Takeaway
Slowing down and appreciating the ordinary objects that assist us in our clinical work can create a new appreciation of their significance and innate beauty.
![](http://closler.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Megan-Gerber-1-122x150.jpg)
Creative Arts in Medicine | July 19, 2022 | <1 min read
By Megan Gerber, MD, MPH, Albany Medical College
!["MaskLand," painting by Megan Gerber](https://closler.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/D1D65DB0-0BEF-4A29-8D5F-0ADF97138429-150x150.jpg)
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020, masks were hard to come by. Masks were impounded from outpatient clinics and re-routed to the hospital. At first the outpatient team had none; eventually by mid-March, we were allotted one surgical mask per week.
An object that never had any meaning to me, the simple surgical mask, suddenly became a cherished object and protector. As I observed my mask at the end of the day, I appreciated its lines and folds and texture. Life changed so dramatically that March: trips were cancelled, and patients, friends and loved ones were ill and dying. An object I’d casually used and tossed suddenly became coveted and full of potential: protection, survival, a future. I saw curves, valleys, and journeys as I sketched my mask. As I added color to the drawing and magnified it, it became a landscape of potential.
!["MaskLand," painting by Megan Gerber](https://closler.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/D1D65DB0-0BEF-4A29-8D5F-0ADF97138429-150x150.jpg)
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.