I Left My Successful Career as a Doctor to Become an Art Student

By Kathy Varadi

Art is magical. I can honestly say that it saved my life. Right now I’m a second year student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) pursuing a degree in painting. I’ll be 66 years old in September. For 25 years I loved being an obstetrician/gynecologist in Dallas, Texas until I hit a point where I had to jump — and I’m still surprised where I landed!

My partner, Kim, is from Georgia. Growing up, her family went to the beach on Tybee Island, just east of Savannah. Many years later, the two of us bought our own little cottage on Tybee. While vacationing there, we saw bus after bus with the word “SCAD” on the side — thus, a seed was planted.

At that time, Kim and I were still living and working in Dallas with retirement on our minds. We went to Tybee one Thanksgiving and, as we drove through Savannah, we spotted a little Tudor fixer-upper for sale. Spontaneously, we jumped and bought it. The house had a sunroom with big windows, and we thought, “Those would look great with panels of stained glass.” So, I decided to design images for the stained glass. I started sketching some shore birds when Kim said, “I didn’t know you could draw!”

I had dabbled in art my entire life. It seems like people are natural artists when they are young, then get jobs and have families, eventually retire and become like kids again. For me, that meant making art again. When the increasing stress of practicing medicine made it clear that I needed to retire, I thought, “Now what am I going to do?”

To answer this, Kim said, “Why don’t you go to SCAD?” Great idea, but I needed a portfolio to apply. To resolve this, I found a creative arts place for adults in Dallas and started taking classes. It turned out that my art teacher had attended SCAD and was in one of its first graduating classes in the late 1970’s. I told him I was creating a portfolio of my work so I could apply, and he said, “You’ll love it!”

Being a student again, I was a little self-conscious. When in class with 19-year-olds, I see them, not me. Then, walking down the street, I see a reflection in a store window and think, “Who is that older woman?” Oh, it’s me! One day in class I said, “Getting older just happens,” and everybody cracked up.

I didn’t grow up with computers. I’m taking a computer arts class now, and I’m struggling. I went to my professor, Oscar Betancur, and said, “I can’t do this.” To which he told me, “You don’t want to drop this class.” He then spent four hours on a Saturday, helping me one-on-one to understand the material — and he was right. I love this class. I’m working hard. I’ve got an alphabet after my name but I couldn’t remember point and click, copy and paste. I’ll get there.

We Baby Boomers are still here. The Greatest Generation was hard on us, and that affected a lot of people my age. The truth is, we can gain a new purpose! Going back to school reawakens the process of learning and applying yourself. It has for me.

What will I do with my art degree? Though I’m not completely sure yet, a second career is tempting. In any event, attending SCAD is a process of discovery, which is what a university experience should be. In medical school, I was set on surgery but wound up in obstetrics/gynecology. Using this as a learning experience, I entered SCAD as a painting major but am keeping an open mind. Each time I take a new class I love it. I was never a history buff, but I now love art history. Northern Renaissance art is the greatest! Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Durer are fantastic.

SCAD has a location in Lacoste, France. This fall I’ll be going there for eight weeks, taking painting classes and a “Travel Portfolio” drawing class. I wasn’t going to go, but when am I ever going to have another opportunity to take art classes in a medieval village?

If I were to give a pep talk to someone, I would say: when you get an opportunity, realize the door only opens up so much and stays that way for so long. Don’t hesitate, go for it!

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