Advice for New Tanglers

Trust yourself, begin and do not compare your tangling to others.

I love to teach kids. My rules for my classes: 1. No mistakes, only new opportunities. 2. Take your time, we are not at school! 3. No comparisons! Your tile is wonderful, appreciate it! When I walk around while they are tangling and when we are standing on the black mosaic table I tell them how much I like each tile. I take photos of what the kids made and tell them that this is very important to me as an appreciation of their work. Working without pressure makes kids happy! ( Andä me too!)

Thank you Maria for these beautiful results.

I’m always happy to discover new patterns, new techniques, new inspirations… and I am happy with every little progress. It is impossible to know every tangle. Some people have more talent than others but that has nothing to do with the pleasant moments while tangling. As you said it is not a competition. We all can grow but only one stroke at the time. When I discover a lovely tangle, I draw it in my personal legend and very regulary I look back in this legend. Joining challenges gives you opportunities to use these patterns and with every challenge you learn something new!!! Keep believing in yourself, don’t compare with others.

So beautiful

Remember that it’s all about having fun and finding peace.

Trust – trust the method. It is the journey that should be most important, not the end product. When you stop worrying about making mistakes (there are no mistakes in Zentangle), and you allow yourself to not expect perfection, amazing things happen. In addition get to know the Zentangle community— it is an amazing group of caring and sharing individuals. So blessed to be a part of it.

Trust – trust in the method

Don’t hesitate, just pick up your pen, start tangling and immerse yourself in the whole experience.

Practice, practice, practice! Practice focusing now with acceptance. The practice of mindfulness will come in handy.

Just when you get so wrapped up in planning classes, making class samples, organizing administrative stuff, one of your students will tell you a story so moving about how Zentangle has affected their life in such a positive way that it makes you want to cry and sing in the streets all at the same time. Your students give you the gifts that re-energize and inspire you.

Sometimes when I look at a tile I am working on, I think that it is terrible. But I keep going on and finish it and sometimes it turns out to be one of my best. Don’t judge yourself!

Don’t stop drawing till your heart is fulfilled for the day.

Don’t second guess yourself. Stroke by single stroke, the artist buried inside you will ever so gently come forward and reveal themselves. Just breathe and let the process unfold, stroke by stroke. Congratulations on connecting with the artist inside you, because we all have one. Some are just still sleeping.

Oh my suggestion to new tanglers… give it a try.. there is a hidden artist in all of us.. I have faith in you.. you can do it..!!!

Always remember… there are no mistakes & rules are made to be broken. ~aloha

Be patient with your self. Relax and enjoy the moment you are tangling in. Don’t rush and no worries because there are no mistakes just opportunities.

Tangling is about the process and the time and the breathe….let it happen, don’t plan it…be surprised.

Take your time. Slow down. The flow you feel from just letting go is the reason you are doing this to begin with.

Dare… don’t try to copy someone elses tile… that path has no joy! DARE to let your strokes unfold someting uniquely yours… and have fun… there is no test at the end… except you look at it with eyes of love. ❤️

Enjoy the rhythm. (strokes, flute music, breathing)

Maria – Thanks for sharing your inspiration for a “round-ish” tile. As always, you open my ZT practice to new opportunities. Linda

My advice to new Tanglers is this:
- Resist the urge to collect and learn every tangle you can. You will quickly become overwhelmed. Instead, focus on a few tangles and challenge yourself to draw them in new ways by using tanglenhancers and tangleations. Ask yourself “what if I did this?”

Don’t practice tangling, just tangle😃👍

Don’t forget to enjoy what you are creating/doing!

Remember:

There is no-one exactly like YOU anywhere in the world. Appreciate the uniqueness of your art in the same way. Trust that the Zentangle-method works – because it really does!

I was a scientist before I started my business as coach. I give workshops in companies (team events, leadership coaching …) and I use the Zentangle-Method to give them a tool for mental power, self coaching, stress reduction and more mindfulness.
Everybody is on his own journey to see the benefits of this method and the process that starts with it. Scientific studies show, that if you learn something new and you want to establish it in your life, there is a great chance that you will pursue this goal, if you make a first try within 72 hours. Therefore I send them an email with a little inspiration after the workshop. And since these are mainly people who think they cannot easily find time to tangle, I suggest to start with Bijous. They are perfect for monotangles. Monotangles are so powerful! Take 5 minutes between meetings, before an important presentation, get calibrated and fresh energy. Start with only a few patterns and try pattern by pattern and get familiar with it without having to choose different tangles, to think about combining them and to get challenged by perfectionism again. Many of my clients started like this, it made it easy to sit down and enjoy the benefits. Everything else comes by itself, more creativity, empathy, ideas, confidence, inner balance.