Cognitive Conversations #1: Synergies - The Art of Living a Double Life

'Synergies' is the first episode in a brand-new series titled Cognitive Conversations, where we tackle the big questions in art, creativity and neuroscience. We're excited to be bringing this synergy of minds together discussing the dual occupations writers often hold, and all the fascinating connections in-between. In this episode, we explore the common threads that bring creative and medical practice together. We unpack "day-to-day" creative strategies for switching between cognitive modes, as well as the synergy of the roles we play in life. We compare the work of a GP to that of a writer, turning stories heard in the clinic into ideas that percolate and transmute into words on the page, drawing on lived experience alongside challenges of writing about trauma and mental health. Lastly we deep-dive on creative writing and the intrinsic role it can play in opening up new dialogues on the page - and the ripple effect it has on our lives. Dr Fiona Robertson is a writer and doctor based here in Meanjin/Brisbane. Fiona is the author of the short story collection If You’re Happy which won the Glendower Award in the 2020 Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for the Steele Rudd Award in 2022. Currently, she is working on a novel.Visit Fiona's website and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X.Dr Laurie Steed is a novelist and short story writer from Boorloo/Perth, living on Whadjuk Noongar Country. His debut novel, You Belong Here, was published in 2018, followed by Love, Dad: Confessions of An Anxious Father, in 2023. His third book, the short story collection Greater City Shadows, is out now.Visit Laurie's website and subscribe to his e-newsletter | Connect with Laurie on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.Dr Jo Skinner is a writer and GP based in Meanjin/Brisbane who writes contemporary women’s fiction and has a distance running habit. Jo's debut novel, The Truth About My Daughter is out now.Visit Jo's website and subscribe to her e-newsletter | Connect with Jo on Instagram and Facebook.About the host: Bianca Millroy is an emerging science writer, editor, and PhD student based in Meanjin (Brisbane), researching the intersection of creativity and neuroscience. Enjoyed this episode? Share the SWN love!If you liked this episode, leave us a review and share it far and wide. Science Write Now is dedicated to accessibility, connectivity, inspiration and collaboration across disciplines. Our content is free to access and we want to keep it that way, so if you’re keen to be part of this growing community of creative writing inspired by science, hit subscribe!We’ll be back with another episode soon, and more conversations inspired by science and creativity to come!We acknowledge the Jaegara and Turrbal People, Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is created, and the unceded cultural lands on which our guests live and continue to make and tell stories.