I found myself with a few spare moments at work recently, and rather than buckling down, I turned my attention to a few of my favorite websites. (Please don’t tell my boss if you know him. I did take work home to make up for it, so hopefully that redeems your impression of me in case I just disappointed you.)
I visited Whatever Bright Things and downloaded a “Highly Scientific Chart of Fall Essentials” showing how important boots, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin spice lattes are to the fall experience. I plan to use it to convince my husband I need to do some fall shopping; how fun!
I also stopped by Welcome to I Choose Me and read about How to Create a Positive Environment to Inspire a Positive Mind. I don’t know about you, but sometimes no matter how hard I try to be inspirational, I still fall into a negative slump. So I decided to take something I love and use it to make my workspace more inspirational.
I enjoy being crafty, but my drawing skills leave something to be desired. A year ago, in my search for how to be more artistic, I found a book titled “The Joy of Zentangle”. I thought it was going to teach me how to doodle (to keep me awake during all the meetings I attend), but it is actually much more than that.
In short, Zentangle is a form of meditative drawing. It shows you step-by-step how to simply create numerous designs in a way that helps you focus and calm yourself. It might sound a little hokey from my description, but it really is amazing. I can’t draw much of anything on my own, but the book breaks it down into tiny steps that anyone can follow.
I am confident anyone who tries it will be amazed at what they can do. (If you doubt me, try out the sample at the bottom of this post.)
Anyway, I have been collecting step-by-step Zentangle patterns ever since, mostly from books and Pinterest. I tried to be better this summer about scheduling time for myself to sit down and tangle. (I learned Zentangle is a noun, and the verb associated with it is tangle.) I find it relaxing, satisfying, and exciting.
I was inspired by a post on Doodlers Anonymous where Lauren Salgado doodled inside a collection of hexagons. I decided to use a number of large hexagons, tangle on each one, and use them to decorate a large bulletin board behind my desk at work.
The benefits were two-fold. First, I had to designate time to tangle each day to create the hexagons. That meant I had to set aside at least 15 minutes everyday to do something I love; what a bummer! Second, I now have a space at work that makes me smile every time I look at it. It inspires me when I’m down, and if I ever feel stressed or anxious, seeing the patterns in a hexagon help calm me.
If you like the look of any of these patterns, I encourage you to check out the book (actually there are oodles of Zentangle books, the one I mentioned just seems like a good starting point) or search it on Pinterest. (Here is a link to my Zentangle board on Pinterest. Just be warned that not all the tangles on Pinterest include step-by-step directions.)
I sincerely believe anyone, regardless of artistic ability, can follow the patterns and create something to be proud of. I hope you try it and enjoy it!
If you do, snap a picture of your tangle and include it in a comment section below! I would love to see your creations!
YOUR TURN: This is one of my favorite patterns on my wall. I have included step-by-step directions for you to try it out. Draw a grid on your paper, and then fill in the lines (shown in pink) step by step.
(I learned this design on Pinterest from Bruna Bastos at ChocoLaDesign.)
I love, love, love it!! I have actually been called, “a no-good drawer”, but I would like to give this a try. Thanks for the step by step directions.
Thanks, Denise. There is no such thing as a “no-good tangler”, so I hope you do give it a try. I bet you’ll be surprised. Let me know how it goes.