My creative journey from astrophysics to art

Most people don’t understand the idea of trading the certain for the uncertain. In my case, I quit a promising career in science for an uncertain one in the arts. Why? Because a “safe” life is an illusion. A safe life may slowly strangle you if you haven’t embraced it willingly.

As children, most of us have clear ideas of what we’d like to become one day. Some are lucky enough to follow those dreams, others are forced to take different paths by the demands of life.

I remember four things I truly loved as a child: my watercolours, a typewriter, crystals that diffracted sunlight into marvellous colours, and paintings. There was something magic about them. Later, I discovered films and mystery novels. All I wanted to do was become an artist.

Instead, I gravitated to astrophysics – partly out of a romanticised idea of what a career in science would be like. It was a compromise between my fascination with mystery and maths, my love for colours, and the need for a more secure path in life. But was it the right choice?

Once you’re well into your career, it’s easy to think that living your childhood dream is impossible; it’s easy to be afraid of the stigma of quitting: to believe that quitting is for losers. But what’s the point in being stuck in an unsatisfying life just to conform to others’ views?

There’s nothing bad about acknowledging a wrong turn or wanting to reconnect with the things you once loved. I had to face this moment of reckoning halfway through my PhD when I realised that I disliked how scientific research was carried out. I slowly began my journey back to art.

Change comes with lots of consequences: personal, financial, emotional. You need to be prepared for that struggle before taking the plunge. But if conquering your childhood dream is your north star, you won’t get lost. Eventually, you may even get rewarded.

Your old life will be hard to forget nonetheless. At first, I longed for a clean break... but came to realise that my old life and the new one could merge into something more interesting, complete, and original. That’s how the cosmological perspective found its way into my art.

Striving for that kind of synthesis is much harder than making a fresh start, but it can eventually bring a sense of peace to your existence. That’s why the skills you learned along the way shouldn’t be disregarded, but seen as an advantage.

Realising the importance of being true to yourself is key to unleashing your full potential. As children, we knew best what was right for us because we were not yet conditioned to think otherwise. Chasing dreams made us happy, so why shouldn’t we do the same as adults?