MicroGenesis: How Tiny Drawings Built an Entire New Life
A Substack Letter from My Studio Table
This post is a little different from my usual writing, but it’s absolutely part of my journey—and I want you to know why.
Over the past week, I’ve been building something new: The MicroGenesis Academy.
It’s a focused, minimalist training ground for drawing, attention, and calm—built entirely from the practices that rebuilt my own life.
Each MicroGenesis course is only $7 — intentionally priced so anyone can begin a creative practice without intimidation or financial pressure.
Why Micro? Why Now?
My sister‑in‑law said something to me months ago that stuck:
“I want to hear less about Asperger’s and more about your journey.”
She was right. My journey is the story.
Leaving academia, rebuilding after collapse, discovering that drawing wasn’t a hobby—it was the lifeline that rewired everything in me: my focus, my sense of time, my emotional regulation, my identity as an artist.
When I first began drawing seriously, I started small: 9x12 inches, but I also broke that down further into miniatures — 2.5 x 3.5 inch worlds.
That tiny format is what let me rebuild my confidence, my attention span, and eventually my entire creative identity.
And now I’ve turned those small beginnings into something teachable.
What MicroGenesis Actually Is
MicroGenesis isn’t about becoming an artist.
It’s not about committing to a big project or some long-term path.
It’s about baby steps — calm, simple, 10‑minute practices that anyone can do.
Each micro‑course is standalone.
You don’t need all of them.
You can choose one. Or three. Or six.
Each one teaches a single, simple practice you can use the same day.
The method is grounded in four things:
- Tiny scale (because small = doable, forgiving, and meditative)
- Repetition (the nervous system loves rhythmic marks)
- Line-based attention (your breath guides your hand)
- Creative intuition (no erasing, no perfectionism, no pressure)
I teach on radically different scales—my larger works go up to 40 x 60 inches—but this micro‑scale is how all of it started. And it’s where so much of the magic still lives.
Why I’m Sharing This Now
For years, people have asked me if I would teach drawing:
Mandala techniques.
Pattern logic.
Line meditation.
Rule‑based drawings.
Miniatures.
Fractals.
Morphogenetic movement.
How I build depth and motion.
How I stay calm while creating complexity.
And until now, I never felt ready.
But the last two months of drawing miniatures—and the last week of building these courses—showed me exactly how to teach what people have been asking for all along.
MicroGenesis is my answer.
What You Can Expect
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be releasing many micro‑courses—simple, clear, beautifully structured PDFs + video intros. Each one is a gentle gateway into creativity, focus, and presence.
The first ones are already live.
More are coming.
And for the first time, I feel like I’m teaching exactly what I’ve been meant to teach.
If you’ve ever wanted a way to slow down, breathe, draw, and reconnect with that quiet part of yourself—this is my invitation.
Tiny steps.
Tiny drawings.
A new life built one line at a time.
—Jeff
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MicroGenesis — Courses Available Now
1 — Drawing for Sanity
A calm, grounding introduction to mindful linework.
https://jeffbrackett.gumroad.com/l/drawingforsanity
2 — Tiny Universes
Explore miniature compositions that feel vast, spacious, and alive.
https://jeffbrackett.gumroad.com/l/tinyuniverses
3 — Pattern Logic
Learn how simple marks become complex visual rhythms — the heart of my style.
https://jeffbrackett.gumroad.com/l/patternlogic
4 — Art as Spiritual Practice (Micro Edition)
A small doorway into the deeper course coming in 2026. Presence. Attention. Meaning.
https://jeffbrackett.gumroad.com/l/artasspiritualpractice
BUNDLE OPTION
All FOUR courses as a limited-time offer of $20 (regularly $28):
https://jeffbrackett.gumroad.com/l/jeood
Coming Soon (This Week)
5 — Rule-Based Drawing
How limits spark freedom — create your own generative systems.
6 — Mandalas
Concentric structure, balance, symmetry, breath-driven detail.
7 — Fractals
Organic expansion, self-similarity, and emergent complexity.
8 — The Line That Moves Through You
A deeper dive into gesture, energy, and flowing forms.
9 — Micro-Mastery: The 10-Minute Studio
Small actions → big transformation. Build a sustainable daily practice.
10 — Shapes That Think
Learning visual intelligence through circles, angles, and intuitive geometry.
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Jeff Brackett
Artist • Writer • Educator
Exploring the intersections of art, autism, and human connection through the ongoing creative project Lines on the Spectrum — an illustrated memoir in progress.
https://www.jeffreymbrackett.com
Aspie Art Journey — reflections on art, perception, and creative process.
Dating App Diaries — essays on vulnerability, connection, and rediscovery
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