STUDENT VOICE

Talking about imposter syndrome whether verbally or in the form of arts becomes an act of healing. If we collectively share our experiences and address our own weakness we are not only healing ourselves but also extending this to those around us.

- Year 1 Medical student, Flourishing Spaces Student Selected Component, 2025

CREATIVE ENQUIRY: Student Piece

Just take the blindfold off by Elicia Elliott,

(1st year medical student 2025 on Creative Arts SSC) 

This painting is more than just a self-portrait; it is a visual diary of my journey as a medical student. It captures the uncertainty but hope that define this phase of my life. The blue scrubs symbolise the doctor I aspire to be, and the day I wear them may be the day I finally ‘feel’ like a doctor. Right now, I am a medical student, filled with uncertainty, and the blindfold represents both this uncertainty and the subtle fear I experience. It sometimes feels as though I am walking blind, as the future remains unclear. The path to becoming a doctor is long and challenging, and this often clouds my ability to envision what lies ahead. While we are told, “You wouldn’t have gotten into medical school if you weren’t capable,” I still feel like every test I pass is due to luck, not my own abilities. The blindfold represents my future, but also my reluctance to remove it. I fear that if I do, I might disappoint myself if I don’t make it. This shows how self-doubt (symbolised by the blindfold) can impede progress. Overcoming it requires courage, even if it is as simple as taking the blindfold off. Ultimately, the painting ends on a positive note. Although my future feels out of my control, removing the blindfold reveals that I already possess the qualities of a doctor. All it takes is the bravery to trust in myself, to keep going, learning, and believing that I will get there.

 TRY IT OUT: Embracing journalling

There is so much evidence of the benefits of engaging with creative pursuits, for example, reduction of cortisol in the body after painting, or reduction in physical symptoms in asthma and arthritis after writing about a painful or traumatic experience… If you would like to try a bit of journaling, a space to hear yourself think, to process some of the thoughts floating through your head, not much is needed— Clear a little time in your day, grab a pen and bit of paper, and write.

Here is a prompt to help guide thinking around flourishing spaces: When have I truly felt “seen and heard”? What helped create that space—and how might I offer that to others?

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”

-Simone Weil

See you in the next newsletter, which is due to be published on the last Friday of May. From then on, a new issue will be sent out on the final #FlourishingFriday of the month.

With warmth,

The Flourishing Spaces Team