Zentangle Questions

Welcome to all of my new Zentangle friends who are finding their way to my humble blog via Sandra's "Life Imitates Doodles" space. I've been quietly observing the beautiful tangles and creations that many of you have posted as I practice the art of Zentangle. I have a few questions and I hope that you will take a few minutes to share your thoughts.

1. Are you really creating your work freehand? I see lovely straight lines and am wondering if you actually lightly sketch a pencil grid on the tile before you begin. Otherwise, how do you consistently draw such straight lines?

2. From what I've read at Zentangle.com and in the books by Suzanne McNeil and Sandra Bartholomew the choice of tangles that are used in each piece is random. At the same time it looks like some tangles just go together better than others. What rule of thumb do you use when selecting the tangles that you use?

3. Related to the above question, do you plan each tile before you begin from the string to the tangles used or do you simply go with the flow?

Thank you in advance for your tips.

Tragedy in Japan

My heart is full as I think of the people of Japan and the devastation in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Nature's force has wreaked havoc resulting in a yet unknown number of deaths. It is difficult to make sense of the images that pour across the screen. I hope that the Japanese feel our thoughts, prayers and encouragement circling the globe to reach them. May they find peace in the midst of the turmoil.

B's Border

Here is another tangle that I came up with last night. My scanner is not of a high quality so the example loses quite a lot of detail. The shading is lost.

Zentangle Tile

It may not be obvious, but most of my Zentangle inspired pieces are done on full size (8.5 x 11) sheets of paper. The creators of this art form promote doodling on 3.5 x. 3.5 tiles. I like to work on a larger canvas because it is easier for me to see the detail and I can use thicker lines. I have done a few tiles, here is an example of one I completed recently.

Happy Monday

I spent the weekend playing with a few new designs. It is amazing how relaxing this practice can be. Here are a couple of the pieces that I have finished.

I named this first one "Longing for Spring"

This one is called "A bit of color"

My 1st Tangle Design

I am more than a little OCD and I never know when or what will drive me to a new obsession. Right now my obsession is Zentangle...not just drawing them, but trying to find ALL of the different named designs that others have created. There are over a thousand that I know of and more are being created all of the time. In fact, last night I created one of my own--at least I think I did. If this looks familiar to anyone because the pattern already exists please let me know. It was inspired by blocks I noticed on the wall in the apartment of a TV character--Kevin on The Young and the Restless. [Yes, I can admit that watching Y&R is a guilty pleasure. I do not get to watch it everyday--I was home sick when I was watching and noticed the wall pattern. How many times I I seen the same wall, but never noticed the design? I love that Zentangle makes me more observant!]

I also have a completed design that incorporates several different tangles. I'll post it for you next week.

Finding Zen

I have exceeded my goal to complete at least one Zentagle a day. I'm creating 3 to 5 pieces a day. There are so many beautiful pieces on the Web created by skilled Zentangle artists that I hesitate to post any of my work, but I will so we will have a starting point to compare as I practice and hopefully improve.

Zentangle

For as long as I can remember I've tried to tap into the creative well that runs deep through my soul. I know creative ability can manifest in a multitude of ways and I have been blessed with the ability to write and produce creative ideas, but what I have longed for is skill as a creative artist. From time to time I gravitated toward drawing, painting, beadwork, crafts, but never really settled on the medium that was a perfect fit for me. For at least a year now I've sporadically been playing around with Zentangles--a creative art form created by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. It is basically a way to create art using repetitive patterns. In simple language--it is mindful doodling that is fun and relaxing. The beautiful part is that EVERYONE can doodle--the is no "right OR wrong" way to do it. You just get a pattern in mind, put pen to paper, then just go with it. There are a number of books filled with design ideas to get you started...and once you do you'll be addicted and eventually able to come up with your own design ideas.

I've spent this entire weekend engossed in tangles. I'm going to try and figure out how to scan a few of my favorites so I can upload them, or I'll take a few photos.

Here are links to some of the resources in case you are interested.

Friendship

December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)

I have a friend that is the constant in my life. He keeps me grounded. When I get to far out on a limb and half crazy he changes my perspective by throwing me a lifeline and slowly easing me back to sanity.

5 Minutes

December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)

The alarm is beeping loudly, in 5 minutes all memories of 2010 will be erased from my mind. While I can, here are a few thoughts I want to try to hold on to, even if only to curiously re-read and ponder.

*God is good, ALL the time. He is always working out circumstances for my good.
*Dad is awesome. He is always there to catch me when I fall or to urge me forward.
*Marc, Billy and Mark are the dearest friends a girl could have.
*I am blessed with a great job.

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Today I ran across Reverb 10. It is an annual event and online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next. The idea is to use the end of your year as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened, and to send out reverberations for the year ahead. With Reverb 10 - and the 31 prompts their authors have created for you - you'll have support on your journey. Respond to the prompts in any way you wish - this project is designed for you to discover what needs discovering, however's best for you.

I like the idea, 5 minutes is the first of my Reverb 10 entries.

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December 1 - One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

BLOCKED

My . I've been in a holding pattern word for 2010 is blocked. All year I've felt blocked--spiritually, emotionally, ctreatively, physically. I'm looking forward to a new year and a fresh start.

Winter Blast!

While the calendar hasn't marked the official start of winter just yet, there is no doubt that winter has made an early arrival to the east coast.

Addendum Dec 15, 2010

I know, I know, this entry was lame. I realized that I had, once again, let far too much time pass between entries so I wanted to quickly post an entry. Good intentions, yes, but not easy to do when
i had writer's block and no time to summon my creative muse. Yeah, I know I could just delete the entry, but what would that accomplish?

NYC Islamic Center

This is a follow-up to my August 11, 2010 blog post:

In a recent Newsweek article, Fareed Zakaria published a thoughtful article on the issue of the proposed Islamic Center to be built in New York City. Zarkaria artfully articulated my own views about the fundamental First Amendment right the ensures freedom of religion to ALL Americans. [Of course, he expressed this position much better than I since he is the Newsweek journalist and I am a mere amateur blogger.] The title of this blog entry is linked to the Newsweek article.

In addition, Zakaria mentions Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a moderate Muslim clergyman and this book, What’s Right With Islam Is What’s Right With America, to quote part of Zakaria's thoughts on the book, " {Rauf}argues that the United States is actually the ideal Islamic society because it encourages diversity and promotes freedom for individuals and for all religions. His vision of Islam is bin Laden’s nightmare.'

I share the link to Rauf's book here because I think Americans can make a great step toward peace and understanding if we simply make an effort to open our minds to the thoughts and opinions of others. We do not live in a vacuume the United States is only one nation in the world community. To fear and disparage beliefs that we do not know or understand is simply ignorance. Pick up this book, or any other book, with an open mind. Who knows, a little knowledge might give you a fresh look at the issue.

What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West

Who Dat! Two Dat?

Tonight the New Orleans Saints kick off the 2010 preseason as they face the New England Patriots. This will be our first chance to see them in action since their Super Bowl win. WOW! It still feels so go to say that--the Saints not only made it to the Super Bowl, the WON the game. No matter what happens this season you can't take that away from them.

I've been reading Drew's story in "Coming Back Stronger". It is interesting to read about the team journey to victory from his perspective. It is as if a bunch of rag-tag misfits came together as a team to find redemption. Not only did they rebuild a team that had languished at the bottom of the league for its entire 43 year history, they helped rebuild the city of New Orleans from the devestation of Hurricane Katrina. They gave Orleanians hope and showed them what can result from hard work' determination, and a lot of prayer.



UPDATE: The final score was 24-27. Not bad! Of course, I would have preferred that it be marked in the win column for the Saints, but that's okay. It was a good opportunity to see what the newest players on the team can do.

Why can't we all get along?

I just don't get it. For weeks now I've listened to news reports of people ranting about the proposed mosque to be built in New York City a couple of blocks from ground zero--the site of the 9/11 attack. I do understand the sensitivity of the issue; however, I am disturbed by the outright hatred and intolerance toward Muslims. (By the way-- 1. They do not want to build a mosque, they want to build a PEACE center. 2. There is ALREADY a mosque only 3-4 blocks away from the ground zero site and it has been there for over 40 YEARS. It was there BEFORE the twin towers of the World Trade Center were constructed.)

Hmmm, do we need to be reminded of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Freedom of Religion is one of the most important pillars that established the foundation for this country. The first amendment does not guarantee freedom to practice selected religions--it protects ALL religious faiths. If we want to deny the freedom of a religion that is not our own don't you see that we threaten the freedom of our very own religion?

I love this quote:

"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself" ~ Thomas Paine

Have we as a nation really become so partisan and intolerant? I am a Christian and cannot imagine any circumstance that would cause me to turn away from my faith. I am also a Christian that deeply respects other faiths. There are so many common threads that should unite people of all faiths. Why do some people feel so threatened or harbor such hatred that they are compelled to fight against people of different faiths? Take a deep breath folks. Let's try to learn from each other.

On the August 10, 2010 broadcast of the Daily Show Jon Stewart did a great job of illustrating the absurdity. I've posted the link above--just click on the title of this blog entry.

A New Reality

Okay, I guess I am over the cybercrime excitement from the weekend and have settled into a new reality when it comes to using Web 2.0 technology to communicate. I'm not back on Facebook yet, but here I am blogging and my rate of e-mail seems to have remained steady. I haven't even given up on making that one-in-a-million love connection via a dating site--out of all of the social media that I use the dating sites are probably the riskiest, so now that I think about it the hacking incident really didn't change me. We live in a constantly evolving world. As new technologies are introduced we must learn to also evolve and adapt from both the perspective of the new functionality they provide as well as adapt to the need for a different means to stay safe and secure.