We were lucky to catch up with Susie Sharpe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Growing up in Korea, art was my first love, and my dream was to become an artist. When I was 16, my family immigrated to the U.S. Without speaking any English, I felt I needed to find a different career than art that offered security to support myself and help others. I decided to become a physician, although it felt like an impossible dream. After many grueling years schooling, while also learning English and supporting myself, I received my M.D. and residency training from Yale. I have had a very successful and fulfilling career as a physician. But I never gave up on my passion for art, and I studied it whenever I could while practicing medicine and raising two children. For the past 10 years, I’ve had an amazing career as a physician-artist. I’ve had numerous exhibits and received many recognitions. In recent years, my paintings have been shown in International Exhibits in New York, Paris, Miami, Madrid, Brussels, and Luxembourg and get shipped to buyers worldwide.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Everything changed overnight when my family moved from Korea to the USA. South Korea then was still a poor country with a constant threat of North Korean invasion. I was 16 years old, and my father was already in his 50’s, and we spoke no English. My parents were a teacher and a pharmaceutical company executive in Korea. BUT in America , though, they became struggling immigrants trying to run a small grocery store and getting robbed at gunpoint on a regular basis.

I found myself in a NYC high school, where I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying. Without the language, I became NOBODY, merely a target of terrible bullying. Imagine being uprooted in the middle of your 10th grade to a foreign country 7,000 miles away where you didn’t speak the language and didn’t know the culture, and yet you got to get soon ready for college and career.I felt utterly lost and desperate in this new country.

Then I realized that my new surrounding, America, wasn’t going to change to accommodate me in any way. I had to learn the new language, and I had to adapt. I was ALL I got.

The first thing I did was adopt an American name. My Korean name is SooJung, but Susie is easy for people to say. I didn’t want my name to be yet an additional barrier.

Since I had no one I could rely on, I needed to find a career other than art that offered the certainty that I could support myself. Unfortunately, I experienced so much discrimination that I felt the only chance I could ever get treated equally was if I were to become so much MORE successful than others.

So, I decided to become a physician, although it felt like an impossible dream for a Korean girl who barely spoke English. And I had no idea how I would get there. All I knew was that I had to make it entirely on my own, just me and my God.

In hindsight, I see that I had adopted Carl Jung’s perspective,“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become”

I arrived at Wesleyan University, but still spoke very little English. I sat in the front row of every class with a cassette player and recorded all the lectures because I couldn’t understand what was being said, let alone take notes. I chose to major in chemistry of all things because it required the least English, although I had no interest in the subject.

Even at medical school, I still had to use a Korean-English dictionary every day. On top of my classwork, I still had to work multiple jobs because my family couldn’t pay for any part of my college or medical school.

Finally, came the end of my training. Fifteen years after I decided to become a doctor, I graduated from Yale Medical School and residency. I achieved my seemingly impossible dream.

I jumped right into medical practice and got busy right away. I love helping patients, lessening their physical and mental suffering, and making a difference every day. I have so many unforgettable, wonderful patient stories, some from my medical mission trips abroad.

But there was one thing missing from my life! My passion for art! That dream had been buried for decades and could barely be suppressed anymore. But where was I going to find time?

Then, something happened. About 10 years ago, one night, when I was driving home after a long day, I dozed off, and my car suddenly swerved across a midline on a highway. Thankfully, I didn’t’ crash.

I realized though that if I had died then, I would’ve never got to live my original dream as an artist. That pivotal moment gave me the clarity I needed to revive my lost dream.

So, I studied art whenever I could while maintaining a busy medical practice and raising two children. I started taking art classes in the evening, doing group shows, then solo shows. Most of my paintings had to be done past midnight. Bringing art back into my life felt like an oasis in the middle of a desert.

Achieving my second dream!

Eventually, I celebrated my new identity as a physician-artist, and I have shown my art all around the world, even as I continue to care for my patients.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal as a physician is to lessen physical suffering and healing. But because I witness a lot of human suffering in medicine, my mission as an artist is to bring Beauty, Joy, and Healing amidst the darkness in the world. My colors are bright and vibrant. I strive to highlight the beautiful side of life with my art.

The underlying theme of my artwork is the love of life, passion, and a beautiful journey. I have a series “For Ocean Lovers”, “For Music Lovers”, and “For Wine Lovers”.

As a physician, I am highly analytical and VERY precise. But when I enter my art studio, I must completely switch my mindset. I let go of control and allow myself to become an instrument of the creative Muse. Letting go of fear, I get to create magical and spontaneous pieces that convey freedom to the viewers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.susiesharpe.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susie.sharpe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susie.sharpe.1/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-sharpe-md-69672442/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3WWnhgasvo

Image Credits
All images are my originals.