I’ve been noticing lately that Neurographic Art, one of my new favorite activities, has contributed to my whole-person well-being on many levels. Last year, a friend mentioned that her school had hosted an event on Neurographic Art. I was unfamiliar with it so I spent some time researching it online.
Formulated in 2014 by psychologist Pavel Piskarev, Neurographic Art is created by making lines on a page, smoothing the intersections where lines meet, and filling the resulting spaces with color. This process can be described as a meditation. It allows people to transform stress and give perspective on current challenges. After doing a little research, I was able to quickly find the page and found a deep love for the process.
When I think about the SPIRE model, I can see the multifaceted ways in which Neurographic Art supports my well-being.
Neurographic Art supports my meditations through its meditative elements. Spiritual well-being, allowing my thoughts to settle into the background, inviting present-moment awareness to lead. Creating taps into something larger than my individual Self, allowing me to connect with a universal creative energy.
My Physical well-being is supported as I engage in Neurographic Art-making. I feel more at ease and relaxed when I draw this way. Research shows that coloring can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and create shifts in brain-wave activity.
You can find out more at Intellectual Neurographic art connects to my curiosity about creating and well-being. While I’ve researched this topic a bit, I’m choosing to mainly keep mystery alive in this realm and just enjoy without having to understand. (Sometimes, my well-being can be best served by letting the intellectual side fade into the background.
Neurographic Art has been one of my favorite discoveries. Relational well-being. I love sharing this process with others, and find that people who consider themselves “not creative” enjoy drawing in this way and like what they have made in the end. I have created and shared a Neurographic Coloring Book, which has inspired others to share their creations with me—strengthening the connections between us and inspiring me to riff off their ideas.
Finally, my Emotional well-being is supported as I engage in Neurogrpahic Art. In some ways, it feels like the sum of what I have described above—the spiritual engagement, the physical relaxation, the intellectual exploration, the enhanced connection with others. Creating something I enjoy—that I can share with others, that can stand on its own, or that can take me deeper—increases my experience of positive emotions.
Michelle will be hosting a fun experience in Neurographic Art on Tuesday, May 17th at 12:00 ET as part of the WBI/JCC Positive Psychology Hour series. You will need a felt-tipped pen and something to write on. Register here
