Ask Bijou: Embrace, Not Erase

Our friend Bijou has been dropping pieces of wisdom in his glistening path for 20 years now. With our newest blog series, Ask Bijou, he's finally coming out of his shell to speak directly with our community… after all, insights this good shouldn't have to move at a snail's pace to reach you.

Ask anything and let Bijou's pace and patience inspire you. 

DEAR BIJOU: 

Why don't we have an eraser at the end of a Zentangle pencil?

DEAR CURIOUS TANGLER:

Simply put: You don’t have an eraser on the pencil of life, so why would you have one while tangling?

You learn, through the philosophies of the Zentangle Method, that your tile and your tools serve as a microcosm for your life. You have the opportunity, each time you sit to tangle, to practice Gratitude, Appreciation, love, and patience (just to name a few…). The more comfortable you get with these practices on your tiles, the more naturally they show up off the tile… when we lift our heads and meet the hurdles in our lives.

The “No Mistakes” philosophy is no different. “Embrace, Not Erase,” as I like to say! Mistakes and mis-strokes are inevitable. You (not I… IYKYK) are human, after all. Think of the last time you took a wrong turn on a familiar drive or added the wrong ingredient to your recipe. You didn't get an eraser then, either. You rerouted, adjusted, kept going, and often found something unexpected on the other side of it. Just as we often say, “you learn from your mistakes,” I believe each mis-stroke is a chance to try something new: to breathe through the next stroke, to turn your tile and look at it from another angle, and to appreciate the character you've unintentionally added to your composition. Your pencil doesn't come with an eraser, but your hand knows how to keep moving.

So, while you don’t have an eraser in your “Zentangle toolkit,” you have collected a much more useful tool without it: Acceptance.

Warmly,
Bijou

If you have questions for Bijou, send them our way! bijou@zentangle.com