Series 4 is finally here! This time round I’m handpicking guests rather than putting a call out, and my attention was peaked when Becky and I crossed paths on Instagram. She spotted my giant monstera plant, I looked at her profile and was instantly interested as soon as I saw that she hadn’t always been an artist.
Becky Ullah spent 15 years in medicine, 10 of them as an NHS GP, before leaving to become a full-time artist. In this episode, she talks candidly about the slow burn of burnout, the guilt of walking away from a profession she'd worked so hard to enter, and the unexpected route that led her to painting.
Becky's art fuses her medical training with her love of plants and anatomy, creating pieces that trace the botanical origins of prescription drugs. She talks about the importance of giving yourself space to think, the business realities of being a self-employed artist, and her upcoming solo exhibition at UCL Hospital, where she'll be showing a collection on chemotherapy drugs derived from nature.
“Creativity needs space for it to grow. I'd never enabled that. I'd never had enough time to fully embrace that.” - Becky Ullah
Links and mentions
Becky’s website : www.beckyullah.co.uk
Becky on Instagram: @beckyullahart
The friends and coaches that Becky talks about in the podcast Dr Marcela Aguirre and Lucy James.
Becky’s solo exhibition at UCLH is from 30th July - 20th October 2026 (poster image below). There will be a launch event on 30th July, 5-7pm, all welcome.
Becky’s joint floral exhibition at 67 York Street Gallery, London running from 2nd-8th October
Becky be participating in Herts Open Studios 2026 in September.
A note from Hannah
I’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers.
I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years ago when I felt trapped by my job.
Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.
By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!
Thank you.
Hannah x
