine driven and there is little scope for creativity so once you decide you want to spend even ten minutes a day doing something different such as painting or writing you will be changing your perception of the importance and the benefits of creativity.
Do something regularly
Your aim is to get a new habit of being creative becoming automatic so that you tap into it each day even for a short time so that you can switch in and out of being creative very easily.
Habits eventually become automatic once you repeat them regularly.
Be prepared.
If your creative pursuit needs special equipment then have it ready set up so that you son’t have to spend a long time preparing.
If you find a designated space for creativity that will be a bonus. For example a space to paint or make music or use your computer will have the effect that when you go into that space your creative button will automatically switch on!
Don’t be too fussy.
Doctors tend to be perfectionists by nature: creativity doesn’t have to be perfect. Just do what feels right for you. It will be part of you and may or may not conform to what is considered perfection. Connect with your inner self and be creative. That’s enough.
Make creativity a priority.
Find some time each day to do something different and enjoy your creativity. Get a balance between Medicine and the rest of life by becoming more creative.
Notice the difference that becoming more creative has on your energy and your enjoyment of life.
There is some creativity in Medicine in terms of service development. I also found that there was a lot of scope for personal growth in psychiatry thinking about my own involvement in Balint type groups. Ther emay even be creativity in terms of research or writing.
Outside Medicine, of course there is lots of potential for creativity in different ways. Cooking, drawing, contributing to one’s community.
I actually find lots of opportunity for creativity in my job ( as above) rather than needing to go beyond although there are benefits to venturing beyond……..
Thinking back to School many of us may have written creative stories or done art as a subject. We may have sung in choirs or spoken in public. Are those just activities for childhhood ?
I would sense that we would all do well within Medicine to respond to this wake up call.
Many thanks