I have witnessed both sides of the anesthesia curtain—first as a patient and then as a medical student. In high school, I dislocated my shoulder twice, first while playing basketball and then a few months later while doing some light stretching. Both times, the pain was excruciating. When it first happened, my shoulder was not relocated for an hour as we drove to the hospital ourselves. Every bump was agony. The searing memory of the pain, though, pales in comparison to the moment it melted away—when analgesia was started, general anesthesia was induced, and my consciousness dissolved. It felt like teleportation—I was counting down from 10, then awoke in a different room, free from pain. While unconscious, it was as if I had left Earth, and my pain, far behind. Undergoing general anesthesia a year later for my shoulder’s labrum repair evoked a similar sense of wonder.

While shadowing anesthesiologists as a medical student, I have witnessed the same awestruck expressions on patients and their families. After anesthesia, patients use descriptors like extraordinary, uncanny, and miraculous. Although an anesthesiologist’s marvel may fade and erode through the repetition of daily practice, it is important to remember how incredibly powerful, even supernatural, the compounds they wield are.

These reflections inspired my creation of several pieces of digital artwork exploring the idea of anesthesia as “magic,” transporting patients to a safe and distant haven. I created 3 pieces, Figures 1–3. My creative process involved developing prompts and cultivating reference images, feeding these through the artificial intelligence program Midjourney,1 iterating and modifying the results repeatedly, then modifying the final images through extensive postprocessing in Photopea,2 a free online Photoshop alternative. By visualizing the “magic” of anesthesia as cosmic and interstellar matter, I hoped to emphasize the incredible power and responsibility of anesthetic compounds.

“Nebula Vial.” Digital artwork depicting a centered medicine vial containing swirling orange and blue galaxies, with a colorful nebula in the background.

“Stardust Canisters.” Digital artwork depicting 2 gas canisters with clear sides. In each, there is cyan and violet cosmic matter.

“Liftoff.” Digital artwork depicting a spacecraft launch with cosmic matter exhaust.

As I continue my medical education, I hope I hold on to the wonder I felt toward anesthesia as a patient. I believe the medical humanities can play a critical role in exploring both the patient and provider perspectives of anesthesiology in novel and thought-provoking ways. Perhaps, the arts are a way to foster awe. By engaging with them, we can see what goes on behind the blue curtain through a fresh lens and find renewed inspiration in the real magic that is anesthesia.