Dr. Joe Park isn’t just a beloved member of Bachelor Nation, he is also an anesthesiologist.
The pandemic has put a lot of strain on many medical professionals, but Joe Park found a creative way to channel the pain and stress that the pandemic has brought.
Dr. Joe Park channels his overarching sadness through art
Dr. Joe took to his Instagram page to share unique pieces of art that he created using medication caps.
In his first art piece, Dr. Joe used orange, white and blue caps to compose a person, and in his second piece, he created an art reminiscent of Van Gogh, although he jokingly refers to the second piece as “THE MOST BASIC PIECE OF ART EVER.”
Along with a series of photos and videos documenting his process, Joe also wrote a lengthy caption detailing what these works of art meant to him.
Joe wrote, “So I’ve been collecting medication caps for the past few months. The medication these caps came from were used to treat patients during the pandemic (the light blue caps treated patients’ pain, the orange caps kept patients comfortable and at ease, the white caps are from antibiotics which kept patients free from infection).”
Joe then revealed, “I wanted to turn the pain/suffering associated with these caps into something meaningful to me.”
Joe went on to explain the significance of the first art piece, which he titled Pati, due to Pati being a Latin word for “suffering” or “enduring” and the root word for “compassion.”
Joe explained, “This is a depiction of a nameless/genderless/ageless healthcare worker wearing PPE to represent the myriad backgrounds we all come from. I tried to convey sadness on this person’s face, this being the overarching emotion I’ve felt during this time.”
Joe then wrote about he how he is happy he feels sad because it proves that his heart is still warm and capable of caring. Joe shared, “Sadness from those gone too soon remind me to appreciate the people I love, to savor the happy (and even the not so happy) moments, and if nothing else, sparks reflection.”
Dr. Joe Park opens up about the pandemic’s toll on healthcare workers
Healthcare workers have been unsung heroes during the pandemic, and Joe got honest about the toll the pandemic has taken on medical professionals.
Joe shared, “This current period has no doubt been marked with suffering. And all of us have had to endure so much. This has especially taken a toll on healthcare workers and has manifested in an illness (now officially recognized by the WHO) called burnout and compassion fatigue.”
Joe later added, “To be compassionate is to endure and suffer at times. And in that way, suffering may not always be such a bad thing.”
It certainly is nice to see Joe using art to instill hope during this time.
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