Breaking the Mould

Written as part of my BA (Hons) Journalism course

Walking home from school with a close friend, teenage Gayi Soori passed a pottery shop and observed: “Wouldn’t it be nice to just make pottery?” At the time, it was nothing more than a fleeting, frivolous thought, not a path she could take seriously. Decades later, that casual remark would resurface as a poignant reminder of the life she had once dismissed as impossible. Now, after leaving a decade-long career in dentistry, Gayi has turned that “silly idea” into her reality.

For Gayi Soori, the expectations surrounding her career were clear from an early age. Her parents, both doctors, had fled Sri Lanka during the Civil War, moving to the UK to secure a better future for their family. Their medical careers were necessary for this relocation, offering both financial stability and social mobility. Gayi explained that in Sri Lankan culture, medical careers are highly regarded not only for the income they provide but also for their invaluable service to their communities.

This reverence for the medical field shaped Gayi’s upbringing. Her parents guided both her and her older brother towards dentistry, believing it offered a better work-life balance compared to other medical professions. She explained that it was almost expected of her to pursue a medical career and that she didn’t even consider her own aspirations. “It’s not like you even necessarily think about what you want. It was more about jumping through the academic hoops to get into university and become a dentist.”

After completing her six-year degree in Manchester, Gayi worked as a dentist for a decade. The high-pressure nature of the job meant she struggled to know whether the anxiety she felt was simply the normal stress associated with the work, or a sign it just wasn’t for her. “It was an element of just thinking you just have to deal with it, just carry on, and see if it gets better. For some of my friends, it did as they grew in confidence and specialised. But for me, I just found I was getting more and more anxious.” 

“When you’ve done a degree that is already so specialised, it’s very hard to sidestep into something else.” Gayi explained that even looking for different jobs within dentistry wouldn’t resolve the issue, as there would be little real variation between them. On the contrary, abandoning the career entirely after investing so much time in training left her feeling like a failure. “Not only have you done all that work to achieve that thing, but you’re abandoning a great skill that you developed. That was tough.”

During this time, Gayi moved to London, where she rediscovered her love for art by taking creative courses at City Lit in her free time. She experimented with a range of mediums, from creative writing to printmaking, before falling in love with pottery in a ceramics taster course. Ceramics allowed Gayi to apply the experimental, research-led approach that she developed when studying medicine to visual art. 

Her transition to art was gradual, and she eventually enrolled in a part-time art foundation diploma. “I kept a toe in dentistry to support myself, but I also wanted to pursue this gradually. I had to mentally prepare myself and the people around me.” Gayi explained that her parents, despite their reservations, were unbelievably supportive, describing them as her “number one fans.” Her close friends and colleagues were most understanding, having witnessed how anxious and miserable dentistry had made her. In 2017, Gayi took the final leap, enrolling in a full-time ceramic design undergraduate degree course at Central Saint Martins.

Gayi’s story is part of a broader issue. In a world that values practicality over passion, pursuing a career in the arts can feel like setting yourself up for failure. Many students are raised with the belief that pursuing medicine or law not only secures a respectable career but also garners approval from their families. As increasing arts courses in the UK are facing funding cuts, creative paths are being disparaged even further.

For children of doctors and immigrants, like Gayi, the stakes can feel even higher. Children of doctors are 24 times more likely to pursue a medical profession than their peers, while children of immigrants often feel a form of guilt for all their parents have done for them and a subsequent desire to make them proud. “The idea of following and pursuing your own desires is quite anathema in the culture; it’s seen as indulgent and selfish,” she says. “There’s a sense of guilt around it.”

However, these perceptions overlook the significant value of the creative industries, which contribute £115bn annually to the UK economy, and the wide range of prosperous careers in the arts. Beyond their economic value, Gayi described the importance of community she found in creative courses which combine people from diverse backgrounds and encourage them to engage creatively together. “When you're put together with people who share a passion and drive, it motivates you to produce better work; it becomes infectious.”

Leaving an established career later in life can feel like a huge risk. Research shows that only 17% of workers in the UK love their job, and many are hesitant to leave due to societal pressure and financial challenges. Despite this, changing careers can also be hugely beneficial. Individuals who change careers often bring valuable transferable skills and unique perspectives to their new roles. Gayi’s scientific background informs her artistic practice, being drawn to the overlap between art and science. A lot of her work draws from her biological knowledge, from ceramic forms inspired by white blood cells to cyanotype prints that comment on the biomedical significance of horseshoe crab blood. “There’s lots of room to collaborate,” she said of artists and researchers, “Scientists have to think creatively to problem solve so there’s space for artists to help stimulate ideas, as well as the other way round.”

Despite the challenges, Gayi emphasised that she has no regret in studying medicine, as the scientific knowledge she has gained still informs her worldview. “What I do regret is that feeling of being trapped,” she explained.

Gayi has now attained a master's degree in ceramics and glass from the Royal College of Art, and has exhibited at multiple prestigious galleries. She works as an independent artist, having just finished building a studio in her garden.

The stigma surrounding creative careers is still deeply ingrained, but Gayi’s story shows it’s worth challenging. There’s some hope for those trapped in unfulfilling professions that transition is possible, no matter how late in your career.