Blind Challenge

I'm not feeling very philosophical today thanks to a stomach bug so this post will be brief (unlike my last Diva challenge post!)

This week the Diva challenged us to tangle with a blind string--close your eyes, and draw the string.  Let yourself go, and trust the Zemtangle method.  It doesn't matter if your lines are straight or connected.  Blind strings can be pretty wonky, but they are just guides.  Use the string, or let your tangles take you outside the lines.  Be free to explore your creativity!

I decided to work with a blank Zendala tile.  Here is my blind string:

The finished version (sorry about the image quality.  I'll scan and upload a better copy when I'm better):

I loved playing with a few new-to-me patterns in this piece.  I started with Lilypads by CZT Margaret Bremner.  I think a new favorite is Block'd by CZT Jane Eileen.  

I learned that tangling can help take the mind off a bug for a little while.  If only I could find a way to tangle to make me forget being sick completely!

Waiting for Oliver!

I celebrated with several of my mom friends this weekend as we prepared to welcome baby Oliver into our play group.  I created this tangled name sign for his room.  I tangled around fuzzy black Thicker letter stickers.  I like using floating frames for larger pieces. 

I debated about coloring the ZIA with primary colors, but I couldn't resist shading my Static!  :-)  

I can't wait to welcome you to the world, little Oliver!

Note to self:  scan artwork before framing.  :-)

Tangling for Focus

I love being able to use the Zentangle® method to increase my focus.  I've been impressed by how clearly I can hear narrators on audiobooks or speakers in meetings while I tangle along with them.  Instead of taking notes, which means I'm tracking data rather than listening, when I tangle, I absorb more of the information.  Tangling lets me shut off the part of my brain that tends to roam into other thoughts.

I attended the Massachusetts Library Association conference on Thursday and was glad I brought my tangling supplies!  I took notes during some of the sessions, and I tangled during others.  I enjoyed being able to create while listening.  When I needed to jot something down in my notebook, I did.  Note to self: put the Micron down, and pick up the regular pen next time!  :-)

Here are the pieces I created while being focused on listening:

This tangled library seemed appropriate to create during a library conference session with area authors.  It was fun to balance these heavy books!  I hope that Indyrella fish can breathe.

Why 18, you ask?  I had learned that morning that I was down 18 pounds due to my healthy new way of eating.  Woohoo!  Yeah, me!  My daughter likes this tile because she loves to point out numbers.

I created a smaller tangled garden to see how it would feel on a tile.  The tiles are nice and portable--perfect for meetings!

Missing You

I had a wonderful time teaching my new "My Tangled Garden" class last weekend.  The three attendees said how much they loved this new technique.  It is amazingly fun and relaxing to get lost in these beautiful gardens.

My Missing You garden (#5) features a gate with a little ladybug waiting for her love to join her.  

If I "missed you" at last week's class, I hope you can join us for the next one.  I'll be announcing the date very soon.

Here is a smaller garden on a Zentangle tile created this week.  This technique works well on any size paper, although I missed the toned paper when I wanted to add white highlights.

Experiences

What is more important--seeing something or experiencing it?

Last weekend, I spent an early morning hour out on my deck, wrapped in a blanket, staring up at the stars with the hope of getting a glimpse of the Lyrid meteor shower.  I braced myself for the dark and the cold; it was 30 something degrees.  I enjoyed the darkness and the quiet.  I was surprised by all of the random noises I heard--neighbors coming home, people laughing indoors, and scurrying critters that I hoped weren't skunks.  Ultimately, I stared up appreciating the calm and quiet.  I enjoyed watching stars popping through the clouds and thinking of my daughter singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

I didn't see any meteor showers, but I enjoyed the experience of being bundled up staring at the sky and wondering-wondering what was up there, wondering how many other people were looking at the same sky.  It was peaceful to get lost in the vastness especially after the horrible violence in my state earlier in the week.  It was nice to think about bonding with others over this quiet experience rather than over being glued to news reports of bombings, pain, and tragedy.

Sometimes things can make us feel like we're part of a community--like we're part of the victims, like we're part of the heroes, like we're part of the universe.

The next morning, my dad emailed me questioning why I was up with the vampires when I could just look at web sites the next day for pictures.  Sure, the librarian in me knows I would research the shower after the fact, but there's something that web site couldn't give me--the experience.

What's more important--finding the quick answer or taking some quiet time for myself, lying down on my deck, and taking the chance that I might see something I've never seen before in person?

Do you prefer:

• to view a piece of artwork in a museum to see the brush strokes, the texture, and the size in comparison to other pieces around it, or to look at a dimensionless photo of the same work online?
• to do a yoga DVD in your living room with the phone and laundry looming in the background, or to visit a studio with a trained instructor who can answer your questions, peaceful music, and other people sharing the experience?
• to walk down the aisle of silk flowers at a craft store, or, allergies aside, stroll through a rose garden taking in the scents, colors, textures, and pretty visiting pollinators?

Each option is valid and has its merits just like with learning the Zentangle method.  Many of us enjoy finding patterns and being inspired by books, web sites, and other sources, but a web site can't show you everything.  Do you prefer to learn in a creative environment with other tanglers, with a certified teacher (CZT) who can help you over a tangling block, and a relaxing and safe space to try new things?  

Which is more important finding the answer or the experience of getting there?  Again, both ways are valid at times, but I fear that there will be many tanglers who miss the true point of the Zentangle method.  It's not about amassing patterns rather the experience of achieving focus, being centered, and meditating through the process of creating beautiful artwork.  As children teach us, it's about the process not the product.

My week was yet again lost to the universe of an insane schedule, but it gave me more time to think about how important this topic is to me.

Thank you to the Diva for our Earth Day 115 challenge this week.  I used a pre-strung Zendala tile that reminded me of the earth.  I started with some Distress Ink in brown, green, and blue for earth tones.  To break myself out of my usual box, I decided to randomly tangle the Zendala.  Instead of using the symmetry provided by the string, I tangled each area with a different pattern using colors one might see looking at the Earth from space.  I used brown, green, and blue microns, and left white space for the land, sea, and clouds.  It took a long time to create this piece, and while it still feels a bit weird to me because it isn't a traditional Zendala, I enjoyed creating it.  It was fun to think about all the patterns to fill in each space and to play with the colors.  Maybe if you look at it from a far enough distance, while squinting, you might see the Earth.  Then again, does it really matter what it looks like if I enjoyed the process and tried something new?

Bunzo 'Fro

After bravely creating my first face the other day, I decided I had to keep playing.  It's amazing how trying something new can encourage confidence!  Again, what's the worst that can happen.

I stamped my face image and embellished a bit with my black Micron.  I am a huge fan of Bunzo, so I started with some Bunzo hair.  I was having so much fun I couldn't stop--hence the full Bunzo 'fro!  I tend to like the unfilled variation of Bunzo, but it was a little too open for this piece.  I opted for adding dots to give the "curls" a little more dimension.

This was such a fun piece to create!  I did it while waiting the required thirty minutes after my allergy shot.  I usually despise sitting there for that long, and this time, I stayed past thirty minutes because I lost complete track of time while hair styling my latest figure.  :-)

Starry Night

This week's Diva challenge was a throwback to one of her early ones featuring stars.  We could use stars in any way that inspired us.

I considered drawing a star, working on a Zendala, or using stars as white space in a design.  Then I realized I was thinking about it too much which wasn't too meditative.

I remembered that I had a pre-cut star shape that might work.  I did a quick coat with Distress Ink then tangled in blue pen.  It was fun and quick to do.  I will probably mount it on some fun starry scrapbook paper and put it in my daughter's room.  She saw it and said it was her star.  I think she's onto something.  :-)

Here's this week's challenge: