What if you’d already not only finished college, but had graduated from medical school and even completed an internship at the Mayo Clinic, then finally admitted to yourself that your passion was not the medicine and surgery you’d spent all that time and effort and money training for, but art instead? I think many of us would think we had no choice but to stick with our original path, even though it might not the best path for us after all. Turns out there’s one guy who had the courage to not only admit to himself that he had found his true niche in life, but to totally leave medicine to pursue being a full-time artist. That guy is Donald B. Stewart, M.D., and his studio, DS Art, is MiscBytes niche of the month!
It wasn’t that Dr. Stewart hadn’t really wanted to be a doctor. He had wanted to be a physician since he was 5 years old, and he never stopped loving science and making people happy, but by the time he completed his internship he had already seen that he met very few surgeons who were having any fun. He saw how the excellent doctors he trained with had already had the fun and spontaneity beaten out of them by the time they finished their residencies, and he soon realized that life was not for him!
Here are a few samples of those drawings from the online gallery. Grab a magnifying glass if you have one, because every time you look at these, you’ll see still more cool things. The drawings are full of intelligent humor, including lots of visual puns. Each intricately drawn picture is actually a composite of smaller, related, complex drawings, all created with a ballpoint pen! There are drawings that include medical terminology, as well as pieces devoted to various sports, food and wine, and other topics. If you’re looking for a great gift that your friend or coworker has never seen before, one of these drawings might be what you need!
French Horn | French Bread, French Toast, French Vanilla, French Perfume, French Wine, French Phone, French Cheese, French Chop, French Kiss, French Heel, French Door, French Dressing, French Pastry, French Mustard, French Maid, French Poodle, French Quarter, French Fries, Tour de France, Franks
Brain (Left) | N. Gin. Earring – with Calculators, Calipers, Protractor, Micrometer, Mortar, Pestle, Pocket Protector, T-Square, Triangle, Design Specs, Taped Specs, Slide Rule, Sweep Second Hand, Mother “Bored”, and a Mental Block.
Golf Bag | King of Clubs. Driver, Iron, Shootin’ Iron (for long shots), Wood (duck), Chipping, Pitching, Pin High, Highball, Handicap, Hook, Slice, Cup, Cart, Cap, Trap, Trophy, Dog Leg, Birdie, Bogey, Eagle, Double Eagle, Captain’s Choice, Round Robin, Visor, Wedge, Water Hazard, Glove, Green, Links, Match, Marker, Marshall, Shotgun Start, Shag Balls, Shoe, Shades, Score Card, Spike Wrench, Club Sandwich, Divot Lifter, Commemorative Stamps, Umbrella, Towel, Address (D. Ball), Wedding Ring (from Golf Widow), 18 Tees, i On The Ball, and a Whole Set of Clubs, - all carried by the Caddie.
One last thing – in case you’re not sure which drawing you like best, Dr. Stewart now has a hard back coffee table book available, containing 56 of his best and funniest drawings from his first 20 years in the studio. The drawings have the component lists as well as humorous commentary, so you can enjoy a nice variety of things that are fun for your brain, or like I said, order in time for a holiday gift!
Top photo: Saxophone | Musical Scales – Harmony in the Key of Sea.
The original drawing is now displayed in the Dan C. Holliman Biological Specimen Room at Birmingham-Southern College.
{ 21 comments }
Wow, they look great. It goes to show we all should follow our passion.
.-= Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..Flashback Monday – Income Report And Review =-.
It does. I hear people saying you can’t necessarily get paid to do what you love, but it’s wonderful to see an example of someone who took a big risk and is doing just that.
Amazing what his imagination comes up with! Love it
.-= Eric D. Greene´s last blog ..How to use Oil Pastels =-.
Me too! These drawings are just fascinating.
They are really quite amazing, even though you can’t see all the detail because of the size of the images. It seems that the guy was very talented, way beyond the scope of being a doctor.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..The Horror Trip To Melbourne And Back =-.
Yes, it would have been a shame for him to never have time to do drawings like this. It’s cool his talent is now shared with us all.
It’s admirable what a change of path he picked – but I hope he’s happy with his choice – by looking at those drawings I’d assume he is, must really demand a certain amount of imagination to be able to create such great drawings with all those different things “built in” to them.
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Yeah I have a feeling he’s very happy with it. He definitely chose quality of life and doing what he loved over a path that a lot of people idealize (even though most of us have no idea what a surgeon’s life is really like).
Wow those are seriously some creative art pieces, I can’t even imagine how long it takes to put that together.
.-= Extreme John´s last blog ..The Slacker is Back =-.
Oh yes – you know they must take untold hours to draw, even after thinking of all the objects he’d want to use in one composite.
Cool stuff. I could look at some of these forever. And his story is very inspirational, too, for those pondering whether to follow their passions.
.-= Evan Kline´s last blog ..How to Use Your Voice to Bring Order to Your Life =-.
I could too!
It definitely is inspirational. If that had been me, I would have taken the chicken’s way out and said to myself, I’ll keep going toward being a surgeon, and I’ll draw in my “spare time.” And yep, that spare time would never come. This took a lot of courage, and it worked out great!
He won my respect for daring to pursue his happiness for the real passion in life. It takes a lot of guts really, and pressures too. He proves that he earned it — look at the artistic sense he got! You know each sketch may be turned into a guessing game. Think I can stare 1 for hours just to find out all the items within. Complicated and no way I’m able to copy that.
@wchingya
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Oh yes, it took a lot of guts. And – imagine when he first made the decision years ago – how hard it was to have to tell each friend and family member who’d been expecting him to emerge from medical training and start life as as surgeon… They may have thought he was making a mistake – until they could see how wonderful the decision has turned out to be.
Wow, those drawings are so meticulous! It’s great that he was able to switch careers like that despite all the trouble he went through to become a doctor.
.-= Rob´s last blog ..Ace Moving & Storage – Des Moines Movers =-.
Hi Rob! Yes they really are – lots of amazing detail. It’s great he was able to switch and I seriously wonder how long it took to make that decision! It’s one thing to decide to turn down med school (and how many people even do that – must be very rare) but another to finish it entirely then go to a totally different career.
Thanks for your comment, and please come back to MiscBytes soon!
He appears to be a really good artist from someone trained in something entirely different then creative arts. It’s nice to see people find the path that make them the happiest, despite the wealth and prosperity I’m sure Dr. Stewart would have seen working in medicine.
It really is. I can’t imagine what it was like to make that decision, but I’m sure his life has been happier (if not as wealthy) because he followed his true passion.
wow, those drawings are really intricate. They remind me of a genre called “Steampunk” a blending of victorian and futuristic steam powered devices… or even a bit of HR Geiger with the mechanical influences… good stuff!
I’ve only recently heard of Steampunk – but yes, this really is good stuff! I’m glad he decided to use his unique ideas and talents instead of just going for the $$$.
I love people who follow their passio, it is so insporing to chase a life that adds value to you, rather then just secure and safe. IT is a risk of course, but one that will make him look back and smile saying ‘I tried’ then whatever the outcome he will never regret it. Inspiring.
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