Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
3 hours ago
A traumatic brain injury that ended a 22-year career as an electrician led Dean Hepburn back to study at EIT, where he is now completing a Master of Professional Creative Practice.
The 42-year-old previously worked across domestic and commercial electrical projects and operated his own business, Redshift Electric, for seven years.
Four years ago, he suffered a traumatic brain injury which, alongside ongoing health issues including fibromyalgia, forced him to step away from the trade and re-evaluate his future.
Dean Hepburn is completing a Master of Professional Creative Practice at EIT after returning to study following a traumatic brain injury.
“It was one of the toughest times in my life. For ages, I had to relearn how to manage fatigue, focus and stress. But it also made me think deeply about what truly mattered, which was to focus on my health”
Music became a key part of his recovery.
“I’ve always loved music. Bass guitar, writing lyrics, building sound. It’s always been part of who I am. But for a long time, it sat suppressed rather than being the focus, and I had great difficulty expressing my creativity.”
Dean previously graduated from EIT with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, making his return to study a natural next step.
Now studying at EIT’s IDEAschool, Dean is exploring songwriting, mastering his bass guitar and creative writing and poetry as part of his recovery and future direction.
One of his key projects, Light After Darkness, began as a series of poems created for the Brain Injury Hawke’s Bay Our Story exhibition, before being developed into song lyrics.
“Writing those lyrics helped me process what had happened. They’re not just songs; they’re part of a bigger story about recovery, identity and finding your way forward again.”
The work forms part of a larger creative project he plans to continue developing, with the final stage involving musical composition and live performance.
Alongside his creative work, Dean is also drawing on his background in sport science and more than 20 years of endurance sport coaching and experience.
A former road cyclist and triathlete, Dean now focuses on trail running and walking, and has just completed the Peak Trailblazer a few weeks ago.
He is also exploring how sport principles can be applied to music performance.
“Musicians push their bodies and minds just like athletes do, but we rarely view it in that way. There’s huge potential to support musicians with the same tools we use in sport.”
His research focuses on applying concepts such as load management, physical conditioning and sports periodisation to help musicians perform sustainably, reduce injury and increase creativity.
For Dean, the shift into creative practice and back into endurance sport coaching marks a new chapter.
“After more than 20 years in the trades, moving into a creative and academic path is a big shift. But it feels like the right one.”
Now focused on completing his postgraduate study and applying his research to his coaching practice, Dean says the journey has given him a renewed sense of direction.
“This journey has been about reclaiming something. Music, creativity and storytelling helped me rebuild after everything I went through. Now I want to use that to create something meaningful.”
Head of IDEAschool Sean Coyle says: “It is great to have Dean undertaking his Masters with us”.
“It is a fascinating merging of creative practice and his background in sports science. I am excited about how creativity can impact scientific study and vice versa. I look forward to seeing Dean’s Masters project and his practice emerge over the next year and a half.”
