Staying in Touch With Your Creativity as a Physician

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For many doctors, the road to becoming a physician comes at a cost: the quiet fading of their creative spark. Medical training is long, grueling, and leaves little room for painting, writing, music, or the hobbies that once brought joy. Over time, many of us tuck away our creative sides, convinced there’s no space for them in a career that demands such precision, focus, and sacrifice. But creativity doesn’t just belong to artists—it belongs to doctors, too. In fact, it may be one of the most underrated skills in medicine, shaping the way we connect with patients, solve problems, and keep ourselves whole.

That truth is at the heart of this story. Hear from Dr. Zack Schoppen, a board-certified OB/GYN who kept his creative flame alive by writing a fantasy novel while working full-time as a physician. On the surface, medicine and fantasy fiction might seem worlds apart. But as Zack discovered, storytelling, imagination, and the courage to think beyond the obvious aren’t just for novels—they’re vital in medicine, too.

Imagine it: a horde of bloodthirsty orcs. Dwarves, axes at the ready. Bowstring taut in the hands of a beautiful elf. Dagger-wielding halflings underfoot massive giants. An epic battle is about to unfold, in which these creatures will fight savagely. The fate of a realm is at stake. Who will be the victors?

You’ve probably seen or read scenes like this in popular fantasy series such as “Lord of the Rings,” “Game of Thrones,” or “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Filled with images of wondrous beings, these stories have always fascinated me. As a reader of fantasy fiction, I’ve long pondered the origin stories of the creatures involved in these fantastic tales. Now, as an OBGYN, I’ve been compelled to ask an even more basic question: where do their babies come from?

My name is Zack Schoppen, board-certified OB/GYN and author of the debut fantasy novel, “The Midwizard of Cosconia,” the first book in the Call the Midwiz series. I’ve read hundreds of fantasy books in my life, and they all seem to be missing the same thing: accurate representations of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Ever since I decided to become an OB/GYN in medical school, this absence has bothered me. It seemed a topic ripe for exploration in the pages of fantasy fiction.

How I Became a Fantasy Writer (While Also Working as an OB/GYN!)

In December of 2024, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Sitting on the balcony of a small ship in the frigid waters of Antarctica with massive icebergs floating by (a trip that was a gift to my wife and I after finishing oral boards) I first put pen to paper. Metaphorically, of course—nobody can read my classic doctor chicken scratch.

Four months later, in an altogether different latitude, I had the first draft of a book that finally explored what it would be like to deliver the babies of giants, fae, minotaurs, and more!

Writing a book as a full-time OB/GYN has not been easy, and the support of my friends, family, and partner have been essential.

Delivering human babies comes first!

Let me make one thing clear: my day job always comes first. I would never sacrifice patient care or give anything less than 100% to my patients and their families. I love delivering babies, doing hysterectomies, providing contraception, and doing all the amazing things that come with a career in obstetrics and gynecology.

Why Medical Professionals Lose Touch With Their Creativity

Something I’ve noticed over the years is that many medical professionals lose touch with their creativity during the craziness of medical school and residency. As somebody who reviews residency applications, I know that folks going into medicine have a variety of experiences. So many of us have been in theatre productions, written poetry, sold crafts on Etsy, painted lovely portraits, danced in ballets, cooked gourmet meals, or taken stunning photographs. Unfortunately, many of us push those hobbies and passions to the backburner during our training.

Don’t get me wrong—being a physician, especially during residency, is really freakin’ hard. If all you have in you after a long shift is shoving down a bite of food and crashing in bed, that’s more than okay. Don’t pressure yourself. But you may find that exploring your creativity, even if it does consume some of your valuable time, improves your overall well-being and makes you a better physician.

Tapping into your creativity can make you a better doctor!

Remember the advice you get every time you step on a plane: put on your own oxygen mask first. You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself. Perhaps joining a local improv group is your one chance to completely put medicine aside and feel like yourself again. Maybe doing a pottery class with your best friend will remind you how much you love working with your hands. Finally writing that screenplay or book you’ve always had in the back of your mind will unlock a side of you that sees your patients in a new light.

Creative thinking is far more essential in medicine than you might think. If you have a patient struggling with chronic pain or endometriosis who has already tried all traditional treatments, you’ll have to get creative to help them. If labor and delivery is blowing up and you’re trying to balance a hundred things, you’ll have to get creative to manage your time.

One of the most important “side effects” of improving your creativity is the ability to engage in shared decision-making with your patients and learning how to talk like a human instead of a doctor!

How to Balance Your Creative Passions with Medicine

As always, time is your most valuable resource. Start with an hour or two a week. Personally, I’m so much of a morning person it’s painful (my wife’s words, not mine). On my rare weekends off, I like to wake up super early, make a honey latte, and sit on the balcony with my puppies and just write. Sometimes I write for hours and throw it all away. That’s okay. The process is so much more important than the product.

Come September 7th, I’ll officially be a self-published author, so here’s my advice: just start! Sign up for the class. Write the first word. Buy the paint. Go to the hardware store. Figure out what the first step is, and take it. The first step is always the hardest. From there, determine how much time you feel comfortable giving. Start small—there are no rules! An hour a month is still more than nothing. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next Picasso!

“The Midwizard of Cosconia” launches on September 7, 2025. You can preorder it here—all 2025 e-book proceeds will be going to women’s health (Sojourner House and Cherry Health)!

And for more (free!) resources for physicians, check out these other posts on the blog:

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By Zachary Schoppen, MD