Influencers Today: Pakinam as both an artist and a Dentist, do you think dentistry and art are correlated?
Pakinam Gheeta: I personally think they’re not “directly” related, as being a good dentist doesn’t guarantee being a good artist and vice versa. Dentistry can be a learnt skill that improves by continuous practice and so does art. However, art revolves around imagination, thoughts and limning feelings, thoughts, and ideas into a combination of colors that would portray what an artist feels through a visual product without really getting to know the artist in person, which of course isn’t the same concerning dentistry.
Influencers Today: So art and dentistry from your perspective can be two different things, what about when you perform them; do you feel the same way you do when drawing during performing a surgery?
Pakinam Gheeta: Actually I definitely do! Especially in minor procedures like Botox and fillers. The euphoria that unleashes itself through my blood when specifically fixing some sort of asymmetry is like no other, like exactly finishing a painting and seeing a product come to life, just like while performing composites, I view it as sculpting. Dentistry provides a different kind of canvas that I really do enjoy working upon.
Influencers Today: Does your love for art help you in teaching students?
Pakinam Gheeta: Yes, very much. Anatomy is always viewed as a nightmare for med students and I totally get why. The intricacies present in a human’s head and neck are quite complex, and the demonstrations available for them are very complicated, too. That’s why I take the time to personally hand draw illustrations for each small detail separately to try and simplify studying them, I am really a firm believer that seeing how a nerve swirls and unfolds itself during its course through an illustrated painting can be the key to memorizing such tiny details.
Influencers Today: Pakinam, the brilliant student who was misunderstood or perhaps judged for not “spelling correctly” due to lack of awareness. We are curious to know more about your journey and gallant struggle before discovering you had dysgraphia?
Pakinam Gheeta: The issue started really early during my academic journey. All my entire life, I was straight-up bullied and scolded for never being able to completely get a word’s spelling correctly no matter how many times I was assigned to write them as homework as some sort of punishment or as a try to fix what they think I have “wrong”. During parents’ meetings, this never failed to be the star of the conversation between my parents and teachers. It always left me perplexed how they used to praise how quick-witted I was and how they think of me as a golden student, but not being to get my spellings right didn’t allow me to earn the golden label by heart! It always left me wondering why didn’t it pass any teacher’s mind that I would never willingly choose to not care about the point they convinced me I have missing? Why didn’t they see I was trying hard enough to fix this and never being able to despite my so-called intelligence they so much loved? Unfortunately, I was only left doubting myself until grade 10 when my life changed after understanding what was going on.
Influencers Today: What did you do after discovering your dysgraphia? And how did it turn to become your “super power” being the person you are today!
Pakinam Gheeta: After getting diagnosed and feeling remarkably uplifted I was also able to achieve a Top Egypt Ranking in IGCSE Art and Design! And when I graduated from Alexandria House of English, I took it upon myself to raise awareness about this issue and that was when I posted a reel that went viral and my DMs were bombarded with parents claiming that they have the same issues with their children and they can’t seem to know how to help them. I then launched my own brand “Peek’s Phever”. It should be spelled “fever”, but that’s the whole point, and that’s what makes it unique just like me. To Peek’s Phever embracing all misnomers and basically, everyone.
