Meet Karen Bernard

I am currently a family doctor working a fifty hour a week job as a partner in a GP practice in the UK. After the pandemic, I became disillusioned and exhausted, working in a health service that feels like it is collapsing around us. I had not done any art since school, but in 2023 I was looking for a hobby to escape my stress, and I figured art was the perfect place to start since I had recommended it to so many patients struggling with their mental health. I took a free pastel pencil course and I was hooked. Over the last two years, I have found a hobby that truly lights me up. I experimented with many mediums and finally found my happy place.

By the end of last year, I knew I had reached the end of the line with medicine and started looking for ways to make art my career. That is when I saw the adverts for Immersion. I spent a few weeks thinking it over before signing up, and I am so glad I did. The course opened up a world of possibilities and gave me a way out.

I spent the rest of the year learning and growing, and in September I gave my six month notice to the partnership where I have worked for twenty four years. In April, I will leave with enough savings from my business to support me for two years. That will give me the time and space to build a business from my art and spend the rest of my working life doing something I love.

I am scared and excited, but I cannot wait.