[INTERVIEW] From sculptor to surgeon

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Wed, November 29, 2023 | 15:05

People & Events

INTERVIEWFrom sculptor to surgeon

Posted : 2023-03-08 08:21

Updated : 2023-03-08 16:37

This photo shows Shim Hyeon-jeong working on her artwork when she was a student at Seoul National University College of Fine Arts in Seoul. Courtesy of Shim Hyeon-jeong

Fine art graduate dreams of authoring illustrated textbooks for doctors

By Jung Min-ho

Some people are born with extraordinary talent, but struggle to find a way in life to make the most of it.

Shim Hyeon-jeong always had an artistic flair, which eventually led her to Seoul National University College of Fine Arts, a prestigious school where she majored in sculpture. Becoming an artist had appeared to be her natural next choice after graduation until she decided to pursue her new dream of becoming a doctor.

"It was my little brother with an intellectual disability who motivated me to open my eyes to other fields of study. Taking a psychology class made me wonder whether there could be an answer to why my brother and other people like him think and act differently. That was the first time I thought that I could do something different other than fine arts," Shim, 37, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Her insatiable curiosity led her deep into the subject and later to an autism research center at Severance Hospital in Seoul.

"While working with doctors, I started to think that having a medical degree would allow me to do much more to study the field," she said.

Getting into a medical school after all those years devoted to the world of art was extremely challenging, to say the least, she said. But a sense of purpose kept her going. In 2017, Shim was finally admitted to Cha University.

"I still did not have any specific career plan. I wanted to be an obstetrician, but I wasn't sure if it really was for me. And everything became clear to me when I received my first surgical training," she said.

This photo shows internal organs illustrated by Shim Hyeon-jeong. Courtesy of Shim Hyeon-jeong

For Shim, who had spent her childhood drawing and making a variety kinds of artwork, the training was her connect-the-dots moment in which she was able to see ― looking backward ― the bigger picture of her life, such as why she had to spend countless nights for the things she no longer does for work.

"For the first time, I could see quite clearly how the individual pieces fit together," Shim said. "That's when I decided to become a surgeon and save lives."

Her experience as an art student has been helpful. Sculpting, just like surgery does, requires the sophisticated use of one's hands and a clear sense of judgment. One minor error could result in irreversible damage.

"A big difference is that, as a surgeon, I can't start over, say, with a new stone, which scares me from time to time," Shim, who is receiving postgraduate training for aspiring surgeons at Asan Medical School in Seoul, said. "The fact that the life of a patient depends on me gives me enormous pressure. It makes me nervous but also motivates me."

Shim no longer does art for her career, but it still is her hobby. Sometimes late at night, after a hectic day, she draws things. Her new dream ― other than becoming a skilled, hard-working surgeon ― is to use her talent to author illustrated textbooks for surgeons. Robert Zollinge, a revered surgeon and educator known for such work, was her inspiration, she said.

"Many of the textbooks for surgeons include illustrations, which requires collaboration with illustrators who may lack detailed medical knowledge about human biology," Shim said. "One day, I would like to write such textbooks with my own illustrations."

mj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr