The Link between Art and Dentistry with medical illustrator and dental student Rachel Jackson

The Noobie Dentist Podcast – Rachel Jackson Episode Run Time: 00:52:06   Intro Today, I chat with Rachel Jackson. Rachel graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2004 with a BSc in Medical Illustration. After a few years of work and starting a family, Rachel decided to go back into clinical dentistry and completed a course in dental therapy in 2013. While doing the course and working, Rachel decided she wanted more of a clinical scope and decided to get into dentistry, leading her to the University of Aberdeen in 2017. She is currently a dental student and continues her artwork. A few years ago, her artwork began to get noticed and she was commissioned by the British Dental Journal to illustrate a series of covers for the 100th year anniversary of their BDA Library, which is what shes been illustrating for the past few months. In this week’s episode, we talk about what motivated her to go back to school and get her credentials, and what has been the ambition behind her ongoing evolution and not settling for where she was. We talk about the power of art in dentistry, and science in general, as well as Rachel’s hope to leave behind a legacy of art and excellent patient care. Guest Details Website: Medink - Medical Art & Illustration Social Media: Rachel Jackson - Instagram   Time Stamps [00:05:15] Why Rachel chose dentistry [00:08:00] What drive Rachel’s ambition [00:11:16] Dealing with failure and finding fulfillment [00:13:55] Time-management and learning to compartmentalize [00:16:11] Rachel’s interest in art and science [00:20:47] Rachel’s first artwork commission and the British Dental Journal [00:25:36] The pressure of illustrating for the BDJ [00:27:09] Rachel’s creative process [00:29:26] Identity, dentistry and art [00:39:26] Suspending the 5-year plan to live in the moment [00:42:26] Finding fulfillment and reward in your career [00:44:38] Leaving behind a legacy of art and excellent patient care [00:46:09] What Rachel hopes to pass on to her children [00:46:52] The danger of complacency   Podcast Details As always, if you enjoyed listening to the Noobie Dentist Podcast, please pass the podcast along to your friends, classmates and colleagues. If you haven’t already, head over to iTunes and give the show a 5-star rating and if you have some time, leave a review! The Noobie Dentist podcast is now available on Spotify, YouTube, noobiedentist.com, the Apple podcast app, Stitcher and any other podcast apps out there!   Website: http://www.noobiedentist.com Instagram: @noobiedentist Other links: https://linktr.ee/noobiedentist   Headline Quote [32:27 - 32:49] … On social media, we are sort of looked at as a creator of beauty quite often. And that is only one small aspect of what we do. And, fundamentally who we are is a healthcare professional, and health actually comes before anything else. Conclusion Were you inspired by Rachel Jackson’s story? Are you interested in the place art has in dentistry? We would love to hear your thoughts!   Remember to subscribe for more content!