Start now!

I'm a very slow and methodical person. Some of this is my nature and some of it is a symptom of the lovely condition called Perfectionism. Being careful and purposeful has its benefits, but it means that I'm not very prolific in my endeavors. There are so many tangles to be tangled, books to be read, songs to be song, that sometimes I feel frustrated getting through only the tiniest sliver.

This week I decided that Carole Ohl's beautiful Tangle-A-Day calendar will be used as a quick start meditation each day. Nevermind that I haven't tangled on any square before January 21st. Starting now is the way to ensure your goals are reached. Now isn't over on January 1st!

This calendar will be a place for "ten minute tangles"--a place to try things out and mess them up. It won't be something I aim to show off. It's a collection just for me to enjoy with no pressure to impress. So often I'm getting ready for a class or working on a project to give away, I forget to schedule time to just play.

So...purely for your inspiration, here's a peek at my week, with all its loveliness and wacky attempts at Tripoli.

What do you still want to begin? Start now!

One down, 52 to go...

A wonderful CZT named Sharon Lynn Payne recently gave us Zentangle teachers a challenge: to create a deck of 53 Artist Trading Cards to be swapped with fellow CZTs. The Artist Trading Card (ATC) is the same size as a baseball card. For many years, artists have designed these small cards in a variety of media and traded them with colleagues, either in person or by mail. Receiving a hand designed ATC is like a acquiring a mini masterpiece; it's something to be treasured.

I was so excited to join my first Zentangle swap. Not only am I looking forward to receiving 52 treasures from my talented colleagues (the 53rd cards will be compiled into a special gift deck for Rick and Maria), I'm loving the structure of creating a large scale project. I love to dream big, but following through to the end can be challenging. Seeing everyone else's works in progress (and finished decks!) online has been so inspiring. Our deadline is March 26th and I still have quite a bit of work ahead of me. But that's okay--it's fun work, and I always do best under pressure.

I created a theme based on the Five Elements. Here are the first samples from my Water cards:

Stay tuned to see how the rest are coming along!