Your World By Shari Held
with
Carol L. Myers
About me
Most recent nursing position:
Staff nurse, St. Vincent Hospital NICU; resigned 1998
Education: RN, Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing
Experience: Coronary intensive care, adult surgery, pediatrics, infectious disease, neonatal intensive care
Art
Education: BFA, University of Michigan Media:
See her White Pines Gallery work:
Oil, watercolor, fiber, mixed media
www.whitepinesgallery.com; Stutz Business Center, first Friday of the month, noon – 5 p.m.
Website:
www.carollmyers.com
How long did you work as a nurse? “I worked as a nurse a total of about 28 years — some full time, some part time — while having four kids and doing my artwork.”
How did you your art career evolve? “I was in a new city and I took some art classes to get to know people. The next thing I knew, I was in art school. I’d always loved art. I think nursing is inherently creative, and having the art education gave me an edge professionally. It was really a marvelous way for me to go.”
Was there a catalyst that precipitated your leap into a full-time art career? “I found the 12-hour night shifts and menopause and having teenagers at home was grinding my soul into dust.”
Was a less-demanding nursing role ever an option? “I enjoyed nursing, but I really wanted to focus on my art completely for a change. All my life, I intellectually knew that art was important to quality of life, but I had gotten to the point where I absolutely believed it in my heart. Art doesn’t pay as well, but the rewards are wonderful.”
How do art and medicine complement each other?
“I think the reason we call medicine an art is that you take visual cues and your intellectual knowledge and make leaps of intuition. In essence, you problem solve. Art is very similar to that. Art is also incredibly healing and stress relieving.”
You were curator for the Stutz Artists Association Partnership with Clarian. What was that?
Tell us about your world Send an email to
pubs@indystar.com 22 Indiana Nursing Quarterly •
indystar.com/nursing • Summer 2011
“There was a period
of time, in 2008 and 2009, when we put artwork created by Stutz artists into Fairbanks Hall. [The education base for IU’s School of Nursing and School of Medicine.] I was excited about getting local artwork into the building. It really brought the building alive. I always incorporated art into my nursing and as a turn-about, I enjoyed giving art back to other nurses.”
How do you combine the healing arts with your artwork?
“I believe art is important as a quality- of-life issue. I want to make it more accessible to caretakers in particular, because they get caught up in the drama of life and death. What I would really like to do is teach fun classes and use art as a tool to relax people.” ●
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