CZT Family Tree: Ana María González Valdez

We always say that the Zentangle Method attracts really awesome people. We have had the pleasure of working with wonderful Certified Zentangle Teachers (CZT) all over the world and we are excited to share these wonderful people with the entire Zentangle Community. Through our series, CZT Family Tree, we will introduce individual CZTs.

Today, we are excited to introduce Ana María González Valdez!

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Name: Ana María González Valdez

CZT#: EU 7

Hometown: Guatemala, Guatemala C.A.

Favorite tangle: paradox

Favorite place to tangle: In the corner of my room, on my desk. 

How I use the Zentangle Method in my life: As a contemplative art practitioner, I want to thank God and the Virgin Mary for giving me the opportunity to get tangled up in meditative art.

I learned about the Zentangle Method thanks to my aunt, CZT20 Miriam Zimms. In 2023, she taught the first Zentangle art classes in Guatemala, and from that moment on, I fell in love with the practice. That day marked a turning point in my life, for which I will be eternally grateful for finding a new passionate purpose. My Aunt has been my collaborator, mentor, and pillar every step of the way.

My family in Guatemala has also been a constant source of inspiration in the world of the Zentangle Method. My husband, my children, parents and siblings all do it and love it too. They say their mom can't live without it. Whenever someone asks, "How's your mom?" they reply, "She's fine, thank you, she's tangling." They're my best word-of-mouth advertisers. When we pray as a family at night, they say, "God, we're praying that Mom does well in her tangling classes tomorrow." I love them and am deeply fortunate because they have always been involved, supporting, and motivating me.

From my father, a doctor and surgeon, I inherited the precision for freely drawing beautiful patterns to create abstract art; from my mother I received artistic innovation, warmth, and a creative style. Both my parents have contemplative creative arts outlets that also impacted me. That combination has undoubtedly been the perfect foundation for me.

As you can see, it’s a tangled family affair.

One of the principles that has stayed with me from the beginning is gratitude. In my Introduction to the Zentangle Method classes, I often share this phrase: "Gratitude, not only for the good things that happen to us, but for those unexpected situations that help us grow" (author unknown). Practicing gratitude, both for the abundance and challenges, has allowed me to live more calmly and consciously, accepting that not everything is under my control. I leaned into the process of lines on a tile can be shaped without erasing. And that by approaching them with openness, letting go of the “influences of perfection in life,” is a vital lesson for me in this method. This perspective has taught me to transform "messes" into opportunities to adapt, create, and grow.

I am extremely excited about the idea of continuing to spread the Zentangle Method in my beautiful and colorful country, as I know firsthand its many benefits and the positive impact it can have on the Guatemalan people’s lives, “one person at a time.” Especially, its contemplative (religious), cultural heritage (indigenous Mayan), and its terrain (“land of eternal spring”) numerous applications.

For example, I had the opportunity to participate with the Municipality of Mixco and the Municipal Women's Department, in coordination with the TEC (Municipal Technological Institute) of Guatemala, to introduce the Zentangle Method to 450 young people. Working with them was a deeply rewarding experience. The children’s enthusiasm and desire to learn was contagious and it was expressed creatively in their art tiles and smiles.

I currently teach in-person and online classes to friends, family, and cancer patients/survivors, and have partnered with a therapist not only in Guatemala City, but also in other departments such as Chichicastenango which still remains one of the most famous and the largest outdoor Indigenous Mayan market in the world showcasing their arts, crafts and cultural heritage thousands of years later.

   

Sharing the tangled family abundance, my Aunt introduced me to Latinos Unidos por un Nuevo Amanecer (LUNA USA) a program of FL’s largest cancer center. I have the honor of teaching virtual classes to a very special group, made up of Spanish-speaking cancer survivors led by an Executive Director who loves and uses Zentangle art in her own personal life. This was important to me, because we are a family with five women (my mother and Aunts) who have battled and beat breast, bone, and/or skin cancers. I understand the audience energy and bring awareness and compassion to the class. These sessions are truly magical, as each participant, through their tangles, expresses their strength, resilience, and deep gratitude for life.

In 2024, my Aunt, after completing a year-long 2024 art program for 100+ Hispanic children in FL, called Finding the Best in Both Worlds™ invited me to come to the U.S. and collaborate on a Zentangle art education project for the same organization, the Hispanic Services Council (HSC). Together we led an English and Spanish Zentangle and Expressive Arts class for 25 community district leaders who work with newly immigrant children in ten areas. Since my Aunt Miriam is a CZT and a Level I/II Expressive Arts Practitioner L with a disability, she needed my help. I taught the Visual Art (Zentangle art) components of the class, and she taught the Expressive Arts components to help those leaders continue to spread the word to their community volunteers and support these children in a divisive new world. We provided them with creative tools to help them learn and spread to the children to adapt to their new USA home while continuing to hold the pride and memories of their birth countries and cultural heritage. We co-created a Guide for this class that will become a part of class curriculum for sharing and distribution in FL and, hopefully, the U.S.

I feel deeply grateful and fortunate for all the tools and knowledge of the Zentangle. Inc. family shares, which allow me to continue spreading its wellbeing benefits in my country and beyond. I'm passionate about being a part of this and contributing to its expansion and working in an authentic space with my Aunt.  

My favorite story or memory about teaching the Zentangle Method: When I earned my online CZT certification, I was so excited that I decided to teach my first class just four days later. However, I hadn't worked formally in over 10 years, so I was overcome with nerves. I was terrified of creating a moment that was the opposite of what the method seeks: to convey a sense of well-being and relaxation. It turned out that one of the tangles I chose was too complicated for a first class, not only for the students, but also for me. I don't mean being able to create the tangle, but being able to teach and transmit how to develop it. I didn't realize this until I started walking among them, watching them do it. When I realized their grids had thousands of lines, finishing the pattern seemed impossible. I started sweating, but as I looked back at the classes I took with my Aunt, I remembered those powerful words: "There are no mistakes in Zentangle." So, I grabbed the easel, changed the flipchart, and started doing it in very large chunks, instructing them that the new lines they saw should be integrated into each of the lines they had already made. Little by little, we all took our time, me explaining and them doing it with me.

The result was amazing; we all managed to finish the entire piece and couldn't stop appreciating it. I loved watching us solve something that seemed impossible. The only woman who understood what I was going through was one who, at the beginning of the class, got up to go to the bathroom and saw the tangle in a piece she had supposedly hidden. She thought, "What a beautiful tangle! I hope I can do that one day." When the class was over, she came up to me and said, "I didn't think we were going to make this tangle because it had so many lines drawn on it. I don't know how you did it, but you made me do something I never imagined I could do in my life. Thank you." That moment touched me deeply. That first class taught me a lot: even though I was sweating and scared, we managed to relax and enjoy the mess. And that, for me, was a huge achievement.

Through my experiences as a CZT, I have learned: I've learned that we can find greatness in the simplest things. It's amazing how, by repeating simple strokes, we can create such beautiful artistic compositions and, at the same time, achieve a space of mindfulness, generating well-being. I've learned to share quality time related to teaching and learning with the people who have opened the doors for me to share the Method in a fluid and integrated way. I've also learned to be patient with the doors I haven't been able to open yet, being patient, maintaining hope and hard work as allies so that the people in my country, Guatemala, can join this beautiful family and can enjoy its many benefits. 

If I’m not tangling, you’ll find me…: Enjoying time outdoors (bicycling, hiking, exploring) with my children and husband; having coffee with my brothers and sisters and their spouses. In addition to being a CZT, I'm a graphic designer by degree. I spent many years prior to having my kids specializing in packaging design. Sometimes I find myself designing graphic materials that I use in my classes and materials that I use to promote the Zentangle Art Method in my country. And my Aunt has used my services for her class needs and we have collaborated together in creating some innovative items to spread the method. We share ideas as a CZT and tangle together monthly. It is truly a family affair. I truly enjoy my time preparing for my classes (kits, materials, special creations); these are the moments when I also feel calm, creative, and relaxed. 

Mosaic Name: @AnaGonvala

Website: https://encasawithm.com/meet-ana/

Instagram: @del_tingo_al_tangle 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/del.tingo.al.tangle