Up until recently (today actually), I have consider myself a Blog and Facebook stalker. I like to read what everyone else is saying or doing but I very rarely post anything. I figured anyone who wanted to know what was going on in my life would call me or I talk to frequently so to post something on the web - well I really didn't think anyone would care.
Now, I am not totally in the dark ages - I used an wonderful site
www.carepages.com when Scott, my husband, had his 2nd and 3rd open heart surgery. That worked out great - it kept everyone informed of exactly how he was doing without thousands of phone calls or "pass it down the lane" and it was also therapeutic for me. It's much easier to type hard to take news then it is to tell someone. But once he was stabilized and home, I stopped "blogging".
So, I guess if you are reading this you want to know what has changed. Why start a blog now? Why do I feel like I have something to say that everyone will want to hear? Well, I do have a lot to say (I always do) and I don't know if anyone will want to hear it but I am going to share it anyway. If you choose not to read it, I understand - you just don't find what I have to say interesting.
What has changed and I want to talk about is called (drum roll) ...... Zentangle® (
www.zentangle.com) Many people have done it for years but Rick & Maria, the founders of Zentangle, gave it a name and developed a simple methodology to utilize it!
Many people do it for many different reasons and blog about it. Some do it to enhance the beautiful artwork & crafts they are already doing and then share it on the web. And there is the
Diva Challenge! And all of that is beautiful work.
But for me - Zentangle is about the process - the mediation, prayer, relaxation ... whatever you want to call it and the beautiful artwork is just an added bonus. I enjoy the ZEN and the tangles are the way I get there. I was shown something like it at a bible study at
church - Prayer Doodle. While I liked it, I didn't take to it right way. And then I started journaling during the church service to help pay attention and the tangles started. After I discovered the books by
Design Originals (ok, I do work for
Fox Chapel which purchased
Design Originals last year but that has nothing to do with it - that fact just gave me the resources to the books), it took on a whole another level. I started to really use Zentangle during prayer. I was able to focus and actually pray and talk with God - instead of my previous attempts when the grocery list or what I had to do at work interrupted that along time. And then it developed started as a way to deal with stress (smoking was "my out" but now I am one year smoke free) and there are no "Zentangle" free zones or bans on it anywhere!
In the past, I have knitted and cross stitched - made jewelry and candles - all to help me relax while at home. But knitting and cross stitch can't be done on planes (needles are considered weapons by TSA) and require a bag to carry everything in. And jewelry and candling making - well, you can figure that one out! While I enjoyed all those things, it takes time to get started and you can't just put it down and come back to it many times and the big difference is all those previous things I did require planning, thought and counting. Zentangle fits into your purse and only requires paper, pen and a pencil (but even that you don't have to have) and no prior planning!
Ok, so I have ramble enough for now and I am kind of sounding like a Zentangle infomercial and that is not my intention at all. I would like this blog to be something of an inspirational, meditative place for people who utilize Zentangle like I do or want to learn more about it. Zentangle has many faces and no one face is better than another - you don't have to be an artist, graphic designer, or crafter to utilize Zentangle! You just have to be human!
So happy tangles and see you soon,
Cindy
