What is neurographic art?

Neurographic art, as I understand it, is a meditative exercise that aims to connect the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind, and it can be a helpful tool for processing emotions, reducing stress, and gaining clarity or insight. There are different techniques, but generally one starts by setting an intention or focusing on an emotion, channels that through drawing a quick scribble across the page, then adds lines extending to the edges of the page, softens any sharp edges or corners by filling them in, and finally colors the resulting shapes.

My process

I started with a free-form Sharpie scribble that I did in a few seconds based on my current feelings, extended any unconnected lines to the edge of the page, and softened all the sharp angles by rounding them out. Then I added more lines to fill the page, softening any additional sharp angles. Finally, I used Sharpie art markers to color in the resulting shapes.

The drawing part went very quickly, but the coloring took much longer, mainly because I was being very thoughtful about the colors I wanted to use and how to balance them throughout the composition. In both drawings, I looked for a heart center to start coloring from and then colored outward from there in a rough spiral sequence.

Benefits of neurographic art

I have found this exercise to be very calming and enjoyable. It also gives me clarity, as focusing my attention on one simple project oriented around an emotion helps my brain process what’s stuck or bothersome and frees up my mind to move forward.