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A group of tanglers is called a penchant of tanglers.

A group of tanglers is called a penchant of tanglers.

Molly writes...

We decided to dedicate a whole month in our 20th year celebration to “Teatime” because of the importance it has in the culture of our company and our family. Teatime represents a time for friends and family to come together. It reminds us of the importance of stopping to catch our breaths and to catch up on the goings on in each other’s lives. It gives us a chance to talk and a chance to listen. It opens a space for empathy and understanding when one of us is going through something and many times ends in laughter. Here at ZTHQ, we are so lucky to have a group of such diverse ages. Our youngest crew member at age 20 and our eldest and wisest, of course, is at age 79. The rest of us almost evenly trickled in decade by decade. We did not plan it that way, it just organically happened. It is a truly magical thing to have people going through different stages of life, with different things to offer. We feed off one another’s experiences, sharing stories, advice and of course, recipes.

When Rick and Maria first discovered the Zentangle Method, they had many ideas and thoughts about how people would use it. They thought people would use it to feel creative. They thought it would be fun. They thought people would take classes with other people and they would enjoy that. They thought people would tangle on their own for their own well-being. They thought it might help people feel more content, more confident and less stressed. And the list goes on. And so many of these things turned out to be true.

One thing that Rick and Maria perhaps did not anticipate was how people would enjoy gathering to tangle with other people. Over the years we have heard the most beautiful stories of people that have become friends through their Zentangle practice. There are groups all over the world of different ages and cultures that gather regularly to tangle. Some that gather in person and others, online. We have heard of some groups that have been gathering regularly for many years. These groups all have different approaches and traditions, but they sit, and they tangle together. They talk, they listen, and they support one another. They offer positive comments and encourage one another with their art. They learn about each other’s lives, and they share the common bond of Zentangle. In these groups you will often see people of different ages and backgrounds connecting with people they might have never considered.

Like teatime, tangle time offers a time for Zentangle friends to come together. It is a beautiful nurturing space where you can let go of your day for a little while, get lost in some tangles and feel the love of the people around you.

After 20 years we are still humbled, and our hearts warmed when we hear stories of people that come together to tangle and just be together. A few years ago, we asked our community to help us pick a word to describe a group of tanglers. One person suggested a “penchant” of tanglers.

We immediately loved this word. The original meaning of this word is, a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something, and that felt fitting. We also liked how when you deconstructed the word you had pen and chant and that also felt fitting as there is a song that we hear in our hearts as we tangle together. This month we honor teatime, but we also honor tangle time and those that put in the effort to create spaces and time for the penchants of tanglers around the world to come together to tangle with each other. That space and time has healed wounds, hearts and minds. And we know how much it means to so many people.

In the comments, let us know what being a part of a penchant of tanglers means to you? Whether that group meets online or in person, once a week or once a year. We will pick a commenter at random to be sent the Penchant Print.

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Thank you to everyone who shared your thoughts on our last blog, International Day of Zentangle. We have randomly selected commenters, Gail Lewis, Pat Stephan, Johnifer Baker and Hilde Van Ginhoven to receive a Zentangle surprise. Pleas send your snail mail address to info@zentangle.com.

Molly Hollibaugh

54 comments

  • What a fun term—’a penchant of tanglers’! It’s fascinating to learn about the unique language of the Zentangle community. This blog post beautifully captures the creativity and camaraderie among artists. Can’t wait to join a group and create some art together!

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    Stayrene Management Sdn Bhd on

  • Any time I meet with someone to tangle-an individual or group, in person or online-I feel encouraged and affirmed through this beautiful creative practice. It’s always a gift!

    Diane Harpster on

  • I think penchant is perfect. (And I’m grateful the crows had already taken murder!)

    Kathy Gulrich on

  • My workshops take place in person, regularly, from September to June. Every year, since 2022, on June 30 we meet for an “Apéro’tangle” in a garden. The students first draw a voice guided tile. Then we eat and drink what everyone brought. As it was too long not to meet in July and August, I invented “papot’tangle”. In French “papoter” means to talk without a very serious subject, just to be together and communicate. The slogan of this moment is therefore: “Papot’tangle: on papote et on tangle”. This year we will meet twice in August.
    Sylvie

    sylvie lehaire on

  • Qué hermosa palabra, Penchant. Una definición perfecta, porque al enredar se canta siempre, antes, en y después del resultado, nuestra tesela es cada vez más afinada y nuestra voz así lo interpreta. Mis horas de té son esporádicas, generalmente con personas mayores a quienes Zentangle ha hecho el milagro de valorar sus virtudes, sus sueños y sus experiencias de vida, descubriendo a su edad un talento propio que estaba dormido. Sus sonrisas y sorpresas del trabajo realizado nos unen en total felicidad, igual que yo cuando comparto mis enredos con zentanglistas del mundo entero, son mis mejores amigos. Gracias siempre Rick y María!!!

    Elsa Dueñas CZT26 on

  • I remember when you asked us all for our suggestions! And I so agree that “Penchant” is the perfect term. As a CZT, I realized after a year or so of teaching that I had become very fond of many of my students. So, I started a “Zentangle Club” to which all students who complete my Introductory Series of 4 classes are invited. We meet twice a month, usually at my house, to gather for tangling, talking, munching, laughing and sharing. We all love it and many personal friendships have been formed! The personal importance of this club to all who attend is obvious and fills me with gratitude!!

    Jan Brandt, CZT12 on

  • I 2017 I attended a “Bullet Journal” meeting (one time only intro) at a branch of our Library System. I asked about the “drawings” in the presenters journal….she introduced me to Zentangle and told me that there would be group meetings at another branch…my usual branch. The group meetings would be the 2nd Wednesday of each month. I have rarely missed a “Twisty Tangles” meeting. During Covid shutdowns, I began my YouTube journey, discovered Inktober & others that I now follow regularly. When our library resumed “Twisty Tangles” we picked up where we left off. The attendance varies but is has never been less than 10 Tanglers & still going 7 years later. Now on 2nd Tuesday each month. I actually plan my appointments & even vacations around the meetings.

    Johnifer Baker on

  • I run two local groups called Tangle Time and we’ve created a great community. I teach my penchant tangles and they share stories of what’s going on in their worlds. It’s been amazing to see friendships flourish as a result, and to see people getting lost in their tangles, giving them a reprieve from their challenges. One lady says it’s like therapy. Thank you for this amazing thing you’ve created. It’s truly magical :)

    Ruby McGuire on

  • In the kitchen we combine sauces, we also combine humanities. In the meetings to tangle also, diverse people meet, friendships are inaugurated… I have met endearing souls in this my time of tangler and czteu5; women loaded with power, consciousness and vision and creativity; You overflow with attention, kindness and humor.

    We are the sum of the wonderful people that Life brings to our path. We build ourselves from all these lasting encounters, some fleeting and unexpected. I review the faces to try to stay with what each one of them brought to my life.
    We are the sum of all experiences in person and online. Above all, I wish that my life constitutes the sum of all those thanks.

    carmela on

  • What a lovely name – Penchant, it is like pen & chanting zentangle together with fellow tanglers or Czt. Love my regular young buddies my kid students when I tangle and giggle with them… Next am part of a weekly tangling penchant group of czt across globe. What I look for his some fun & family time together with fellow czt and in return I love sharing my knowledge and learning. These penchant really brighten up your day and bonding together achieving the motive of Zentangle art….

    Thank you for sharing the beautiful art and interesting blogs to us everytime….

    Maya India czt 34.

    Maya on

  • My penchant of tanglers is a group of wonderful ladies who all met when we took a class from CZT Robin Tucker. We became Tucker’s Tanglers and we’ve been taking turns posting a weekly challenge in our FB group, as 2 of us have moved. This week’s challenge is #425!

    Laurel Davis on

  • I’m part of a penchant of tanglers that meets weekly on Wednesday evenings to tangle together, mostly in slience but with scattered comments and conversations. We meet on Zoom for about an hour and a half, although that can vary. There is one CZT among us, but she doesn’t claim leadership of the group. She does send us an Art Raffle (designed by Eni Oken) as a starting place. We get a lot of satisfaction from seeing how differently each of us interprets the tangles in the raffle. We also provide support for each other when any one of us is experiencing a life challenge. Some of us have never met in person but we have become friends. We all look forward to the life enhancements we experience every Wednesday evening through our zentangle bonding.

    JANE RICHARDS on

  • Pen-chant! A glorious song, delivered via a micron pen, through intention, focus, and beautiful renderings of pattern. It is a lovely way to collectively describe all of us who love Zentangle, who have a penchant for this type of amazing art.

    Gouri Krishna on

  • Zentangle and the community that has flourished through the challenges of the Pandemic and a personal health crisis, has been life giving and continued to be such a huge blessing. When we were advised to not meet in person it was a struggle but as I know personally out the challenge and growing through it, we become stronger together! Being a part of the Seasonal Tangle events (@ZentAngie)’s creation continues to be such a wonderful gift to tangle with Tanglers all over the world!

    Michele Wimmers, CZT 17 on

  • I found my penchant when Covid hit. I started teaching on zoom twice a week and those same people are with me still once a week or entangled time. And as with most groups, we are now embeded with each other’s children and grandchildren and dogs. Last Sunday we had an official tea party- yes scones and cucumber sandwiches and chocolate covered strawberries of course.

    Lisa Hoesing CZT 14 on

  • I have just been lucky enough to be part of a Penchant of tanglers in Singapore at the Zenacity event run by Debbie Newczt. I met some of my zenfriends from the mosaic app who travelled from Japan, USA and Australia, as well joined in demonstrations from tutors also from Germany and Canada. How lucky am I to have joined the world wide penchant online for the first International day of Zentangle. I was with this penchant in the lobby of our Singapore hotel as we shared this very precious time. We did share tea time, but also cocktail time at 10pm Singapore time. Thank you Zentangle for adding to my life

    Ros Badcock on

  • The word “penchant” also contains the word “enchant”….also so fitting of this enchanting Zentangle world created for us by Rick, Maria et. al. Those of us enchanted by the Zentangle world in our respective penchant of tanglers are grateful!

    Roberta Strickland,CZT #32 on

  • Love it!!!

    Heather on

  • I am happy to be part of a penchant of tanglers who have been meeting regularly online since certification almost four years ago.
    Over time, our group has even grown and we are nine people from seven different countries at the moment. It is very enriching.

    Claudia on

  • Belonging to this international penchant of tanglers gives me joy and fulfillment.

    Vickie L Stamper on

  • Tangling reminds me of when my shoelaces would get snarled. My sister would carefully, lovingly and patiently follow the strings to unravel what to me was only a problem, not a challenge.
    When I became ill and felt very alone. My sister recommended Zentangle and became my Penchant partner. She recognized I love the surprise and freedom inherent in the creative underground stream, that working together and sharing was a way to “see” and “talk” and be with each other through the tiles, across
    thousands of miles of distance in the geographic tile. 4 corners. Gratitude. Paper and pen. Recipe for love.

    michael ann O'grady Leaver on

  • I love the name for a group of tanglers! And I have a penchant for gathering with others to teach and practice this art form. I had a group in Michigan before we moved to Florida and I attend Sunday nights with a group there via Zoom. Then, I invited some new friends from our neighborhood to join me on Friday afternoons to learn and to have fun and talk about our lives. We’ve become friends, which is so nice when one has moved to a completely new place. They are loving the camaraderie we share and the support we give one another.

    Susan Laninga - CZT 37 on

  • My penchant of tanglers is a drop-in group of 8 to 9 ladies who meet on Monday morning at our local senior activity center. I facilitate this group and teach a couple classes a month as a volunteer. We tangle, chat, complain, share recipes and then go to lunch in the centers cafe’ which is just around the corner from the room we tangle in. It’s a wonderful way to start the week and we all look forward to it.

    Cherie Hartwick , CZT20 on

  • Penchant is a perfect collective noun for tanglers!! I tangle with a small group in my Women’s Institute in the UK on a fairly ad hoc basis (we all have busy lives) and it’s an opportunity for us all to slow down and take a breath, catch up with each other and be creative. We all enjoy our zentangle time together!

    Hanneke Wood on

  • I am a part of different groups that meet online and tangle regularly. My favourite penchant gives me a feeling of friendship, sisterhood and above all a sense of belonging! It’s like a common invisible thread that connects us together!

    Suchitra Komandur on

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