CZT Family Tree: Gildo Sobrino Sierra

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 Gildo Sobrino Sierra!

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Name: Gildo (Hermenegildo) Sobrino Sierra

CZT#: CZT EU3

Hometown: I always say that I am not from a specific place. I am currently living in Gijón, on the north coast of Spain. Although I was actually born in Switzerland. Born in Bern and then lived in the German part of Fribourg until the age of 30.
In Switzerland I qualified as a joiner and after a few years in Spain, an allergy forced me to change my profession. This led me to work for 14 years in a care centre for people with intellectual disabilities, as an Educator/Caregiver.
Having discovered the Zentangle Method and seeing its great benefits, I decided give up my job and dedicate myself 100% to Zentangle since May 2021.

Favorite tangle: It's hard to choose a favorite tangle for different reasons. I'm more a fan of geometric tangles, but it's impossible for me to choose one. The most important connection I have is with 2 of my own tangles.

Siditow for the memory of my father.

Arben for representing my hometown and coming up with my first online class. In which I presented my #Satelitetangling.

Favorite place to tangle: I usually tangle at home and in the evening, when the world has gone to bed. It is the time when I find the most peace and creativity. But I love to draw in a bar while having a coffee and then leave the tile on the table without knowing who will find it and what they will do with it.

How I use the Zentangle Method in my life: The most useful thing for me to learn was that your mind tries to stop you, limit you and generates unreasonable fear. To see black on white, how those first emotions, often negative, do not reflect reality and that they should not become a recurring thought. Helped me to face the panic that I felt when speaking in public and therefore to be able to give classes to large groups or make speeches at events in front of an imposing audience. But in general, on a day to day basis, I notice how I feel calmer in unpleasant situations in life. What used to be a reason to get overwhelmed, I now receive calmly, aware that not everything is as bad as it seems at first. And that just as we see in our tiles, the shadows are necessary to be able to enjoy the brightness. Nobody likes the dark and sad moments, but without them the moments that shine, the moments to enjoy, would pass by without being able to see them.

My favorite story or memory about teaching the Zentangle Method is: The most exciting thing, beyond seeing how much my students enjoy it and the feedback I get from them, is to see how the practice of Zentangle can help children and adults. I had the pleasure of having a participant in my classes whose 15 year old daughter took to Zentangle in the pandemic when she saw her mother drawing with me. Circumstances led this young girl to discover Zentangle at a difficult time in her life that led her to fall into anorexia, until having to be admitted to hospital. There locked in a room, without being able to go out or receive outside visitors due to the pandemic. She clung to the Zentangle Method and drawing daily for hours, she learned to regain control of her mind and get out of the dangerous situation in which her health was in. To know that today she is back to normal life, returning to practice her favorite sport. It is something that confirms to me the great power of learning and applying the Zentangle Method.

Through my experiences as a CZT, I have learned: I have learned that we are all able to do things that our mind denies us. That creativity is in each one of us and we have the ability to handle hurtful emotions if we accept the fact that it depends on us, how much or how less we suffer in every situation of our lives. By drawing Zentangle you learn to accept past lines and forgive their imperfection. You learn to focus on the current one without thinking about the future lines. Since they depend on how you do the unfinished one, you cannot foresee the shape of your future line, to think beyond the present line is to neglect the current stroke. In life, thinking negatively about the past causes depression. To worry about the future causes anxiety. And both prevent us from enjoying the present as it deserves.

If I’m not tangling, you will find me…: Being a biker, apart from enjoying walks on beaches and mountains, my great hobby is to make motorcycle routes from Gijón to wherever it takes me.

Mosaic Name: Gildo_Sobrino_CZTEU3

Website/Blog: gildosobrinoczt.com (from August 2022)