A special post: ONE STROKE AT A TIME

 Back in March, Kim Best, a local retired journalist and documentary filmmaker, contacted me about being in a video to spread the word about the Zentangle Method. I wanted to share it with you, and to give her a shout out for her excellent and amazing work! Her patience, skill at interviewing and fine-tuned editing were amazing to me. She created a capsule with the essence of Zentangle so that anyone can get a feel for what we do! I hope that you enjoy, and will take a moment to leave her some positive feedback, and pass it on!  

Overcoming overwhelm

Did you know that our brains are programmed to always see the negative so that we are prepared for the worst case scenario?!? I learned this not too long ago, and have appreciated how that fact helps me to overcome anxiety and overwhelm. I can accept the feeling of overwhelm, look at it with understanding, appreciate that I am safe and out of danger, and move on with ease and peace. This feeling of safety helps me take time for creating.

I have continued to find joy in the #SummerFraganic 2022 prompts and my Lindy's Gang pigments.

Day 8, with Yumemi

Day 9, with Pokeroot

 

Day 10, with Dewd

Day 12, with Bronx Cheer (I missed Day 11!)

WingsSwirl, a new pattern from 7F5RStudio

I wish you peace and calm.

Mental "Well"ness Month

Zentangle is proposing a series of short videos for the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. They are available on YouTube and involve using the tangle "Well".  I've enjoyed the first two.

Week 1

 

Week 2

I've been on the road a bit lately, and just enjoying getting out of my bubble for the first time since the pandemic started. Lar and I ventured out as far east as Interstate 40 would take us this past weekend, to the Atlantic ocean. We both experienced awe and wonder at seeing the waves "breathe" after a five-year absence. Sunday night, the moon treated us to a spectacular full lunar eclipse, with an extraordinary orange super moon. (So serendipitous, as we didn't plan this. In our wooded neighborhood, it would have been impossible to experience.) The sun never settles for second best, and we marveled at the colorful sunsets over the Intracoastal Waterway and the sunrises over the ocean. It was all a lovely reminder of how important it is for our mental and physical well-being to give ourselves time to rest, to wonder, to experience awe.

With my road trips, the #SummerFraganic2022 prompts have helped me to continue tangling with fewer supplies, time, space. (I pull random tiles out of my pre-dyed tile stash and throw them in my tiny kit.)

Day 5, with Ginilli

Day 6, with Chainging

Day 7, with Marasu

Please give yourself time to care for your mental health, in whatever way you can. We live in difficult times, and need to pile good experiences on our plate! If we're depleted, we can't look out for each other!

Summer Fraganic Prompts

This week I discovered @jenicekhh on FaceBook through her delightful and satisfying "Summer Fraganic" prompts. In these prompts, she suggests a fragment and an organic tangle. We figure out the rest. This has always been one of my favorite combos, since it repeats a frequent pattern in structured gardens: a plant and some sort of support or patterned pathway. These prompts give me the feeling of working in the garden. I'm enjoying them so much, and since they come out every other day, I don't feel pressured or overwhelmed. She even posts her lessons for them on her YouTube channel. I strongly encourage you to try one! Here's what I've done so far. Please note that the fragments aren't identified, just the patterns. You will see the fragments on the list of prompts.

Day 1:  Hollis

Day 2: Hirari

Day 3: Toodles

Day 4: Inaflux

I hope you can take time this week to appreciate whatever organics come into your life!

With gratitude and appreciation.

Hodgepodge of Happiness

This week's art focused on pleasure! What would feel good right now? Here's the resulting hodgepodge of happiness.

Distress ink and Magicals backgrounds on some small scraps

 A relaxing YouTube video from LovelyGiraffe

A Distress Ink background and an Eva Wu video for inspiration

A Magical background with CrossUrHeart tangle

May your tangling bring you happiness!

Earth Day 2022

 With gratitude to and appreciation for our extraordinary Mother, Earth.

When you feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to happen to change the world and respect our planet, remember that it's all of our baby steps, our little things, our small sacrifices, that will eventually bend the arc.

"Never doubt that a small group

 of thoughtful, committed citizens

 can change

the world;

indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Meade

More Mesmerizing Magicals

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was learning to use the Lindy's Gang Magicals thanks to a workshop with 7F5RStudio, Mesmerizing Magicals. I've always enjoyed their beautiful backgrounds and jumped on the chance to benefit from their experience. The Magicals are finely ground pigments that are activated with water to produce deep, vibrant colors. Many of them include micah, which gives a subtle shimmer. You can even purchase the "shimmers"--gold, copper, silver, rose gold and pure shimmer--for more dramatic effects.

These tiles are from the workshop:

And these were extracurricular :)

#tanglingforukraine

More powders arrived yesterday, so stay tuned!