Gratitude

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

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

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

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

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?  :)