We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carmel Mercado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carmel below.

Carmel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have a had a number of fun projects recently, but if I were to choose one, I would say that the one project that was particularly meaningful to me was creating a mural for the waiting room of the Ophthalmology Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The clinic staff invited me to create wall art for their waiting room at the end of last year. Over these past several months, I have worked with the hospital and clinic to bring this art to life. My two careers – as an artist and as a doctor- collided to create this delightful and whimsical parade of characters on the wall who welcome you into the clinic space. I view my art as a medium through which I can spread positivity and joy. Moreover, I wanted this piece to help the children who walk into the clinic feel more at ease being in the clinic. Beyond the happy palette, there are some additional fun quirks to this piece that I want to highlight. Since this mural is located in the waiting room, I wanted to also make it functional. I incorporated the hospital’s mascot, the blue whale, into the design several times. Some of the whales are easier to spot than others, so this mural ends up also being like an “I Spy” game on the wall. While a child is waiting to be seen by the doctor, this gives the child something entertaining to do while waiting. The other quirk is that there are a lot of eye and vision-related imagery incorporated into the design. I loved that I could use my ophthalmology knowledge to add these little nerdy “Easter eggs” throughout. I think these added elements makes it more fun for the staff. This project brought me so much joy, and I hope everyone who chances upon this mural feels this, too.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

If you haven’t heard of me before, hi, my name is Carmel Mercado. I am an artist, illustrator, and eye surgeon. My time connecting with patients in the clinic, especially my pediatric patients, has deeply influenced my art style and my desire to inspire joy in others. On the flip side, my time as an artist reminds me of our shared humanity and helps me to be a more compassionate and connected caregiver to those I meet.

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who lived on the edge of the Everglades in South Florida and dreamed of exploring the world beyond the river of sawgrass in the backyard. Born to hard-working immigrant parents, I was also driven to make something of myself and explore the world. In the two decades of schooling that came after, I got myself a couple of degrees from places like MIT, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Stanford. I held roles such as clinical instructor at the Oregon Health & Science University and assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington. In this time, I also moved around and lived in several cities across not only North America but in Europe, Asia, and Oceania as well.

Several years ago, while I was working with one of my ophthalmology fellows in the operating room, she asked me how I managed to create the life I had then. Through her eyes, it looked like I had struck gold and was living a fulfilling life. As I was reflecting on her question, I realized that I actually was feeling kind of empty. Something was missing. Unfortunately, I think one of the downsides of being a health care provider is that you are constantly putting others’ needs before yours and you don’t have as much mental capacity or downtime to check on your internal compass.

My first love was art. Since childhood and through the years of schooling, I had a long-running parallel interest and love for art and the creative process. From elementary school to college to medical school to even residency, I would gravitate to leading the creative opportunities for all of the clubs I would participate in. You want a shirt made? Done. You want a logo and website created? Done. You want an end-of-the-year residency video filmed and produced in 2 weeks? Done. Somehow I had gotten so caught up with pursuing a career solely in academic medicine that I had stopped making time for art. By the time I became an attending doctor, the weight of that void was becoming more immense.

Long story short, I made the switch and took the deep dive to become a full-time artist. This art journey has been full of unexpected surprises and opportunities. You can now find my public art installations, murals, and art pieces around the Seattle area, in Downtown Orlando (at the Greenery Creamery), and Japan (Sobana Museum in Yamanashi). I am always up for new projects so feel free to contact me if you are looking for an eye-popping fun mural or art piece to spruce up your space. While I had to initially let go of my identity in medicine when I first delved into the world of art, I have since found a satisfying middle ground that works for me. Outside of being in the art studio, I set time aside in the year to travel locally and abroad to help on medical missions and serve those in the community who might not have access to care in a clinic or hospital setting.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

If it’s not apparent already, I’m a workaholic. From my time as a student and as a doctor, I have become so used to doggedly pursuing a goal with everything I have. I easily lose track of time and work all hours, every hour, every day. I have been known to allow for work to take over all aspects of my life, including family time and self-care time. Initially, when I was finding my footing in the world of art, this was what I was doing. I was painting all hours, every hour, late into the night, and during the weekends. As you can expect, this kind of relationship with work can lead to burnout. I came to realize quickly that my art is very much affected by my emotions and energy level. When I feel myself getting drained, it is difficult to convey the emotions I want to show through my art. I have had to step back repeatedly and figure out how to manage this habit of mine. This may sound cliche, but I have had to learn how to be more mindful about making sure I get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise so that my mind and body can flow. This drive and work ethic is deeply engrained, and all I can say is that I am an ongoing work in progress.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Quincy Jones said it well in ’12 Notes: On Life and Creativity’ when he highlighted the importance of recognizing the beauty and inherent value of life. I consider all my time spent working in hospitals and clinics as sacred moments in my life. I express gratitude for everyone who trusted me to be a part of their lives and journeys in the face of illness and death. These times reminded me of why one should not take life for granted. Through my art and through the way I live my life now, I want to remind others that there is so much to live for and celebrate. It is easy to get lost in the humdrum of our day-to-day. My artistic style tries to evoke feelings of childhood nostalgia, as I try to remind others to be present, to be open-minded, and to be happy with what is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carmelartlab.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmelartlab
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmelartlab

Image Credits
Carmel Mercado, Hokuto Ueda, and Urban Artworks