Discovering Neurographic Art

 

 Although I'm 99.99% certain that I have what most people would consider a "neurotypical" brain, I also understand such a thing exists on a spectrum, as does almost everything in life. I live in a pretty ADD/ADHD household, so I'm familiar with some of the ways non-neurotypical brains work, but I'm often surprised by how much we have in common. 

I see posts all the time on social media that say stuff like, "You know you're neurodivergent when you..." and then they name some action or habit or activity in which they regularly engage. And I'm like, am I maybe a little neurodivergent? Because I do that too! 

No, I know it's a lot more complicated than that, and this article does a great job explaining why someone like me can exhibit some non-neurotypical behaviors without actually being clinically neurodivergent: "'Autism is a Spectrum' Doesn’t Mean What You Think".

All of that is a preface of getting to the point of this post, which is my recent infatuation with Neuropathic Art. The Vancouver Visual Art Foundation defines it as:

Also known as doodling, neurographic art is a technique, which comprises drawing freeform lines or 'neuro lines. ' These are meant to enable the connection between the conscious and unconscious, gaining access to the inner self by using a specific algorithm or method. ...Neurographic art creates a mindful, meditative, yet aware state through the creation of new neural connections when engaging in this art form.

I'm sure a lot of people already know about it, but I learned about Neurographic Art when I stumbled across a great Instagram/TikTok account by artist and teacher, Andrea Nelson. I started following her after she did a quick tutorial, introducing newbies like me to the basic concept with an easy prompt. I like the way she talks about it, as an activity to "relax your brain." Whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, we all can benefit from brain relaxation exercises. I think that's one reason crocheting appeals to me so much, too, but this ink and paint method described by Andrea has a lower (and less expensive!) technical threshold for entry. I'm a firm believer that EVERYONE can do art, and this is a style that really works well for artists of all abilities.

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For more inspiration you can Google Neurographic Art images, or, if you really want to see how far you can go with this style and medium, look it up on Pinterest. Beware of falling down art rabbit-holes if you do, though.  Andrea also has another prompt for a style of Neurgraphic Art that comes at it from a different approach:

Although I have dabbled with watercolors in the past, they tend to intimidate me. So far, I've only approached this method with my regular markers and some colored oil pencils my mom gave me for Christmas. However, Andrea makes watercolors seem  pretty easy, so I'm planning on buying a paint pallet and giving some of her other prompts a try.

In the meanwhile, here are some of the pieces I've recently completed.  I hope you'll be inspired to try making one of your own.