“Why did you become a dentist in the first place?” is a question I am prepared to answer for the rest of my life, from the moment I decided I wanted to pursue copywriting full-time.
I was introduced to reading books not at a very early age. My father is a reader, my mother is more of a doer and I have a really good school friend who introduced me to reading (making it look like it’s just so cool to do so). And I thoroughly enjoyed it but I also love human biology. From learning human anatomy on cadavers to highlighting important points in a 2,000-page textbook, from assisting with dental surgeries to restoring teeth all by myself, I discovered I am more inclined to write than practice medicine my whole life.
As an Indian doctor, especially if you are a first-generation medico in your family, life is not as breezy. Also, one of the many cons (or pros) of the field is that you are bound to one location only – a locality if you open a private clinic or a city if you work at a hospital – which I was not very keen on doing. After many thoughts, self-reflections, questioning my whole life, and balling my eyes out in front of my lovely mother, I decided this was it – I did not wish to practice dentistry full-time.
Why would you want to stay at one location and hustle when there is a whole world out there waiting for you to see it, photograph it, write about it? One of my childhood dreams is to travel the world, meet new people, talk to them, write about their lives, get lost in the beauty of the Swiss Alps, and soak in the stunning art scene of Italy and France from the Renaissance era. (This could happen only if I let myself not belong to just one location)
I had to stop caring what people thought and I had to be bold enough to apply for copywriting jobs with a degree that is irrelevant in the creative field. Fortunately, I found Truetype, I was hired, and there began my journey as a full-time writer. From copywriting to client servicing and everything in between, I was able to stabilise the rocking boat that is my career. I genuinely love what I do and with my family’s support I am able to pursue something so unconventional for a doctor in India, extremely grateful for that every day.
You still haven’t got the answer to the first question? Let’s talk and I can tell you more.
