Ish

I taught a fabulously fun home party with fellow moms from a local mother's club.  Since all of the moms I know tend to have a fair amount of stress (along with lots of love, adorableness, and excitement), I thought this group could use a little zen.

Throughout the night, we giggled every time I mentioned the non-representational, handmade aspect of the Zentangle® method.  The concept was fine, but my made up word choices, "roundish," "circle-like shape," and "straightish" induced chuckles.  Laughter is always great for reducing stress!  I also think that hearing the same idea multiple times can help it to resonate.

We don't need to draw perfect circles or straight lines.  Who can without tools anyway?  I know I can't, and I'm okay with that.  I'm human.  I'm an artist.  I am not trying to be a computer or to replicate some form of perfection.  Instead, I breathe and allow my artistic process to take me on a journey--straight lines or not.

Sometimes there is comfort in knowing we don't have to be perfect.  Moms have to do everything, and lately, it seems like they are expected to do it perfectly.  Even among mothers, there are factions disagreeing about the right or wrong way to parent from feeding and diapering to discipline techniques and education.  There is a lot of pressure to be a parent (I know it's hard for dads too, but I am focusing on moms since the class was moms).  There is a lot of stress with trying to make the right choices while  keeping our kids safe and happy.

We don't have to be perfect.  Our circles can be roundish.  Our lines can be straightish.  Our kids will grow up happy even if we have a cranky day, yell occasionally, or forget to use the orange plate.  They will remember their overall childhoods rather than the few days during which we were human.  Maybe they'll learn more from those human days and see that it is okay to make mistakes.  Maybe they'll be compassionate parents who will try to do the best they can too.

There are no erasers in parenting or in Zentangle®.  We can do our best to try to relax, enjoy some quality time, and breathe.

Everything else ends up perfect-ish.

A Tangled Birthday

I had the good fortune of being invited to teach at a birthday party for an adorable 7-year-old girl and her friends recently.

The girls explored tangling on traditional tiles and on scratch art with animal stencils.  I think the colorful scratch art was the hit of the party.

As always, I find so much inspiration from watching my students learn to tangle.  These girls were amazing to watch.  Each one played with the patterns, made up her own, and evolved patterns into new and interesting looks.

I love how fearless kids can be about trying new things.  The birthday girl looked at some of my artwork and immediately started recreating the patterns that she liked without instruction.  I hope she will continue to find patterns and inspiration all around her.

One of the girls burst with enthusiasm when she realized that some of the patterns reminded her of the Cutie Marks on her favorite My Little Ponies.  I keep smiling just thinking about her excitement.

One of my favorite moments from the party happened during the instruction of Pingline by Sandy Steen Bartholomew.  This penguin-looking pattern is fun to create but generated an unexpected response.  The mom and her smiling 5-year-old daughter noticed that the initial stages of Pingline looked just like Yoda!  First, I love that a 5-year-old adores Star Wars.  Second, it is always fun to find shapes and hidden ideas inside patterns, but it's even more fun when they remind you of things you truly love.  I hope she continues to draw Pingline-inspired Yodas all over her artwork!

This same girl was concerned when she first started her scratch art because she had colored in a part and didn't like it.  With some encouragement, she continued and filled the rest of her piece with patterns and other filled in areas.  By the end, she was beaming with smiles and said that it didn't even matter that she had colored in the first section.  I love how forgiving the Zentangle® method can be for all ages!

Check out the fun scratch art that the girls created:

I was thrilled to hear that the girls kept tangling after I left.  I hope they were as inspired as I was.  What a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Happy Tangled Birthday

I spent a recent evening teaching as part of a birthday slumber party for six ten year olds.  The birthday girl had been inspired by her mother's tangling, after a class with me, and wanted to learn more.  

The girls were attentive and enthusiastic.  They dove into the patterns fearlessly and felt inspired to explore their own pattern variations.  

I love the energy of any new tangler learning this method, and I find kids are even more enthusiastic.  I think it's because they're more open to trying new things and less afraid of making mistakes.  

Maybe adults are further away from the experience of playing that they forget how fun it can be to try something for the first time.  As we grow older, do we lose a little bit of our curiosity?  Does responsibility interfere with exploration?  How many adults actually check off items on their bucket lists if they even create a list in the first place?  I hope everyone achieves--or at least tries--every item on those wish lists.  Life is an adventure filled with new experiences, feelings, and dreams if we're ready for them.  

Maybe being a mom has changed me more than I realized.  I find myself seeing the world through my daughter's beautiful blue eyes and wondering about the world around us.  The way she approaches things baffles my responsibility-ridden adult mind.  Even when I understand the particular developmental stage she's at, I frequently state that "I never would have thought of doing that."  I watch in awe at how she plays, makes up games, tells stories, and finds ways to amuse herself every second of the day.  She is the happiest person I have ever known.  I hope she stays that way her whole life and doesn't let the world's heaviness weigh on her.

Kids get it.  They explore, they try, they take chances.  They fall down, get up, and try again.  

I loved sharing the Zentangle® Method with this group of smart and creative girls.  They gave me a look into my daughter's future when she's older.  I loved seeing the excitement and thrill of creating alive in each of them.  It was a joy to work with them.

One of the girls said that she loves that she doesn't have to be an artist to do this.  She said it's pretty easy to do and only takes simple lines and patterns to make art.  She liked that there were no mistakes too.  I think she got it!

Check out the beautiful animal scratch art pieces they created:

Tangle at Home

I love offering Zentangle® home parties.  People love relaxing with wine, friends, and the wonderful Zentangle Method.  Although we might not get through as many patterns or as much detail as in a full two-hour class, the fun experience, the bonding, and for those who are imbibing, the wine, make it all worth it!

The other night, I taught Zentangle Basics to four enthusiastic tanglers--two first timers and two who have tangled with me previously.  I love when friends and family members share their passions with each other!  After the class, people have a new interest to do together.

We worked on one tile with several different patterns.  It's amusing to see what people think of different patterns or the shapes that they see.  If you liked (or still do!) looking for shapes in the clouds, it's impossible to see tangle patterns without seeing intended and unintended shapes.

My favorite comment of the night was that the pattern 'Nzeppel reminded one tangler of patio stones.  She enthusiastically told us of her plans to create a massive artistic patio filled with 'Nzeppel stones.  :-)  I don't think I'll ever forget this comparison, or the fun personality behind the comment.  I know I will now refer to this pattern as looking like "patio stones" and will smile remembering the fun experience we had tangling together.

Students hopefully learn from their teachers, but it's even better when the teacher learns from the student.  Whether it's a new idea, a way to improve my instruction, or something entertaining, I love when I learn something while teaching.  It's a good thing I learn something new each time!

Here are the fabulous tiles this group created.  I hope I'll get to tangle with them again soon.  Didn't they do an awesome job?