The Surprising Benefits of Neurographic Art

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025

The Surprising Benefits of Neurographic Art

We recently had the pleasure of running a special Mindful Art Club session with Gifted Women, a charity that supports women with multiple disadvantage to access employment opportunities.

The wonderful afternoon was filled with creativity, community and calm using a Mindful Art Club favourite, neurographic art – a gentle drawing technique that encourages relaxation through the process rather than the focus of a final product.

What is neurographic art?

Neurographic art is a therapeutic practice developed by psychologist Pavel Piskarev, as a way to help people process emotions and reduce stress through creative expression!

The idea is simple, instead of trying to draw something ‘perfectly’ (whatever that means anyway!) you draw free-flowing lines, shapes, and patterns that represent your thoughts and feelings. As you add curves, colours, and connecting lines, the picture begins to evolve often in ways you didn’t expect!

Neurographic art is about letting your mind relax while your hand moves freely, simply enjoying the process of creating. The process is recognised for being calming and meditative, helping to quiet those busy thoughts and bring a sense of peace and focus. It’s clear to see why we love neurographic art so much at Mindful Art Club!

Mindfulness and empowerment

Collaborations like this with Gifted Women show how mindfulness and creativity can support mental health, confidence, and emotional wellbeing, especially for women rebuilding their lives and careers. Peggy and Emma were inspired by the openness and creativity in the room, as everyone approached the exercise differently. It was so wonderful to see how mindful art allows for both individuality and connection.

We’re so grateful to have shared this time together and we look forward to more creative partnerships that help people find calm, confidence, and connection through art. Click here to find out more about Gifted Women’s work.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our new YouTube channel and have a look at some of the wonderful art created in this session! Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and get ready to enjoy our fun tips and tools for managing anxiety with mindful art.

September 22, 2025September 20, 2025

How to Find Mindful Art Club at the Unitarian Church Hall in Plymouth

Looking for women’s art classes in Plymouth that also offer friendly company and mental health support? Mindful Art Club could be just what you need. Co-founder Peggy shows in her short video just how close the group’s venue is to the city centre — so if you’re wondering how to find Burgess Hall, here’s your step-by-step guide.

Women’s Mindful Art at Unitarian Church Hall – just three dates left!

From the City Centre to Burgess Hall

Start at St. Andrew’s Cross, right at the top of Royal Parade. From there, head down St. Andrew’s Street, next to St. Andrew’s Church. Keep walking along St. Andrew Street towards the Magistrates’ Court.

Once you reach the court, turn right, and you’ll soon see the Unitarian Church Hall (known as Burgess Hall) just around the back of the church. There’s even a handy shortcut through the nearby Baptist Church car park. In her video, Peggy makes it clear: it’s only a few minutes’ walk from Plymouth City Centre. You can also walk there from The Treasury Cafe-Bar on Royal parade, down Catherine’s Street.

Why Visit Mindful Art Club?

Mindful Art Club isn’t just an art group in Plymouth. It’s also a welcoming space for people looking for free mental health support in Plymouth. Each session combines creativity with mindfulness, offering a simple way to relax, connect with others, and boost your wellbeing.

In the video, Peggy gives us a glimpse of the friendly atmosphere as she arrives at Burgess Hall, sharing a laugh with Emma, who doesn’t really like to be on camera. It’s a reminder that the sessions are about community and fun, as much as they are about art.

Join Us

So, if you’re searching for art classes in Plymouth city centre, or a relaxed and creative form of free mental health support in Plymouth, why not come along? With this short video, finding Burgess Hall couldn’t be easier.

Like and Subscribe!

Our YouTube channel is new – this is only our second short video! Be sure to like and subscribe to our channel so you never miss an episode, and get ready to enjoy our fun tips and tools for managing anxiety with mindful art.

May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

HollysPomBoms

Messages of hope and acceptance, reminders to reach out and talk, and acts of kindness

After Holly took her own life in July 2018, her sister Anna wanted to do something to commemorate her birthday that felt joyful and fun. The sense of despair and sadness across Holly’s community was suffocating and we needed something positive to focus on and work towards. Holly was a very creative person, and often enjoyed crafting with her family, including making pompoms. So Anna came up with the idea of ‘pombombing’ public spaces in order to raise awareness of mental illness, and encouraged others to make pompoms and decorate somewhere for all to see. When it grew a little bigger than we thought it would, Holly’s friend Hettie got involved too, and now she can’t ever imagine not pombombing.

Friends, families and colleagues rallied together and rose to the occasion. By the end of Holly’s birthday month, hundreds of people all over the world had made pompoms, pombombed somewhere or shared a photo. The colourful balls of love were catching strangers attention, encouraging them to reach out to ask for or offer help, starting conversations, sharing messages of hope and acceptance and most importantly of all, talking about Holly.

Why are we pombombing?

We hope that the pompoms can bring an awareness of the fragility of life, be a conversation starter and a reminder that help can be sought and given. Prompting people to share their love, pain, grief and stories is a step towards breaking the stigma of mental illness, keeping memories alive and letting others know we care. Opening up to others can be an incredibly hard thing to do but there are always people who want to help and want to listen, whether it be a friend, family member or helpline.

Mindful Art Club are pombombing for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 will take place from May 12 to May 18, focusing on the theme of community and the importance of supportive connections for mental health. This week aims to highlight how being part of a positive community can enhance well-being and provide a sense of belonging.

August 25, 2024

Plymouth Art Club’s Courageous Stories of Mental Health Recovery

What difficulties or challenges do our clients face?
What changes do we see in the participants’ journeys?
What kind of art projects do we make?
Do you need to be good at art to come to this club?

All these questions and more are answered in a new documentary. We Tell Your Story is a documentary series funded by the Plymouth Octopus Project, culminating in a major feature that premiered at Plymouth Arts Cinema on June 17, 2024. Directed by Drew Graves, this 36-minute film is a The Hundred Hands production, dedicated to highlighting Plymouth’s vibrant community stories.

The video production spanned two years and involved numerous local creators, from filmmakers to animators. Over 70 individuals were interviewed, capturing a diverse array of stories from across Plymouth. This initiative aims to elevate the profiles of various organisations through high-quality video formats, enabling them to reach new audiences.

The segment about Mindful Art Club CIC is about eight minutes long.

Watch now to find out:

Why is the peer support element of the group so important?
Why did Si Parnham (formerly of Colebrook SW) say it’s such an “inspiring” atmosphere?
How one woman found art club “accidentally” through The Sunflower Women’s Centre
And meet the gypsy artist made homeless when a rehab closed, and yet found a way to express his “demons”.

Watch now and let us know what you think in the comments.

December 14, 2022December 14, 2022

Art Makes a Big Difference in Plymouth

We regularly collect feedback from our art club participants to check that we are making a difference in our community. We are also working with a research team at Plymouth University to measure the difference we make.

“Mindful art group is a safe place to come. You can offload and are not judged, you can enter feeling down and alone, and leave knowing you have the groups support and empathy” – Karen.

“On my first visit to the group, I felt it was very welcoming. I found the groups activities interesting and will be coming regularly to your meetings. I have a big problem with large groups of people. I would normally say nothing as I would feel stupid. But not in this case. Thanks.” – Carole.

“It’s great that we meet regularly and check in with how we are all feeling. I feel like we are all responsible for each other – a space where we can talk, release, cry, laugh and our emotions are held by each other. I feel like ‘It’s OK, these people are here for me’. Whether you are a sociable person with lots of friends or alone in the world, there’s a group of people every week ready to listen and support me. It’s a great balance of mindfulness and creativity, for everyone, no matter what your experience is – we’re not artists by any means – just people coming together to be creative and peaceful.” – Erica.

If you’d like to boost mental health in your treatment service, support service, workplace or residential home we offer groups on line, one-off sample sessions, and a six week wellbeing programme. We also offer an outdoor mindful art retreat as a staff away day.

While watching the FIFA World Cup recently you may have realised how stressful it is to be a football referee. That’s why we were happy to provide an online session for a group of premiership referees.

Peggy and Emma at Mindful Art were really pleasant and made everyone on the mindfulness session feel comfortable. They delivered a session that was really easy to take part and was enjoyable for all. I believe Mindfulness Art has a positive impact in promoting good Mental Health.
Dr Liam Slack, Chartered Sport Psychologist, PGMOL

Find out more about booking a session.

November 28, 2022November 28, 2022

Christmas Online Art Club

The return of our online art club in October and November was a great success.

This is a supportive, monthly, online session offering creativity and good company: A short mindful meditation and an easy art project.

Tuesday December 20th 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Early bird tickets are available at just £5.00 until seven days before the event – after that the full price is £6.50.

“I really enjoyed tonight’s session. Thanks very much. Lovely to see some familiar faces and meet some new people.”
Linda

Connect with others, and discover new ways of practising self-care through easy art and mindfulness exercises. Practice being here in the present moment, and accept where you are right now, without self-judgement.

We start with a brief chat about how everyone is feeling*, then a short guided mindfulness session, followed by a simple art activity that anyone can do. We offer a different art project each session. Our mission is to make mindfulness more fun! We’re not teaching art techniques, we’re just here to play. (*You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to.)

“Thank you so much for bringing back mindful art online. I’m going through a lot at the moment and would have spent tonight in tears if it wasn’t for you guys, but instead did something productive and calming.”
Becky

You will need some felt tip pens, some plain paper and an (optional) cup of tea or coffee.

You will also need to download Zoom, free video-conferencing software, to your computer, tablet or smart phone, before the day. https://zoom.us

After payment you will receive an email from Eventbrite saying, “Check the event page for all the information you need to join.” The link in that email will take you to a page with the Zoom invite. *Check your spam folder, notifications folder or promotions tab for the email!*

Ticket sales end 10 minutes before the event starts.

Early bird tickets are available at just £5.00 until 12th December – after that the full price is £6.50.

Book your place at our online art club now.

“Thank you Peggy and Emma for being back online!”
Debby

Don’t miss out. Join our Facebook group for more special events and offers https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulArtClub

Not ready to join us online? Download free mindful art activities instead.

November 27, 2022November 27, 2022

[Video] Wellbeing Day at Plymouth University

On Saturday 26th November we held a wellness day in collaboration with the WEA, Pillars of Wellness & Wellbeing CIC and POP Collectives funding.

The day offered stalls, workshops and speakers, and entry was free. We were pleased to be working with Lauren Packham from Pillars of Wellness and Wellbeing to organise this event at University of Plymouth, in the Roland Levinsky building.

Talks included qi gong, nature, nutrition, lived experience and stress management. Workshops included Mindful Art Club, qi gong, a sound bath, yoga and a guided meditation with David Rees from Here to Live Life.