The Wonderful Words for This Wednesday are Neurographic Art
Don’t stop here because of this big word, it’s a simple art practice that helps us calm our minds and relax, and I think you’ll love it.
Do you ever find yourself stuck in a negative thought pattern? Do you sometimes feel super frustrated with a situation and you just can’t fix it? Well don’t you worry, because nuerographic art is here to save the day!
What is Neurographic Art
I’ve seen this all over the interwebs and social media in various forms. Essentially, this art form is three things:
- Drawing lines (neuro lines) from one side of the paper to another (NOT straight lines mind you)
- Rounding and softening the areas where the lines intersect.
- Adding color to the end product.
I can’t explain it, but this process is …..hmmm….I’m having difficulty finding the words to describe it… Fun? Well yeah… Calming? Yep… Mindful? For sure.
Sidebar on something called Nuerographica
The terms neurographic art and Neurographica can be used interchangeably and misused, therefore, I feel I need to explain that Neurographica is a very precise psychological method developed by a man named Pavel Piskarev in 2014.
The Theory of Neurographica is built on scientific principles using the knowledge of visual thinking in combination with the laws and patterns identified by various schools of psychology. Namely: neuropsychology, analytical psychology, Gestalt psychology, Psychosynthesis, social psychology and modern management theory. – Pavel Piskarev
To do Neurographica, you need to take a course. To be certified to teach courses in Neurographica, you can enroll in Pavel’s 9 month course.
So, to be very clear, I am not talking about Neurographica here as I am not qualified. Instead, many people have loosely interpreted some of these ideas into a more basic mindfulness activity called Nuero Art or Nuerographic art, and this is what I’m talking about.
How to do Nuerographic Art
The first thing you do is start creating ‘neuro lines’ from one side of the paper to another. This is to be an intuitive process, not thought out in any way. Just start the line and see where it goes!
The lines should be organic and not repetitive. Think about nature’s elements like waves, branches, dry cracked earth, vines, etc. and they should intersect in multiple places.
TIP: If you are an over thinker or constantly fight perfectionism like me, try pushing a penny with your pen from one edge to another and you will get unexpected lines. I used one of my grandmother’s buttons.
Next, round out each place where the lines intersect, the official term is ‘conjoining’. The intersections are stopping points, barriers, or obstacles, and when we conjoin them, it allows you to “relieve emotional stress, literally smooth out the corners of a problem, and align the paths to its resolution” states Pavel Piskarev.
This rounding out of the intersections is to eliminate any sharp corners which can be perceived as threatening, and to change the negative into a positive by rounding out those sharp corners.
You can see that your art starts to resemble neurons! As you draw neuro lines and conjoin the intersections, you are creating new positive pathways in your brain.
And then you get to add color however you’d like! In true Neurographica, you do not just color each section a different color, it’s more fluid than that, but I am not a certified Nuerographica instructor so I do whatever I want with the coloring.
Some people add doodles inside the shapes or Zentangle designs to continue in their mindfulness as they create. The results can be so unique!
The next time you are stressed and ruminating about something, try this out! It’s quite a positive process and will help you calm your nervous system and get into a positive ‘flow’.
Kimberly Snider, Virtuoso, Signing off
For links to all the things I have to offer, click HERE