I first discovered Zentangle quite by accident.
In December of 2012 I had brain surgery for a benign brain tumor. Two months after that surgery I was re-admitted to the hospital with a subdural hematoma. Following each surgery, I was advised by my doctor to take breaks away from the computer often during the day. He suggested doing something where a screen wasn’t involved. For a web designer/developer who reads on an e-reader that makes things a little difficult. I picked up my old sketchbook from when I went to the Art Institute and just stared at it. Nothing came to me. I set it back down and played around on Pinterest. It was there I discovered a pin of cute patterns drawn on rocks. I started using ink in my sketchbook to make my own rocks. I drew different shapes and used some of the patterns I saw online as well as some I just made up as I went along. It took me completely out of the world and muted any noise or distractions around me. Wow, what a relief to my overtaxed brain.
It wasn’t until late December of 2013 that I found a Zentangle book at Barnes and Noble. This led me to discover Tangle Patterns online. I decided that I needed to find the “right” way to do this and wanted to take a class. I looked up CZT teachers in my area and saw that there were two. I was leaning toward one of them but made no attempt at contact. Then my friend Beth encouraged me to post some of my tangles on facebook, this is a big thing for me as I have a hard time putting my stuff out for others to see. Later that evening my high school friend posted on my board introducing me to her friend Karen, the CZT that I had been leaning toward for a class! I emailed Karen that evening and was able to go to one of her classes. I LOVED it!
I do Zentangle whenever I need a break, or just some time to get rid of stress. I once lacked the confidence that I could create something beautiful with paper and ink. Now I’ve found that when I get out of my environment and into the zone, I can.