Permission Slips

I think it's in Brené Brown's Dare to Lead that she introduces the concept and practice of writing herself permission slips—literal permissions written on paper. She tucks them into the pockets of her clothing. 

I remember her talking about permission slips she wrote before appearing with Oprah Winfrey on television. 

You have permission to feel excited. You have permission to giggle. You have permission to ask for a photo of yourself with Oprah.

The overarching permission is to not have to act 'cool,' but you'll notice how specific Brené gets.

About a week ago, a light popped on: I need to write me some permission slips!

Since then, when I catch myself up against internal negative energy, I pause to take stock, to identify my resistance through the act of writing myself a permission slip. I do not skip the writing part. I am as specific as I can be. And I am learning. A lot.

You have permission to take a day off from 'closing the circle' on your exercise app tomorrow if it's raining.

You have permission to ask Helene for help with the table in the Cash Flow Worksheet document she sent whose formatting keeps bedeviling you.

Yikes—the stories I tell myself. I can't take a day off? I have to figure everything out myself?

Ouch.

I feel relief each time I write a permission. I feel a welcome uptick in vulnerability and wholeheartedness. I am lighter of heart in general. 

I am grateful.

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About the art: In a sketchbook where I dabble periodically I rediscover a start from sometime back. Don't like it. Don't know where to take it. Decide to offload and transform some uncomfortable internal dialogue using writing as mark-making. Round all the intersections of lines and relax into the therapy of neurographic artplay. Ugly duckling to swan in short order!

No Repercussions If You Fail to Deliver
6.5 x 10"; acrylic, watercolor pencils, and marker
on sketchbook paper
neurographica
2023

Redirection

You know how we don't talk about retirement anymore? We talk about redirection?

I'm ready to redirect as a distortionist. I'm already having grand fun spiffing up my résumé.

First, a teaser before the actual reveal—art every which way I turn:

back side of sketchbook page—love it!

Now, the flip side:

The Whole Thing Was Slung a Little Askew
Like a Dog Half-Minded to Lie Down
9x12"; ink, dry-erase marker, and oil pastel on sketchbook paper
blind contour still life
2022

Musical

Gigi, My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate, Pajama Game, Fiddler on the Roof. 

Many musicals have won their way into my heart over the years, starting when I was maybe nine years old.

The past few months have felt artistically musical to me. 

As in: muse-ical. 

I've been open to letting muses lead me where they will.

And they are leading me all over the place. To no place I would have thought of on my own.

To my delight.

Over the weekend we visited friends John and Mary in the magical bit of land they call home along the coast of Maine. I woke Saturday morning, early hours, when a muse invited me to do a down-and-dirty-done-in-five-minutes blind contour sketch of a chair and large potted floor plant in our sweet guest accommodations. This is the blindest blind contour of my recent work. Footloose and fancy free.

blind contour wonkiness and wonder

Basic sketch in place, I then began rounding all the corners where lines intersected. I am fascinated by the alchemy that comes from combining blind contour sketching and neurographic smoothing. 

blind contour neurographic alchemy

Back at home I added a few lines, tried something that felt like a mistake, introduced color to resolve the misstep, found myself humming show tunes. 

work in progress

Noodled by Doodling

I'm eager to research neurographica more fully and put into words what I learn, but right now I'm way too busy creating neurographica to research neurographica. I confess I am thoroughly noodled by doodling at the moment, totally hooked by the calming effects of rounding corners and the intriguing challenges of working within the given parameters of the form—no room in my brain for anything else.

In my first foray into this art form, I used markers for the color element. In today's exploration, colored pencils.

I Wander for the Sake of Wandering
4.5 x 6"; ink and colored pencil on drawing paper
abstract
2022

Smoothing Rough Edges

Wendy! Thank you for thinking of me when a friend of yours introduced you to the concept of neurographica, also called neurographic art.

More later on neurographica and what it is. 

For now, just two tidbits:

1. I made my first foray with granddaughters Caroline and Emmy over the weekend. 

Such a sweet time we had as we created side by side—sitting together at a table, simple art supplies strewn about us and changing hands repeatedly; companionable chatter, companionable stretches of silence, and companionable laughter filling the air waves.

2. Neurographica involves using your marker to round off all corners that occur in the intersecting lines of your doodle, a step taken with the body that smooths psychological rough edges. The best!

Gma's first foray

Caroline's first foray

Emmy's first foray