Wild Serendipity

Another gift from the universe

2011-05-30T09:11:00.000-04:00

It's wonderful when I do not even market a class and people email me - "I got your name from the Zentangle website and want to know if you teach classes."

Last week that is what happened, and since my friend Dee always offers a space at the Howard County Holistic Center if the activity room is free, Sally and Wendy gratefully attended. They have both been furiously doing Zentangle on their own without real direction, and were overjoyed to understand the process and realize where they can take it.

I am grateful for their interest and am grateful to send more students out with the knowledge of the true meaning and awesomeness of that which we call Zentangle.

Different perspectives

2011-03-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

Recently I flew from East to West across this beautiful earth... and I believe it was the first time there were no clouds to obscure the view. The feeling of seeing Monument Valley and some of the Grand Canyon from 38K feet is not something that can be put into words. The mid-west was also a source of inspiration, because even with snow everywhere from Baltimore to the Rockies, the patterns we have carved and those that are naturally there still showed up. It reminded me of a Zentangle ensemble.

I also had the opportunity to share the Zentangle process with some interested people, AND took the time to play...

Peace and well being

2010-12-27T10:15:00.000-05:00

Was reading a blog from a friend, and she talked about the origins of putting on a 'live' Nativity, which her research found started in Assisi, Italy about 1223. She also stated that in that city, many Italians have a lovely decorated tile above their doors with the words PACE E BENE on them, which means peace and goodness, or peace and well being.
I decided to try my own tile and then gave it as a gift to my aunt.

This box is one I've had hanging around for a few years, so tangled it and sent it as a gift to my daughter in AZ.

2010-12-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here is my first attempt at a 9-tile ensemble. It's not hard to do, just a challenge to stay in the moment and have fun with it, and not worry about what the finished product will look like. One stroke at a time always results in something wonderful to look at!

As I was working on it at a vendor event, a gentleman was intrigued enough to take my photo and email it to me. Having my tongue out is a given when I am engrossed in a project!

Another fund raising day

2010-11-07T20:20:00.001-05:00

The venue at yesterday's fund-raising event afforded good visibility, so many people visited my table. There were women of all ages, some moms and their teenage daughters, and even an artist who does watercolors. Some men were interested as well, but none would sit and try their hand. A delightful older gentleman named Richard said he had tried being creative with his hands and found he did much better with his camera. We had a chat about photography and his travels and how he saw some palm trees in an area of southwest Ireland due to the weather it gets!

One young woman, named Alex, enjoyed learning one tangle so much, that I invited her to come back and I would show her more to finish her tile. She is a natural artist (and writer as well, her mom told me), so I got permission to use her photo here. She is delightful.

I have two more classes scheduled and will encourage those who signed up on my mailing list to come and have more fun. :-)

Orange delight

2010-10-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

'Tis the season... for pumpkins and gourds, that is. In my area the little orange ones seem to be more prolific than white, so here is one that I tangled one lunch break.

Gratitude

2010-09-26T19:29:00.002-04:00

It is a joy to share Zentangle with anyone and everyone, and to see a person's delight when they hold up their finished tile to appreciate. I ask them, "when you came to class today, did you have any idea you would be able to complete a tile like the one you are holding, one stroke at a time, and have it look so awesome?" They smile and say, "how cool!"

The classes I have had in the past few weeks are helping me remember our diversity of talent, and to acknowledge everyone's effort no matter what the outcome. Comparison is nipped in the bud, with a reminder how boring it would be if each of our tiles looked the same, and that with practice, technique will improve and wonders will ensue.

I am grateful to my 'students' for giving me the opportunity to expand, continue learning, and have lots of fun with them.

Here are some of their efforts. Next time I will include their smiling faces.

Jury duty

2010-08-29T19:28:00.000-04:00

In the county where I live, one may be summoned for jury duty every three years. In the 15 years I have lived here, I was summoned for the 2nd time last week.

For those of you who have passed time in a juror's waiting room, you know that it can be challenging to keep occupied. Some folks bring a book and immerse themselves .... the young woman next to me had one open on her lap, but could not seem to read more than a paragraph before her Blackberry called to her and she spent time with that instead.

I brought a book AND my Zentangle supplies, and knew after I'd read the same page going on 3 times that it was a lost cause... I could not focus. So out came my tile, pencil and pen, and I was off to let myself go and see what showed up. Believe me, this is still a challenge for me... letting go of having to do it beautifully and then once finished, wanting to judge it as 'I could have done better'. I just let go and it was great fun... and I know that one or two people in my vicinity took sidelong glances since I was not hiding what I was doing.

Luckily we were excused after only 90 minutes in that room, and my civic duty is complete for another three years, and hopefully much longer.

Striping moments

2010-08-15T16:59:00.009-04:00

Here is a recent Zentangle with the pattern 'Striping'... a very basic one to learn.

It reminds me of simple choices....black or white, yes or no, one or the other... rather than so many shades of gray. However, I remember years ago I answered a long questionnaire for a dating service (I actually did stuff like that???!!!) and was quite perturbed when neither answer on either side of the spectrum fit my point of view.

Hmmmmm, I wonder....does that mean I am too 'middle of the road'? That I do not take a firm stand for something but rather waver on the outskirts of either choice?

The Zentangle process for me combines it all... choice of this one or that, deliberate strokes, yet no plan defined since patterns will end up anywhere on the tile.

Just like my life.... choices and one step at a time, not knowing what the outcome will look like.

Found this photo and quote by Albert Einstein ... talks about simple.... hmmmm...

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler.

An enriching experience

2010-07-25T11:09:00.023-04:00

Yesterday I was a vendor at a fundraising event for a wonderful local organization, primarily to get the word out about Zentangle® in general, and also to inform people of the therapeutic value of the process.

I met some wonderful people, and a creative 10 year old named Michael sat at my table to learn a pattern, and then proceeded to spread the word in the other room of vendors and attendees. He came back several times to tangle more, and created some of his own as he was working.

Here are some new tangles that I created to display yesterday.

And here is Michael with his buddy, Corey, with the tangle on the far left made by Mia, a very creative young woman.

A tangled piggy

2010-07-14T22:26:00.009-04:00

While perusing the bargain shelves at Borders, I came across a "Paint a Piggy Bank" kit... a blank non-glossy surface ready to be decorated with the enclosed 6 paints. What I saw was a surface ripe for tangling.

Knowing my recovering perfectionist tendencies, I thought it best to buy a few, in case I made a total mess of one (forgetting that mistakes are really opportunities to be more creative). I realized these smile-makers could be a fun ad for the process and could be given away as a door prize at one of my networking meetings, or even sold.

A few weeks ago I finished about 1/3 of the first one and put it aside, then the other night with 'one stroke at a time' completed the rest. My brain immediately wonders how on earth I will be able to come up with two more completely different-looking banks... and after taking a deep breath, realize all I need to remember is to make deliberate strokes and let the patterns find me.

Now this little guy is ready for something wonderful to fill him....dreams and intentions perhaps? :)

On being creative

2010-07-11T19:10:00.003-04:00

On the blog site of my friend, Deb, she discusses viewing herself in a new role of artist, and how this day of a new moon/solar eclipse “is a time to explore new possibilities regarding one’s identity in the world at large.” (Thank you, Deb.)

Such perfect timing, since I, like her, knowing I have always been creative, have not looked at myself as an artist. I’ve always thought that being creative is something we all do in some small way …. that we all have a talent and what we do well comes from our creative center. So a chef is a culinary artist, and a knitter (my daughter Sara) is a yarn artist, and a singer (my cousin Alison) is a voice artist and so on.

But to be considered in the same category, since I see my creativity as a dabbler in many things and a master of none…. well, it has seemed too much of a stretch.

So on this new moon day, I wrote out my intention for the month and put it on the lap of the Buddha on my altar…. holding the desire to allow and to embrace that which wills to come forth. A short time later, the Universe sent me this message as I was cleaning out some papers and I found the following quote:

“When the soul wants to have an experience of something, she throws an image of that experience ahead of her and enters into it.” -Meister Eckhart

Zentangle business card

2010-07-10T23:17:00.007-04:00

I finally designed my Certified Zentangle® Teacher business card. Here's what the tangle on the back of it looks like.

For those of you who are not familiar with the term "Zentangle®"... it is an easy to learn way to create beautiful images with repetitive patterns. Check out Maria and Rick's website here...they are the creators of the Zentangle process. It's also listed to the right.

And email me at glitterby@aol.com for a calendar of classes, if you are interested in learning this wonderful way to relax and have fun. No artistic experience is necessary!

What's in a name?

2010-07-10T17:11:00.005-04:00

Using the positive descriptions of the word, dictionary.com defines 'wild' as "living in a state of nature", "amazing or incredible" and "intensely eager or enthusiastic." They define 'serendipity' as "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident" and "good fortune, luck."

With these definitions in mind, it is still hard to describe the feelings that Wild Serendipity elicits within me. Suffice it to say that my desire is to greet each day with wonder, be open to the miraculous 'round every corner.....and to know that plans are good to have, as long as I leave room for the Universe's cosmic chuckle.