Create Your Own NeuroMap
BUT FIRST, WHAT ARE NEUROMAPS?
Many of us doodle when taking notes, talking on the phone, attending meetings. Most of us have common things we do – a specific swoosh, or curlicue, or stars, or hatch marks. This is the foundation of NeuroMaps. I have done this since I learned how to write, drawing things while in class. Mine have often centered around circles, my favorite shape. It’s funny in this sense that I started drawing mandala-esque things before I knew what mandalas were.
The brain takes 2 years to heal after a traumatic event.
For me the first year was like having chronic fatigue- I slept so darn much. The second year when taking required science classes I learned that my short term memory didn’t work like it had before. None of the memorization techniques worked for me, and I tried them all! What I discovered is that in order to turn short term memories into long term (where I have a great memory) I needed to understand the central logic and connect new data points into an existing web. Funnily enough the ceramic sculptures I was creating at the time did this exact thing.
So as I sat in classes I would draw my circle designs. Building them out, section by section and writing keywords or phrases that I found worthy on the edges of my paper. I have continued to do these drawings since. At meetings I carry my sketchbook, a 4H pencil, my eraser and Micron pens and create my designs. I have hundreds of these. They are my visual diaries that I can look at and remember what was happening when I drew them. In 2021 I began to call them NeuroMaps for the aid they give me. At the core of it they are just obsessive doodles that help me move forward in life.
Create your own
What would your NeuroMap look like? Give it a shot! We have a guide we’ve created that you can print and draw on or you can just take a blank sheet of paper and go for it!
💆 STEP ONE
Get comfortable and sit down with the thing you are trying to learn or memorize. This works best if it’s something you can just listen to with your hands free.
📝 STEP TWO
Get out some paper and pens or pencil (whatever you like to draw with or have on hand).
✍️ STEP THREE
As the lecture begins focus on the words while drawing shapes or patterns that come to mind.
🌀 STEP FOUR
Draw freely while you listen, don’t put pressure on yourself to have it look a certain way. Enjoy the process and the connection between your aural senses and the lines on paper.
💡STEP FIVE
As the lecture or lesson concludes, notice how the major points stick with you differently than when you are just listening.
🎉 STEP SIX
Voila! You’ve created your very own NeuroMap that is specific to you and your unique way of creating, thinking, and memorizing.
DOWNLOAD A NEUROMAP
DOWNLOAD A NEUROMAP
Share with us
Now that you’ve learned Christina’s technique, why don’t you share your NeuroMap with us! Fill out the form and share how drawing helped you memorize something new. We may feature you on our website!