Send us Fan Mail Scientist to Artist at 58 | Dr. Hyacinth Paul’s Story | Heart to Heart with Hyacinth, Part 1 Who are you when the career you spent decades building is no longer the only thing that defines you? In this special episode of Heart to Heart with Hyacinth, the person behind the microphone becomes the story. Dr. Hyacinth Paul shares the journey that took her from a childhood spent moving across India, to a career in science and education in the United States, to community service, fundraising—and finally, at the age of 58, to an unexpected new chapter as an artist. It is a story about reinvention, creativity, color, mental well-being, immigration, community and the courage to begin again at any age. Born in Cochin, India, Hyacinth began traveling when she was only weeks old. Her father's military career meant the family moved frequently, exposing her to different parts of India, different schools, languages, landscapes and cultures. Her parents became her earliest and strongest influences, surrounding their children with creativity, museums, music, celebrations, gardens and an expectation that they should think independently. Her father continually encouraged her to think outside the box and solve problems in ways others hadn't considered. Her mother brought beauty and creativity into everyday life—from gardening and cooking to entertaining and creating a welcoming home. Those influences would remain with Hyacinth long after childhood. Curiously, the subject she once feared became part of her life's work. Hyacinth was afraid of chemistry. So she decided to study it. She graduated with honors and distinction in chemistry, continued into biochemistry and eventually earned her Ph.D. Her scientific career included research, industrial hygiene and teaching. At only 26, she was already teaching graduate-level students—some older than she was. Science taught her to ask questions. Teaching taught her to communicate. And both would eventually shape the artist she became. At 26, Hyacinth made another decision that would transform her life. She left India for the United States on her own. While working for Indian Aluminium Company, she had conducted research in industrial hygiene, but found herself unable to publish findings from her work. For a young scientist who wanted to investigate questions and share what she discovered, that was difficult to accept. So she decided to leave. Within months, she had secured the opportunity to come to America. After completing her doctoral requirements in India, she continued her scientific career in the United States, including postdoctoral and teaching work. Marriage and her husband's medical training eventually took the family through several states before bringing them to Dayton, Ohio. Dayton wasn't initially a city Hyacinth imagined calling home. Decades later, it has become exactly that. What changed her relationship with the city was its people. Through volunteering, fundraising and community organizations, Hyacinth discovered a Dayton filled with people willing to help one another. One of her earliest fundraising experiences began when she was asked to raise money for a local food bank. Seeing who needed assistance—retirees, single mothers, new parents and ordinary families—changed her understanding of hunger in her own community. She stayed up until the early morning writing personal notes asking people to contribute. That experience began years of fundraising and volunteer work supporting food insecurity, scholarships, the arts and other community causes. She jokingly describes herself as a: “professional volunteer.” And then came the decision that would change her life again. At 58, Hyacinth decided she was going to paint 58 paintings. Her son asked whether she meant before or after her birthday. Neither. She expected the project to take a year. Instead, her competitive nature took over—and she created more than 70 paintings. When she finally put the paintings together, something jumped out at her. Color. There was color everywhere. That observation triggered the scientist in her. Why was she so drawn to color? What did color do to emotion? Why had she surrounded herself with vivid colors throughout her life? And what role might creativity and color play in mental health and well-being? Looking backward, she began recognizing a pattern. As a child who moved repeatedly, Hyacinth frequently had to enter unfamiliar schools and sometimes sit examinations simply to prove she belonged at the appropriate academic level. During one particularly stressful transition, she had to prepare rapidly for examinations covering coursework she had already completed elsewhere. One of the ways she remembers coping? She dressed beautifully for her examinations, often in colorful saris. Long before she understood why, color made her happy. It took 58 years—and those 58 paintings—for her to begin connecting those experiences. Today, that relationship among art, color, creativity and emotional well-being has become an important part of her artistic and educational work. Hyacinth's artistic journey also taught her another lesson she wishes she had learned much earlier: Stop waiting for perfection. As a younger woman, perfectionism often prevented her from sharing creative work. She remembers writing a story in ninth grade that moved someone to tears—and then destroying it rather than submitting it for publication. She loved to sing, but wanted the microphone, musicians and circumstances to be just right. Looking back, she would tell her younger self: “Don't be so hard on yourself.”Mistakes aren't evidence that we shouldn't create. They are part of how we grow. That philosophy eventually led Hyacinth to another unexpected teacher: Bob Ross. She became fascinated not simply by his ability to create a landscape quickly, but by the message beneath his teaching. Put a brush into someone's hand, give them guidance and encouragement, and within a few hours they can create something they didn't believe they were capable of making. For Hyacinth, that is bigger than painting. It is about possibility. She eventually became a certified Bob Ross instructor, seeing teaching art as another way to bring creativity into people's lives and advocate for the importance of the arts. That advocacy extends especially to children and schools. Hyacinth believes art, music, dance, drama and other forms of creative expression should not be treated as expendable extras. Her work in arts integration grew from her belief that creativity can help children communicate, engage with academic subjects and discover abilities that traditional classroom approaches may not always reveal. She has seen children behave differently when given an opportunity to create. For her, the arts aren't simply about producing artists. They are about helping develop whole human beings. Her desire to tell overlooked stories eventually inspired another major body of work. Hyacinth began thinking about the stories of Indian women in the American diaspora—women whose lives, sacrifices, careers and contributions often remain undocumented. She began working with donated and recycled saris, transforming them into mixed-media artworks that preserve both the material and the stories associated with them. The project grew from one experimental sculpture into a larger exploration of migration, memory, women and belonging. And that same question—who tells the stories of ordinary people?—ultimately helped lead to this podcast. Heart to Heart with Hyacinth isn't intended to be only about famous people. Hyacinth wants to introduce listeners to the people we may pass every day without realizing how extraordinary their lives have been. The teacher. The physician. The immigrant. The artist. The parent. The volunteer. The neighbor. The person quietly changing one small corner of the world. Because, as Hyacinth explains, you don't have to be famous to influence people. You can make a difference simply within your own community. Heart to Heart with Hyacinth Hosted by Dr. Hyacinth Paul — scientist, author, artist & educator. Ordinary people. Extraordinary stories. Come for the story. Leave with something to carry into your own life. If this conversation moved, inspired, or surprised you, follow Heart to Heart with Hyacinth and share this episode with someone who might need to hear it. 🎙️ Podcast: https://hearttoheartwithhyacinth.buzzsprout.com 🌐 Art: https://hyacinthpaulart.com 📸 Instagram: @DrHyacinthPaul ✉️ hyacinth@hyacinthpaulart.com Everyone has a story. Let’s listen—heart to heart. Recorded at the Miami Valley Communications Council, Dayton, OH https://www.mvcc.net/ Music by Placard, @day_kneel
