The coronavirus pandemic changed everything about the way we do things, down to the very basic human interactions. No more shaking hands when you meet new people, thinking twice before getting into an elevator with others and no more hugging your loved ones when you finally see them.

Humans are social beings. We thrive when interacting with others. But suddenly we are asked to practice social distance. There are excellent reasons behind it, but it’s not something any of us do happily. While following news from around the world, I can’t help but think back on my psychology studies and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it’s a motivational theory stating simply that people are motivated by their needs. The most basic of them are physical and emotional connection with others. Social distance took away something that is fundamentally human and forced a new reality. I recently found myself having coffee via Zoom with friends that lives 15 minutes away. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking “this is crazy!”.

The new reality is what inspired the drawing “Social Distance”. In the drawing the lines try to connect with one another, but they meet at a distance, not touching. I kept thinking how we are still motivated by our need for human contact and how we reach out to each other in support and friendship, by texting, video calling, or social media. It’s not a straight forward contact like a face to face conversation, but we adapt and go on, determined to make it work. I feel fortunate to live in a time when this is possible.