Louisville Medicine Volume 70, Issue 5 | Page 10

MEDICINE AND THE ARTS
( continued from page 7 ) pediatric cardiac surgery program in Louisville before me [ Figure 4 ]. I continue to develop my dripping technique and using it to create various new painting styles .
The little studio in my basement has become my haven where I seek sanctuary during stressful times . Needless to say , my career as a pediatric cardiac surgeon dealing with the most complex babies can be taxing . Even after performing the required operation flawlessly , my profession can be very humbling , and joining patients through a bumpy road to their recovery can take its emotional toll on the surgeon as well . Retreating to my studio to paint offers me an alternate venture where I can be in control , knowing that there is nothing wrong that can happen there that I am unable to fix . Colors are powerful instruments that directly influence the soul , and my paintings are typically very colorful and that might be a deliberate act to brighten my day and dismiss pressure . While I feel , after 16 years of performing pediatric cardiac surgery , that I have faithfully learned the craft of surgery to become a master surgeon , this is definitely not the case in my art side-hustle . As a person who loves creativity and innovation , painting seems to fulfill some of these needs for me outside of work .
I continue to experiment with different painting styles and techniques , and these endless new challenges add excitement to this hobby of mine . I feel that every new painting is an improvement to the one before , and I often stand and stare at the painting for numerous minutes every day after I finish , always looking for ways to improve on it , and in a certain way gazing in some sort of disbelief that I was able to produce that work . Being a self-taught artist , receiving praise of my artwork has become a source of pride for me , especially that this praise is commonly coupled with offers to buy this art , indicating that this represents a genuine admiration and not just kind talk and common courtesy . The excitement from my daughters about my artwork is especially extraordinary for me , they are often giving a tour to their friends and asking me for copies to show their teachers and friends . My younger daughters often join me in the studio , occasionally adding their little contribution and suggestions to the painting that I am working on , and I feel that this is a great opportunity for me to bond with them and share something together .
Finally , surgeons are often very pragmatic people who regularly aim for perfection and increased productivity . I feel sometimes that I need to remind myself that surgery is my day job and to fight the urge to demand the same expectation from my art side project . There are numerous painting ideas that I want to accomplish and at this stage in my career , it is unlikely that I will be able to be as productive in art as I want to be . I need to keep art as a way to decompress , understanding that achieving life balance within the limited time we have is an important key to happiness . At the age of 50 , I am at an exciting stage in my life as I am attaining success as
figure 3
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a surgeon and leader of my department , and gradually succeeding in many of my life ambitions . I am sure that art has complimented my surgical skills and continues to influence my craft and creativity in various ways .
Dr . Alsoufi is a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Louisville and serves as Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Norton Children ’ s Hospital .
8 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE