Ep 11: Living a Vibrant Life through Art and Medicine with Dr. Susie Sharpe

Dr. Susie Sharpe is an internist practicing in Missouri who also started a dual career as an artist.  She was experiencing burnout as a physician working over 15 hours a day and had a wake up call that led her to pursue her dream to also become an artist. She describes how she transforms between the physician mindset and artist mindset. which feel like opposing states.  In her art, she seeks freedom, beauty, and vibrancy, which in turn brings healing energy and empathy into her work as a physician.  She also discusses learning from her patients' unforgettable stories, the importance of pursuing financial freedom and giving back by using her art to advance her philanthropy work to empower girls' education in developing countries. She encourages all physicians to treasure every day in their precious lives and to pursue their dreams.

Check out Dr. Susie Sharpe's website including her online gallery at:
https://www.susiesharpe.net/

Check out Dr. Susie Sharpe's upcoming art shows at: 
https://www.susiesharpe.net/events

Follow her on Instagram at: 
https://www.instagram.com/susie.sharpe/

Follow her on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/SusieSharpeArt/

You can sign up for one-on-one life planning at Dare to Dream Physician (https://daretodreamphysician.com)

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back to another episode of the dare to dream physician podcast. I am so excited to bring her guests. Her name is Dr. Susie sharp, she is an internist practicing in Missouri and has a dual career as an artist. Her paintings have been exhibited and various shows, including upcoming shows. And then you're a captain's in Paris and in Luxembourg. Thank you so much for joining us on the show. Dr. Sharp, can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 0:29

So I grew up in Korea wanting to become an artist when I grew up, When I was 16, my parents suddenly decided to immigrate to United States. So we landed in New York city. And the only person in the family who spoke in English was my mother. So I started in the middle of high school. Experienced a lot of teasing and bullying, crying in school every day. Um, And I realized that if I, became an artist, there was no guarantee that I could even support my, so because I didn't have any backup system. And so I decided that I'd better find another career. And I chose to go into medicine, which felt like an impossible dream. To make a long story short. I started pre-med, that wasn't university in, study chemistry, because that was the subject that required the least amount of English. And I was still having to tape record all the lectures, for four years. And. So work multiple jobs to support myself through college because my parents couldn't pay for any part of my undergraduate or medical school. So eventually, I got a medical degree from Yale and residency in internal medicine from Yale new Haven hospital. And I started practicing in Seattle for five years before moving to the Missouri.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 1:54

What was life like when you first started practicing medicine, what was it, what you thought.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 1:59

Yeah. Do you know. I think that internal medicine really fit my personality, which is I love diversity. I love, chronic care. I really have enjoyed my patient care aspect of medicine very much. And I was very busy raising two children at the same time. And so a lot of times I was very sullied to pride.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 2:19

Ah,

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 2:20

Few times I had a near car accident, luckily I didn't, but it could have been pretty serious, because I was so sleep deprived, uh, while driving and I suddenly realized that, You know, if I just died, I would not have pursued at least one part of my dream, which is to become an artist. So I felt that strong need to somehow find a way to do art as well as continuing to do medicine

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 2:46

Wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 2:47

that was a compelling reason to really add that back in my life.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 2:52

so you were sleep deprived and why were you sleep? Deprived was a juggling work and raising children. Okay.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 2:59

On good days, sometimes we worked 15 hour days and sometimes longer, you know, which is probably why we lost three partners. I lost three partners to burnout. They're female doctors who are freight clinicians and the patients love them. But. You know, all of us were overworked and that's probably was an understatement.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 3:21

Wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 3:22

of us are mothers, juggling things. So they ended up leaving medicine completely, which was huge loss. And I felt like if I continue to dose kind of lifestyle, I too will be leaving medicine prematurely. So I had to make some adjustments.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 3:40

Hmm. Yeah. Let's go back to that moment, where you had that wake up call and you felt, that if I were to die today, I wouldn't feel fulfilled because I didn't get to pursue art. And then what happened after that?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 3:57

After that I started taking some night classes and do some workshops in art, on weekends and so on. Um, and then I started joining our local art groups and they were having a show and I would be part of the show. And hour to do a number of shows through the year. And then I got invited to do a solo show. I started to do multiple solo shows. And then my art became known in online community. And then I got invited to do international shows. So this year, I be doing a show in Paris, Brussels and Luxembourg. Back-to-back-to-back I back in the course of couple of months, in addition to show in New York city in a month and, and Miami in December.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 4:45

Wow. So it started with a knife.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 4:48

Yes.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 4:50

How did your art develop? Did you do art as a hobby, as you were going through college and medical school and residency, or did you not do it for a while and then started again?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 5:01

There really was no possibility that I was doing art during pre-med and medical school and residency. I mean, you know, it's intense enough for native speakers. I was still learning English and having multiple jobs during that time. And so it just wasn't possible. So I basically stayed completely buried for about 20 plus years. Especially when I was raising kids and they were doing all the activities. It stayed buried for long time. And then I had to kind of recultivate my creativity.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 5:40

Yeah. And did it feel like.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 5:43

It feels like I am doing what I was born to do. It's in my DNA. So I'm doing that yet. I loved medicine. I love making a difference in patient's lives. I have many, many grateful patients. I know of many patients who would not been alive if we didn't make the early diagnosis of many conditions. So medicine is very fulfilling and I did some medical mission trips abroad, and there was a very satisfying. And so. For me, the combination of two is wonderful. And finally I found a good balance of doing both, but it took a while.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 6:25

Mm, so currently you feel like you found a good balance between doing medicine and being an artist.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 6:33

yes.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 6:35

Tell me more about your day-to-day life. I mean, you had these 15 hour work weeks and your partners were burning out. So how did you, are you still in that sort of work environment now?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 6:47

No. So after I lost three partners to burnout a year after that, I retire from medicine completely. Oh, because it was just matter of time. So I voluntarily, I retired from medicine to do art full-time at that point, but, During my retirement, which lasted only two years. I found an opportunity where I could do outpatient only, and no beeper, no weekend. So when I found that opportunity, I decided, well, I'm going to give it another try. Okay. And I rediscovered the joy of practicing medicine because in this practice I had more control over my patient load and schedule and so on. So I want people to know that it is possible to find those things. And now there's even a whole lot more opportunities you could do local tenant, you could do telemedicine, there are a lot more part-time opportunities as well. I want people to know that there are those other options that my partners previous partners did not have. Unfortunately. And so we lost three now and we lost many great doctors for that reason.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 7:58

It always hurts me to see. It's usually, you know, the doctors are the most compassionate, who care deeply. Who were striving for the highest quality? It's the same qualities that often will drive people to burn out because they're trying to take everything on. And it hurts me so much to see good doctors, feel stuck or get to the point where everything is so overwhelming. I guess, want to hear more about how do you go from, having an interest in art as a child and then putting on a hole for 20 years and then having that wake up, call where you said, okay, I, I need to pursue this. This is in my DNA. And then you had attended an art. I don't think it's, as simple as you want, you're making it sound. I don't think I could go attend an art class and all of a sudden have these, shows all around the world.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 8:44

So initially I started art as a hobby. Okay. And then I realized. Oh, it is more than a hobby. It's a life I would have had, you know? So I realized in medicine, I invested more than a decade of full-time schooling and training and a huge amount of expenses, in art, until then, it was just some classes that I took, but I realized. If I was going to go somewhere with art, I have to invest in myself. And secondly, raising two children, you don't invest all your resources in one child and not the other. Okay. I decided to that I was important that my art was important, that I was going to put in the resources to make it happen.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 9:28

Hmm. So tell me more about that. I mean, so you went from taking the Nike. And then you said, well, I want to, you know, make this as important as medicine I'm going to start investing in myself, becoming an artist. What else did you do?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 9:44

I started to entering shows like almost nobody else, even a full-time artist. Um, you know, they might do, handful of shows in a year. It may be okay, but I was in. 20 some shows in a year

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 10:00

Wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 10:01

that okay. And multiple solo shows in a year. So I was doing more shows than anybody locally that I knew.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 10:10

Wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 10:12

I didn't have any. Role models because everybody, it was either doing it as a hobby or full-time artist. And full-time artists, they could devote all the time in art. I can't do that. I mean, medicine still takes up probably 70% of my time. And so with the limited time I had to make the most of it and, it wasn't easy.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 10:35

Hmm.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 10:37

People ask me, well, when do you find time? And again, you know, I'm a physician during the day and most of my artists created in the past really after midnight, the into early mornings and then go,

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 10:50

wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 10:52

yeah.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 10:53

Yeah. So you have that midnight inspiration. I want to better understand the creativity process, I know it might be hard to translate that artistic process into words, but I just want to better understand that.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 11:09

So in medicine, you know, we need to be precise and controlled and one small mistake could be catastrophic, for patients in art. That's sort of the opposite of artist's mindset. Okay. Um, If you're extremely precise and tight, the artwork come out tight and controlled. And I decided early on that art meant freedom to me. Okay. And so, I didn't want to paint realistic of things. I wanted to be just wild and let go of control and.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 11:49

Hmm.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 11:51

so, That I'm changing from physician mindset to artist's mindset is difficult to, especially within the day when you have all the time. It's easy, but, uh, I don't have any problem twitching from artists mindset to finish a mindset because that's where I live in finished and mindset. But then when I go to the studio, first thing I do is I, play music. And then helps me to transform to artists mindset. Okay. All right. And then, I do a little bit of meditation and I kind of let things, creativity flow into my state. Okay. Oh. And it takes a block of time. I can switch back and forth quickly, but, I'm getting better.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 12:37

So fascinating. So you listened to some music and what kind of music, is there one specific type of music or a song or just any music?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 12:46

Well, I trained in classical music. I'm a pianist, Tina. Okay. Um, but I listened to, you know, sometimes opera sometimes, symphony and sometimes even popular music. My dad is inspirational. A lot of my art is about music. And if you look closely on my art, there are musical elements in many of the pieces because I love music.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 13:11

Yeah. We'll certainly share your website. So the listeners can take a look at your art. I I've looked through it, and it strikes me as very colorful and a lot of texture and

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 13:23

you know, in medicine I treat a lot of chronic conditions. Majority of my patients had diabetic. There are a lot of people with chronic pain. There's emotional suffering, a lot of cancer and death. I want my art to be bringing Dorian happiness, healing. So my art is intentionally. Brett, colorful. I strive for that beauty, uh, because, unless we focus on something beautiful and bright, there is a lot of sadness, depressing yous out there. So I really go out of my way to search for something bright and happy, in my art.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 14:00

Hmm, to you that your art. Balances out your life as a physician, right? In your art, you transform yourself to this other state where you're creating vibrant and bright, and happy creation.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 14:15

Hmm.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 14:16

Yeah, I love that. Does the arts also, help you in medicine in some way?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 14:22

Yes, I think. Art brings different kind of healing. As, as a physician. I am treating patients more or as a whole person, as opposed to, you know, separate diagnosis and disease. Okay. I think helps me to be more empathetic and understanding. So I think it's been mutually influencing other.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 14:48

Yeah. I can see that.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 14:51

so, medicine is supportive of my art. Okay. And my art is definitely supportive of my medicine. I'm somebody who really need to be doing both. So. That I feel balanced and fulfilled doing both I feel like I am finally doing what I needed to be doing. Oh, it's been on my bucket list for so long that I've deferred my dreams. And so now it's time to live my bucket list

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 15:21

Tell me more about the challenges you've had along the way. Were there times when you wanted to give up?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 15:26

Well, there are many times when I thought that I should give up, I had a very, very challenging scheduled, when, uh Was doing medicine and raising two kids, and try to do art, my children, we're doing a lot of activities, and they play multiple instruments. So finally when they started college, I went away. Okay. I've got this extra time debt. That I could really put into art. And so it came easy and so people will look at my life and think it's insane, busy. Okay. But for me, this is really picnic, compared to the schedule that I had before. So it's all relative.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 16:11

You had already made it as a physician, right. You already became an attending. so what was that like, trying to put yourself out there in the art world.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 16:20

yeah. So in medicine, we don't need any promotion, patients line up their case. So we're busy without having to any do promotion in art, even the most successful artist needs promotion. So you have to put yourself out there, but yeah. What do I have to lose? That makes me to just go it, if I enter something and I don't get it, I haven't lost anything. If I don't make it, I'll learn something in the process. So I think That gave me kind of courage to just go for it. I think at the end of our lives, We tend to regret things that we didn't get to do. And not the things that we tried and failed. So, I don't want to have any sort of regret at the end of life. I want to have done it all. Oh. So right now, I'm doing medicine and art. At some point I will be doing art and book writing. And at some point I'll be doing that plus a philanthropy work in a larger scale. So that's the direction I'm heading.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 17:19

Wow. When you say philanthropy work, is there some, is there a particular project you're thinking of, does that tie to your art?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 17:28

In some ways. Yeah. I feel really strongly about supporting girls education, uh, specifically girls in the impoverished countries that don't have access to education. So all my proceeds from art and then in the future book sale, I committed to my philanthropy work, which is for the girls education and empowerment.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 17:51

Wow. So you're saying that you're putting all these efforts,into your art. And putting yourself out there and, selling your art pieces and you're using the proceeds into donating for girls education, empowerment. Was that something that you wanted to do from the start? I mean, how did you link these two?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 18:10

After I came to United States, it was really a struggle to put myself through college and medical school. And there are times when I went hungry. During that time, I felt pretty strongly about helping others in that kind of situation. And so once I made it and became financially secure, I felt strongly about Helping giving back by using my talent. So, you know, my artistic talent, it's not something I earned. It's something I was given. And I feel like I need to use that to give back.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 18:44

I love that you have a heart for helping young girls who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford education and, just bringing full circle you mentioned that you're financially independent. Is that something that you intentionally saw it, or you just kind of accidentally found yourself in this position?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 19:05

Oh, absolutely not. I think because I fought poverty for so long. At some point I realized that Money was not going to be a big factor in my life. Okay. I decided that I was going to achieve that state where I have that freedom. And I probably achieved that much earlier than many physicians, because of my background being poor. Okay um, I live pretty frugally and I probably saved a higher portion of my income than most people, when I was pregnant, basically I started college fund under my kid's name. And I started staving basically every year for 10 plus years. Otherwise it would have been hard. Private schools right now. My daughter's school is over$70,000 a year. So it didn't come that just accidentally.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 19:56

Yes. Yes. That's wonderful. How did you know how to do any of this? Because you said that you grew up very poor, there were really not many role models. How did you go through that?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 20:07

Some fusions do like real estate investing and buying active stocks and stuff, but I didn't have the time or the skills to do it. And so most of my investing has been passive index fund, for long-term, you know, not trading, but just long long-term investment and putting away a significant portion of my income early on, I think it really paid off. The one advice that I want to give to young physicians especially would be to live well below means. Okay. If you do that stay first five, 10 years it'll make a huge difference and it will give you a whole lot more freedom so that if someone does burnout and we're want to just cut back on their hours or have a more flexible job that might pay less. You have that option. If you. that kind financial discipline, so to speak.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 21:01

Mm,

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 21:02

Okay. Whereas if you lived at your income and burnout, you have fewer choices.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 21:09

Yeah. Yeah, that's true. when you realized that you were financial independent, how did that feel?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 21:16

I wasn't tracking it. At some point I started to realize, well, I saved enough and I don't need to be worrying about it. I could quit medicine if I wanted to, but medicine still is very fulfilling, so I choose to stay, but it does give me a different kind of attitude that, tomorrow, if I wanted to walk out, I could walk out and I'll be fine, you know?

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 21:41

Mm. Mm. Yeah. You mentioned that you're planning on writing a book. Are you ready to share what the book is going to be about?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 21:51

It's going to be my memoir. So it's a little bit about my growing up, challenges that I've had once I arrived here. Some of my unforgettable patients that I've had, especially cause I trained at the peak of aids epidemic.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 22:07

Uh,

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 22:08

There are just so many patient stories that I would love to share and then things that I learned from them. And then about parenting. Marriage career, giving back art, you know, a lot of things that I would like to share. And ourselves leave something for my children to hold on to as well. So I started writing it actually already, but I need to put more time into it starting party later in the day.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 22:36

Mm.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 22:37

get it published within the next, uh, year or two, hopefully before I retire for medicine, I like to publish it.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 22:44

Hmm. Wow. You mentioned you have a lot of stories about practicing medicine that's really effected you, would you like to share any stories that come to mind

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 22:57

Sure I think about, this young man, Portuguese immigrant, who was admitted to Yelena hospital and I was a resident and it was pretty clear that he was dying of aids. And, he got it from his, gay partner and, he obviously could not tell his parents any part of that because they were very. Catholic. And so the parents would visit and ask why is my son doing so poorly and what's going on? The patient did not allow us to say anything to the parents. At some point I said to him a sec, you know, your days are pretty limited. Would you want to maybe, Tell the truth and make peace perhaps. And he told me to be there when he breaks the news to the parents. I remember being there, and, the parents, the father started to just shout out, and in Portuguese and stormed out of the room, And the mother started to cry. And later they got together and I was still there and, he broke the news that he was gay and that got aids and, they all hugged and cried and, and then his partner came and they kind of accepted that made peace. And then, within few hours, the patient died. Okay. And so it was very sad ending, but at least beautiful. And the truth came out and there was eventual acceptance. That's one of the unforgettable stories. Again, I was early on in my training and I could think of so many stories like that.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 24:31

Wow. Wow.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 24:33

In medicine see so much of death and dying and cancer and very difficult situations that I really see each day as a precious gift. that I live each day as though it could be my last and I really treasure that, I live with that sense of urgency, that there may not be tomorrow. Okay. And so I think it just challenged me to be the best person I could be each day, because I may not see that person again. Or I may not get to say the things that I want to tell my patients or children or coworkers or friends. So it keeps me grounded. I think it makes me to take more risk in my art, just because I feel like I have nothing to lose. Perry, the failure is fairly to try. As opposed to not working things out, not working out things. Okay. Uh, just not having tried, I think is probably the ultimate failure the way I see it.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 25:42

I love that. Yeah. So much wisdom in that. thank you so much, Susie, for coming on the podcast and sharing with us, your story, your inspiration, what it's like to be a physician artists. You've taught myself and our listeners about so many things. Can you tell us how our listeners can find you?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 26:05

So best way to find me is through my website, which is Susie sharp.net. And I'm on Instagram, under my name and I'm on Facebook. Susie, our sharp, uh, art.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 26:21

wonderful. I'll put all that in the show notes and tell us what's coming up with your art. Do you have upcoming art shows?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 26:27

Okay. So in a month I'll be in New York, in the Hamptons. He's a huge international art fair and very honored to be accepted there. So. Doesn't pieces there. And in the Hamptons in New York, August 12th through 15th, the tickets sales already started, detailed information would be in my website

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 26:48

wonderful.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 26:49

three shows in Europe. So Paris, Luxembourg, and Brussels from September to November. And then I do Miami show in December during the week of our art Basel. So I'll have pieces there.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 27:03

And if our listeners go to your website, would they be able to see examples of your work?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 27:08

Yes. Yeah.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 27:10

Wonderful. That's fantastic. Is there anything else you want to share with our listeners, anything that may inspire them to dare to dream and live their fulfilled life?

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 27:22

If you have a small voice telling you that you want to do something. Listen to that and don't let anybody else talk you out of it, even if your dream may sound impossible. And my dreams certainly looked impossible to me, my dream of becoming a physician, and becoming an artist looked impossible to me and to others. Don't give up because we only have one life. This is not a dress rehearsal. We have one, one precious life. So live your bucket list.

audio_only_16778242_Weili_Gray 27:55

That's so good. Thank you so much. I'm definitely gonna be following you on social media. And maybe one of these days I can go to an art show and see your work. I'm very excited to see what's coming for you.

audio_only_16779266_Susie_Sharpe 28:09

Thank you very much.