New Dentist Corner: Life Outside Dental School

LIFE OUTSIDE DENTAL SCHOOL

By: Alex Soderfelt, DDS Dental school is filled with absolute chaos… I think we can all agree on that. When pre-dental students or DS1s ask for advice, I have always talked about the importance of having a life outside dental school. I typically recommend that they find something before school so they already have experience under their belt, but I can no longer preach that being the only option. During the spring of third year, most classmates and I found ourselves with a lot more free time than we had been accustomed to the first and second years of dental school. Some of them got jobs, some decided to volunteer more, and I decided to make messes in my garage. I spent more time than I care to admit scrolling through Instagram; there were a few accounts that had a lot of fun with acrylic paint. I’ve never considered myself to be an artist, and being colorblind doesn’t lend itself to picking colors well. After watching enough YouTube how-tos and Instagram videos, and with the support of my friends, I decided to give it a try. I had spent several months painting 5x7” panels for friends and was ready to move on to larger canvases. The first commission was for my classmate, Sonora Zuckerman. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing! It was quite chaotic, but I found a unique peace after I had finished. Soon after finishing, the wind blew a medicine cup into the wet paint. This accident led to the trademark half-circle signature that I used on each canvas going forward. After that, I received various commissions, and they were all manageable. My hobby grew exponentially. The goal originally was to create for myself and then sell from the collection. This rarely happened, as the commissions continued to come. I was able to stay busy and try new techniques. I emphasized keeping painting solely as a hobby and did not try to focus on the business. I wanted to continue finding enjoyment and relaxation in the art without feeling stress to finish quickly. As the commissions lined up, I slowly started falling into a schedule, and it became a lot easier to field new commissions and play around with different ideas and requests. I had “painting weeks” and “stock up/seal weeks”. It became a logistical game to make sure I had sufficient support. If someone gave me pictures and colors to match or wanted a larger canvas, I would have to rely on Treyon Grant for assistance. The business side of things was very new to me, but blessed me with the ability to have a hobby that pays for itself, allows me to invest in my process, AND donate to a cause that is close to my heart. A portion of my proceeds goes to the Little Light House in Tulsa. In addition to monetary donations, I was able to donate paintings for their auction and for an auction that benefited the OU College of Dentistry's Peru mission trip. Since my recent move, it’s taken some time to set things up, but I have been able to start painting again. There’s plenty of space in the office, so I’m excited to get busy again and start filling a new space with my art!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Soderfelt is a recent graduate of the OU College of Dentistry. He grew up in Owasso, Oklahoma, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to painting, he enjoys cycling, hiking, and traveling.