Dr Vasu Tolia: Medicine to Masterpieces

Discovering and sharing the healing power of art.

What happens when a distinguished physician with over 150 published papers walks away from a 40-year medical career? For Dr Vasu Tolia, an unexpected artistic awakening filled the void.

Dr Tolia's story begins in Calcutta, where she grew up in an academically-driven household with little exposure to the arts. Her path to medicine was serendipitous, influenced by a friend who convinced her to take biology despite her inclination toward humanities. This "accidental doctor" went on to build an impressive career as a paediatric gastroenterologist in the United States, mentoring over 20 fellows and serving as principal investigator in more than 50 clinical trials.

When a toxic work environment forced her to leave medicine, Dr Tolia faced a profound identity crisis: "I had been a doctor for more than 40 years and then suddenly I was no one." 

Her journey into art began tentatively, with early frustrations as she compared her beginner efforts to accomplished artists. Everything changed during the pandemic when she found her voice through abstract and semi-abstract painting. Recognition followed swiftly, with her work being selected by the Washington Post among the nation's top 20, and solicited by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for journal covers.

The connection between her two careers runs deeper than coincidence. Dr Tolia's medical training taught her to observe "the body's incredible capacity for renewal," an energy she now captures in flowing forms and organic shapes that echo natural healing processes. She explains how art triggers the release of dopamine and reduces stress hormones, providing neurological evidence for creativity's healing power.

Today, Dr Tolia creates "visual sanctuaries" that promote wellness in hospitals, corporate spaces and homes while supporting causes like women's empowerment and autism advocacy. Her message is clear: don't wait for burnout to engage in creative practices that can heal your mind and spirit.

Explore Dr. Tolia's artwork and download a free creativity resource for Creativity Found listeners at 

https://www.vasutolia.art/mindfulartforrenewal

and discover how your own creative awakening might be waiting just around the corner.

Download Fire From the Earth from Liminal Coaching here. Reconnect with your creative energy.

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound

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Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Episode Transcript

Dr Vasu Tolia (00:08):
I went on to take biology and went to medical
school and discovered a deepcommitment to helping children.
It turned out to be one of thebest decisions, even though it
wasn't in my original plan.
I had to make a choice for mywell-being and my values.
So it really seemed like aprofessional suicide that after

(00:30):
building this incredible career,I walked away from it.
As if my artistic awakening hasfilled that enormous void after
leaving medicine.
Like, you know, I had been adoctor for more than 40 years
and then suddenly I was no one.
But now I am someone in boththe fields.
And my art is deeply tied tothemes of healing, resilience

(00:55):
and empowerment because mymedical training taught me to
observe the body's incrediblecapacity for renewal and I try
to capture the same energy in myartworks.

Claire Waite Brown (01:07):
Hi, I'm Claire.
For this podcast, I chat withpeople who have found or
re-found their creativity asadults.
We'll explore their childhoodexperiences of the arts, discuss
how they came to the artisticpractices they now love, and
consider the barriers they mayhave experienced between the
two.
We'll also explore what it isthat people value and gain from

(01:30):
their newfound artisticpursuits, and how their creative
lives in which they'repractical, necessary, ever This
time I'm chatting with Dr VasuTolia.
Hi Vasu, how are you?
I'm very

Dr Vasu Tolia (01:46):
well.
Thank you, Claire.
I'm so honored to be on yourshow.

Claire Waite Brown (01:49):
Oh, thank you.
Start by telling me what yourcurrent creative outlet is,
please.

Dr Vasu Tolia (01:56):
These days, I immerse myself in painting,
primarily abstract andsemi-abstract works using mixed
media.
I have recently been exploringcollage as well, sometimes
incorporating metallics ortexture mediums.
And my art is deeply tied tothe of healing, resilience and

(02:17):
empowerment.
Each piece I create is meant tobe a visual sanctuary.
Like I often use flowing formsand organic shapes that echo
natural processes, the way watermoves or the plants grow and
the pattern of healing itself.
Because my medical trainingtaught me to observe the body's
incredible capacity for renewaland I try to capture the same

(02:40):
energy in my artworks.

Claire Waite Brown (02:43):
That is fascinating.
When you were younger, didcreative activities play a part
in your life at home or ineducation?
That's

Dr Vasu Tolia (02:54):
a great question because I have not been exposed
to any kind of art in mychildhood except some exposure
to music.
I grew up in Calcutta in a veryacademically driven household.
There wasn't much exposure toarts in school either.
Art classes weren't part of ourcurriculum, but I know these
days it's there.

(03:15):
My family did encourage musicbut I was nudged towards
learning classical instrumentbut it wasn't meant to be.
I quietly rebelled against itbecause I and my brother were
meant to take lessons and hewould run away to play cricket
and I said I won't do it alone.
You know other ways ofcreativity wasn't really part of

(03:39):
our growing up.
It wasn't emphasized as aviable path or a career.

Claire Waite Brown (03:43):
That makes it all the more in for your
Creativity Found story later.
You said your family wasacademically driven.
You came upon the idea that youwould be a doctor when you grew
up.
Can you tell me about thattime?

Dr Vasu Tolia (04:01):
It's a very interesting story.
I call myself an accidentaldoctor because I had no role
model.
There was nobody in my familyor immediate friendship circle
like, you know, anybody who wasa doctor.
and I would want to be that.
I was more inclined towardsarts or humanities, but my best

(04:23):
friend convinced me to takebiology and science because her
brother was in medical field.
And that really changed thetrajectory of my life because I
went on to take biology and wentto medical school and
discovered a deep commitment tohelping children.
It turned out to be one of thebest decisions even though it

(04:44):
wasn't in my Oh,

Claire Waite Brown (04:46):
that is so sweet.
So how did that play out?
How did your training go?
When and why did you move tothe US?

Dr Vasu Tolia (04:56):
I moved to US in 1975 to pursue further medical
training and advance my medicalcareer.
There were some culturaldifficulties initially I was
facing in India because themedical field has its own
challenges.
Like having a degree fromabroad means a lot in Indian
culture.
or at least it did at thattime.

(05:17):
And I was more interested inacademics than just doing
private practice.
So I came to step into allthese possibilities by coming to
U.S.
and, you know, went intofurther training.
And I'm very grateful that Ifound position for training at
Children's Hospital.

(05:37):
And then I moved to Detroit andit's become a home, away from
home for so many years that itis really the home now

Claire Waite Brown (05:45):
And did you do that on your own?

Dr Vasu Tolia (05:48):
Did you come over on your own?
No, I met my husband who isalso a physician and his
specialty is endocrinology.
We met in internship in medicalschool, got married and then
moved here.

Claire Waite Brown (06:03):
You've mentioned children and you've
mentioned healing.
Tell me a bit more about yourmedical profession or your
academic profession and how thatdeveloped over the years.

Dr Vasu Tolia (06:16):
I received many awards like woman of distinction

(06:47):
from Crohn's and ColitisFoundation of America, was
recognized in regional top docsand who is who in medical field
and things like that.
But what really drove me wasseeing my research translate
into better care for childrenwith gastrointestinal disorders.
And over time, I achieved thehighest academic rank of the

(07:07):
tenured professor and publishedover 150 peer-reviewed articles,
book chapters, abstract, and Ihave been the principal What
about your obstacles?
It was difficult to carve thispath in the sense that I had to

(07:50):
start things on my own.
And during those days, therewas no internet and things like
that.
One sat down with IndexMedicals and found the things
that were over a year old whenyou ran into a difficult case or
you wanted to do something newor special.
So I, you know, started to do afew things like case series and
case reports and all.

(08:11):
And then I saw that I wasn'tgoing to get anywhere until I
collaborated with some people insupporting fields where I could
do a multidisciplinary kind ofresearch.
And there I found great help.
You know, for women in medicineor probably anywhere during
those times, you had to hold,you know, hands off or be under

(08:34):
the umbrella of some goodmentor.
And they usually ended up beingmen who were not threatened by
you, you know, like who didn'tfeel that you will become so
competitive.
So I was very lucky that I wasin pediatric GI, but I found
collaborations with clinicalpharmacology, nuclear medicine,
and those kinds of fields.

(08:55):
So we worked together withoutthere being any competition or
treading on each other's toesand things like that.
And I'm very thankful that Ifound those collaborators and
people who helped me progressfurther.
It was a steep climb.
You

Claire Waite Brown (09:13):
must have been very determined or very...
driven or both?

Dr Vasu Tolia (09:17):
I am.
I don't give up easily.

Claire Waite Brown (09:24):
Brilliant.
After a time, you're doing allthis work and collaborating, but
you did go into privatepractice after a while.
What was that decision?
Why was that made?
It

Dr Vasu Tolia (09:37):
was made because with the change in leadership in
my department, when the newchairman came, my personal work
environment became very toxic.
I was told to focus on basicresearch because I was a star
performer, but it was not mybasic field.
It was not my main field ofinterest.

(09:59):
And dynamics shifted in such away that that particular place
was no longer, you know,sustainable for me.
I had to make a choice for mywell-being and my values.
So I It really seemed like aprofessional suicide, you know,
that after building thisincredible career, I walked away

(10:19):
from it.
But it was not just affectingmy work.
It was affecting my whole senseof self and purpose to be in
that environment.
I did try to motivate.
I gave private practice achance, but it just wasn't
challenging enough for me.
I wasn't just happy without theteaching component in it,

(10:40):
mentoring and all that.
So I just had to stop and findsomething else to do.

Claire Waite Brown (10:47):
That something else to do, is this
when the art starts coming intoplay?

Dr Vasu Tolia (10:52):
Yes, but it wasn't immediate.
I did try some music lessonsfirst, maybe returning to what
my parents once encouraged, butit was frustrating not to have a
consistent teacher.
And then I began drawing andpainting.
That's what my husbandsuggested, why don't you try
this?
At first, It was very humbling.

(11:13):
I wasn't good by any means,especially after having been
accomplished, you know, in myformer career.
It was very frustrating, butsomething kept me going because
even as I did it, even in what Iperceived as failures or not
having a perfect piece ofartwork, I realized that I was

(11:33):
comparing myself to somebody whomight be on the 45th stage of
the career where I was in justfirst or second stage.
So I shouldn't do that, youknow.
But during COVID, everythingseemed to click because I kind
of liberated myself and just letmyself go.
And I feel I found my voicethrough abstract and

(11:56):
semi-abstract styles.
And painting then became ahealing, not just for myself,
but for others also, becauseduring that time, all of us were
suffering.
You know, the whole world wassuffering.
But when a few achievementscame during that time like my
artwork being selected byWashington Post as being top 20

(12:17):
in the nation and CDC solicitingit for the cover of the journal
I really felt elated and fromthen I have just kept going as
if my artistic awakening hasfilled that enormous void after
leaving medicine like you know Ihad been a doctor for more than
40 years and then suddenly Iwas no one but now I am someone

(12:41):
in both the fields

Claire Waite Brown (12:43):
yeah how do you think you came to the style
and how you work now and it'spossibly still developing anyway
but you know how did you comeinto your own do you think

Dr Vasu Tolia (12:57):
you know art became healing for me personally
and it gave me a new purposeafter my medical career because
I realized that I could healothers too and that I will
always stay a healer but my artpractice has has really evolved
tremendously since then.
I keep on trying newexperimental techniques and

(13:18):
different mediums and workingwith collage and submitting to
shows and selling works andengaging with collectors and
it's a huge shift from academicworld but it's also incredibly
rewarding personally.
My main goal is to continuehealing but I do want to keep

(13:39):
growing, keep learning and keepmaking that touches people,
especially those who arenavigating transitions.
So my focus now is really onspreading the message that art
can be healing also.
I donate regularly and connectwith organizations that align
with my values like Women'sEmpowerment, Environmental

(14:01):
Preservation, Mental HealthAwareness, Autism Advocacy.
So it means a lot to me thatI'm able to continue to heal
through a different medium.
And I want to continue learningand being recognized for my
artistic work.
But more importantly, I want tocreate art that makes a
difference, whether it's inhospital waiting rooms or

(14:25):
hallways or in corporations orpublic lounges or even in
individual homes.
When people use my artwork,they're not just beautifying the
space.
They're really making adifference to the community by
choosing one of the missions.
if it makes a difference tothem.

Claire Waite Brown (14:44):
So when you say healing, why do you think
that is?
How do you think that works foran artwork that is yours that
somebody else sees?
Or are you actually talkingabout people doing art for
themselves?
How does the healing and theart connect?

Dr Vasu Tolia (15:04):
When you see a piece of art, even if you're not
doing it yourself, yourforebrain, which is your
thinking brain, it releases someneurotransmitters like
dopamine, which are healthyneurotransmitters.
And that decreases the steroidor cortisol levels, you know, so
it It reduces stress.
It really engages your brainand the more senses you involve,

(15:28):
like, you know, sculpting orfiber art or knitting, painting,
etc.
You just...
engage that forebrain more andit creates more happy chemicals,
you know, that put you in azone that heals you, you know,
decreases the stress level andalso makes you more engaged

(15:53):
socially, emotionally, and makesyou feel a lot more positive
about yourself.
This happens obviously forpeople who actually make art,
whatever kind of art they make,but even to see it like you know
you go and see a play to atheater or something a music
show or go to an exhibition ormuseum visit and all you get

(16:17):
that same effect you know eventhough you are not actively
doing it even the passiveexposure is a very positive
experience for human mind I

Claire Waite Brown (16:30):
get it thank you

Dr Vasu Tolia (16:31):
thank you so much what are your

Claire Waite Brown (16:36):
hopes aspirations for the future?

Dr Vasu Tolia (16:38):
My aspiration is to continue making art and I
want to spread the message aboutart is healing and that people
should practice it to de-stressthemselves without getting in
the zone of burnout or anythinglike don't wait for that last
stage to happen to engage inthese kinds of creative

(17:01):
practices which gives youpositive feedback in your mind
with the happyneurotransmitters.
Just engage in these kinds ofactivities on a routine basis.
So I'm trying to spread thismessage, you know, by engaging
with neuro arts organizationsand finding platforms to talk

(17:22):
about it.
So that's what my goal is, isto keep on making good art that
makes an impact and hopefullyengage and tell people about
creativity and how it can besuch a positive force in your
life to make you feel better.

Claire Waite Brown (17:42):
Well, that is an absolutely brilliant
aspiration.
Thank you so much, Dr.
Vasu.
How can people connect with youand find you?
I'm

Dr Vasu Tolia (17:51):
available through my website at
www.vasutolia.art.
You can connect me through theform over there and I have
several booklets, you know, thatyou can get for free as a
download to engage in differentkind of art activities and to

(18:11):
the show listeners you know Ihave created a special booklet
for mindful renewal for healingand they can download it but if
they want to engage in more theyare available through my
website or by writing to me andI would love to share it and
spread continue to spread mymessage I'm also on social media
so they can follow me thereeither with my part name Vasu or

(18:35):
full name Vasundhara

Claire Waite Brown (18:36):
Brilliant.

Dr Vasu Tolia (18:38):
Thank you so much, Vasu.
You're welcome, Claire.
And thank you.
I'm so honored to be on yourshow.
So lovely to talk to you.

Claire Waite Brown (18:46):
You're very welcome.
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(19:06):
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