It's Never Too Late

When tangling, do you ever start a tile, think "meh," and then put it back down?

This has happened to me in the past.  I would start a piece and feel unmotivated to finish it for some reason.  Maybe I got hung up on a pattern or didn't like my initial string.  Maybe I just couldn't focus and enjoy the process enough.  Whatever the reason, I think I did the right thing by putting the tile down.

I'm a librarian by day, and I've never believed that we have to finish books we don't like (with the exception of school assignments, I guess).  There are so many wonderful books out there to explore.  Granted, I do try to get through them even if I'm struggling.  I try to find a character or plot that is interesting enough to keep me going, but if I can't find anything redeeming, back to the library it goes.

I have the same philosophy about tangling.  I love learning new patterns, trying challenges, and experimenting with new ways of creating my Zentangle® art.  I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I get frustrated sometimes especially when trying something new.  I try not to beat myself up about it and move on to something else.  If a pattern is causing me to get frustrated, that's the signal for me to put it down until another time.  If I try again and still get frustrated, I don't force the issue.  Instead I pick a pattern that I love or one that comes easily to me.  Challenges have to stay fun for me to stick with them; if I feel like I'm forcing myself in some way, I lose my zen.

For this week's Diva challenge, we were tasked with creating a 2-pencil string.  I had done this ages ago for her second ever challenge back in my earlier tangling days.

I found a tile that I had started in 2010 after I took the challenge the first time (see below).  I had done the 2-pencil string but never tangled the tile.  I remember being frustrated about how the lines came out and feeling unsure about where to go from there.  When I found the tile this time, I immediately wanted to tangle it!  I am in a different place with my art and my approach to tangling.  The other good news is I didn't throw out the tile.  I always try to keep pieces even if I don't like them.  There's always the chance to work on it again in the future or to find something I do like about it when I'm in a better head space.

I saw my 2010 string and knew I wanted to tangle just the inner areas leaving plenty of white space.  Here is my 2013 entry for this week's challenge:

Here is the tile I created back in 2010 in response to this challenge.  I even used some of the same patterns without knowing it!  I love to see how my tangling has evolved over the years!