My Own Renaissance

Looking forward to learning more.

I bumped into Zentangle online in the fall of 2023, and immediately fell in love with its patterns, rhythms, and possibilities. I found tanglers with tons of examples on youtube, and began filling a sketchbook almost immediately. In January 2024 I found Alice Hendon’s FB group, Tangle All Around, and began the “100 tangles in 100 days” challenge. I knew nothing of the Zentangle Method — yet this challenge was the beginning of my daily Zentangle practice, which continues to ground and center me today. I learned so much more at the CZT42 seminar, and I’m so grateful to be able to share the benefits and creativity and fun of Zentangle with others. Love and appreciation to you all who help make this possible.

I go down the memory lane and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that I am a 10 year old in zentangle world! It all started sometime in 2015. One of the chaotic phase of life. Only child flies the nest to spread her wings. Career was lost in history which I had given up when my child was 3 years old! So getting back was a far fetched dream. Silence was screaming around me.Tried my best to be occupied from piano classes to book clubs. These did help but I kept feeling anxious. Then depression set in.

Some friend mentioned zentangle. Hit the YouTube channel to know more . There were very few CZT’s on the channel then. Melinda Barlow’s soothing voice and the phrases ‘No Mistake’ ‘ Gratitude’ ‘ one stroke at a time” caught my attention.I watched her for hours the first few months.That was my Renaissance moment. Someday,I don’t know when,I sensed a feeling of peace building up. I could sleep better. Deal with the silence .
It brought back memories of doodling, during boring college lectures or meetings at office. It felt,”Oh! I have done this before”. The spark of confidence kindled. A white sheet and a fountain ink pen were my first tools. Then the horizon started widening slowly. Sakura pens, stubs,square tiles , etc.were now part of my desk accessories.
The YouTube algorithm now started showing me various tangle artists Barbara Langston, Sandhya Manne,Bunte Galerie, BB’s Tangle Dream to name a few. I was slowly figuring out my zen mode when COVID entered our lives. Fear and anxiousness started creeping in.
By good luck, I stumbled upon the well formatted ,annual Serene module, started by Sandhya just before COVID. This helped me get through ,loss of loved and dear ones ,with some peace and acceptance.
In hindsight, I am grateful to COVID.Had it not been for COVID,the online zentangle classes Would not have became popular and helped many people like me across the globe.
A feeling of calmness now surrounds me everyday when I sit to tangle. Being in the present is what I strive to achieve.
Thanks to Maria and Rick for creating zentangle and fellow tanglers for contributing to the vast tangle collections,and spreading the zen art through videos and classes. Looking forward to more learning!

I have always loved to create art from a young age. All mediums drawing, painting, fiber art, embroidery, garment making.

In college I began in fashion design and moved to interior design landing my dream job in the architectural world. Working with a team and designing space was a love. It was all hand drawing back then. It was therapeutic and I got paid for it!
Perspective drawing and illustrations to help people visualise their space was so fun! Then the computers arrived and well, they took all the fun away. I put my career on hold to raise 4 kids with my husband. Always finding time for creating with my little crew. I happened upon a Zentangle class run by Sarah DelMaistro at our local library. I was hooked immediately. I felt the same joy and relaxation that I did in my career. I was home. That was in 2014 I think. I’ve been tangling ever since. I teach in a couple local libraries and love seeing people find joy and relaxation. My favourite story was a teen coming with a little attitude. I talked with her and found out her mother had requested she attend but she really didn’t want to be there. I challenged her to give it a try and see what she thought. At the end of the class she came up all excited. “Can I have some tiles to take home and share with my Mom. I loved this class and I think I can enjoy this instead of being on my phone all the time!” That was music to my ears. Thank you Rick and Marie for pulling this wonderful method together. It has brought so my joy and hope to so many. I will be forever grateful.

Like so many of us, I wanted to be an artist pretty much all my life. I still remember, at the age of 3, I decided I would become a ballerina! Then my mom, an amazing pianist (who struggled with reading music but could play almost anything by ear) enrolled me in piano lessons when I was 5. I took lessons for 11 years (and still play occasionally) but I didn’t give up on my desire to dance. I started ballet lessons at about 13 and majored in Dance at the University of California at Irvine. I realized during that time that, although I had the passion to dance, I had started my training too late to train my body to do it well. After graduation, I entered the world of business and (accidentally) became a computer software trainer! That paid the bills and allowed me the opportunity to research and participate in lots of artistic endeavors. I was able to retire early (at 53) and spend lots more time on creative pursuits, but I just couldn’t find satisfaction in any of them! But THEN, Zentangle popped into my life in 2012 and, as I realized I could actually please myself with my drawing, I became a CZT12 in 2013 at the age of 60. I’ve been teaching Zentangle ever since!! THANK YOU, Maria and Rick, for developing your discovery into an activity you could teach … then teaching ME! My enjoyment of doing and sharing it with others continues to grow. 💖💖💖

Like so many of us, I wanted to be an artist pretty much all my life. I still remember, at the age of 3, I decided I would become a ballerina! Then my mom, an amazing pianist (who struggled with reading music but could play almost anything by ear) enrolled me in piano lessons when I was 5. I took lessons for 11 years (and still play occasionally) but I didn’t give up on my desire to dance. I started ballet lessons at about 13 and majored in Dance at the University of California at Irvine. I realized during that time that, although I had the passion to dance, I had started my training too late to train my body to do it well. After graduation, I entered the world of business and (accidentally) became a computer software trainer! That paid the bills and allowed me the opportunity to research and participate in lots of artistic endeavors. I was able to retire early (at 53) and spend lots more time on creative pursuits, but I just couldn’t find satisfaction in any of them! But THEN, Zentangle popped into my life in 2012 and, as I realized I could actually please myself with my drawing, I became a CZT12 in 2013 at the age of 60. I’ve been teaching Zentangle ever since!! THANK YOU, Maria and Rick, for developing your discovery into an activity you could teach … then teaching ME! My enjoyment of doing and sharing it with others continues to grow. 💖💖💖

I used to love art as a child but it was soon suppressed due to academic pursuits and a demanding career. I quit my career when I had my son and later moved across to a different country. The renaissance moment was during the tough days of the Covid pandemic. It was very stressful to live in a foreign country, follow strict protocols, go through some health issues, all while being away from family. I came across a few CZTs who were going live on Instagram to ease the situation! ( God bless them). It was my first taste of the Zentangle method and I was instantly hooked. I felt less anxious and I could sleep better. The online certification was introduced and I jumped at the chance without much of a prior experience! It has been the best decision ever!

In October 2019, before the world got crazy, I walked into my local senior center and found an art class by Lee Kay, CZT-33. The class had a funny name called Zentangle and I was intrigued. Little did I know that would be my “renaissance” moment back into art. Lee was not only an excellent teacher and tangler, but also a life motivator. She became a dear friend as we shared tangling, gardening, and life! We lost Lee last January and she is dearly missed. I am grateful for the moments we shared our love of Zentangle! 💝

In October 2019, before the world got crazy, I walked into my local senior center and found an art class by Lee Kay, CZT-33. The class had a funny name called Zentangle and I was intrigued. Little did I know that would be my “renaissance” moment back into art. Lee was not only an excellent teacher and tangler, but also a life motivator. She became a dear friend and we shared tangling, gardening, and life! We lost Lee last January and she is dearly missed! I am grateful for the time we had together and the moments we shared our love of Zentangle. 💝

Like many little children I loved to draw. I remember in 5th grade our teacher taking us out on the lawn of the school and saying just draw something. Our school was surrounded by beautiful old trees, my eyes landed on one, but in my heart although I knew there must be a way to draw it, I just couldn’t. Such a feeling of defeat stayed with me for many years.

Until I found Zentangle !!! Several years after I became a CZT I went back to that school, took a picture of that beautiful tree and had my sister take a picture of me with that tree. When I got home, I immediately tangled that tree. It has been one of the highlights of my life
Deep down inside I knew I could do it, and I did!!!! Thank you all at ZHQ for giving me the tools I needed to make that for myself🙂
The picture I tangled and the tree and me are on my FB cover.🌷🌼☀️🌳🌹

My first exposure to Zentangle was in the spring of 2015 at a Sunday morning coffee with a group of friends. Shelley B couldn’t have been more than maybe 25 or so. She was drawing the most beautiful designs on cards and giving them to the various people in our group. I later learned they were called tangles. I was in awe. Shelley suggested I pick up a book called One Zentangle a Day by Breckah Krahula. I ordered the book through Amazon, along with a small spiral bound sketch pad. I started working my way through the book, and loved it. Before too long, I learned about Rick and Maria and Zentangle.com; the rest is history. I have been tangling ever since. I’ve done most of the Project Packs, and am especially fond of the larger works of recent years. During Covid, I was thinking about taking the CZT class online, but it was a big chunk of my discretionary budget, and I opted instead for Eni Oken’s Art Club. I learned a lot from Eni, and am forever grateful. During the last couple of years, I’ve attended a couple of the Zentangle workshops at The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, NC, and was really tempted, but have yet to commit. I’m going to be 75 in a couple of weeks, and figured I’m too old if the emphasis of the CZT training is on teaching. In the meantime, I follow a number of my favorite CZT’s online. They inspire me so much; I only wish I was creative enough to make my tangled tiles truly my own. I can do the work, but that creative spark just doesn’t seem to be there for me. I have decided that 2026 will be my Renaissance year. I will continue to learn from the upcoming project packs, but will no longer just try to copy someone else’s beautiful work. My 95 year old mother is also an artist. Her medium is working in oils. She always tells me there’s nothing new under the sun, and that to copy is how one learns. Perhaps this will be the year!

Hello, friends!

Such a nice topic!
Thank you!
Oh, it’s so nice to remember the beginning of the path!
About the Renaissance, about the inspiration called zentangle!
I am a teacher and I was looking for interesting materials to offer to children in 2016!
And I came across the site “The Child Plays”.
And there the zentangle method was deployed!
It was so beautiful!
I have always loved to draw patterns, such entanglements…
I came to the right place…
And I started drawing zentangles…
At first as an amateur… Then more focused… Later I ordered all the books…
I make my own paper and draw zentangles on it…
I would really like to become a certified zentangle teacher and inspire both children and adults for this beauty!
There is no such thing in Bulgaria yet, but I am not very good with the English language…
I continue to create..
I try to connect our Cyrillic alphabet with the wonderful tangles of zentangle…
With gratitude to the entire zentangle team!
From the bottom of my heart I wish everyone a healthy and inspiring 2026!

In 2012 I saw an article in the paper about Zentangle. I was intrigued. I ordered a kit and started following everything Zentangle online. When I saw there was a CZT training, I signed up. At that time I had only actually done a few tiles. It was an eye opening experience. Everyone there was so talented. Luckily, it didn’t phase me, even though I still didn’t feel like an artist, I pushed on. I took classes and did project packs. It was only many years later when I showed my niece some of my tiles and she gushed over them and asked to have some as art in her house did I realize, yes, maybe I was an artist!

My tangling started during the COVID lockdown here in England. I was termed extremely vulnerable and had to have no contact with anyone. I have a lung condition and help run a local group to support those with a lung condition. Because we could not meet in person zoom groups were set up on line and I joined another support group. Every fortnight a young person came on line for half an hour and showed us how to do zentangle. I was hooked. I sent off for books showing me how to tangle so I followed these. I have difficulty getting the tangle pens but searched until I found them. I then found your official site which I have followed some of the projects. I then found one of your official CZT teachers Barbara Langston her site is ‘Not Perfect Zen’. She is brilliant and has given me so much confidence. I hear her voice in my head saying – one line at a time – no mistakes – relax – and she often quotes Maria. As she tangles she gives us tips on how to find the centre of the tile, all sorts of things. She always says it is our art and telling us to put it to one side and come back to it if we are not sure. She is right. She also uses the Bijou cards which are great. Anyway I believe every cloud has a silver lining and if I had not been isolated because of COVID I would never have found out how to Zentangle. I am not perfect and I love it. I often make my tangling into cards – I love sharing it and feel what I do I am doing I am am showing love to the person receiving it. It helps me relax and has given me more confidence. My work isn’t perfect but that is OK because I just love it. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this lovely art form to so many people

My Renaissance was when a friend showed my a local community college’s flyer advertising Zentangle classes. She knew I was a doodler and also suffered from anxiety and knew it would be perfect for me. I’m forever grateful to this friend as Zentangle has filled a gap in my life that, at that time, I didn’t realize I had.

September 14, 2025 my first great grandchild, Miles, was born. Looking at the family gathered to greet him was a renaissance, a new generation. Everyone has their own hopes and dreams for our precious little one, including me. Some of the younger family members can’t wait to play video games with Miles, others thought he looked like someone and wondered what he was destined to do in life. I just saw a beautiful scroll of paper waiting to be drawn on every day. No mistakes, one day at a time, Miles will become a his own masterpiece. Oh! of course, I will teach him to Zentangle!

I first heard of Zentangle around 2011. I read about it in a blog about how the person used drawing Zentangle designs to help with their free motion quilting. I had never heard of Zentangle but I was intrigued by the name and looked it up on the internet and came across the Zentangle site. There was no one near me that I could learn from, so I ordered as many books as possible to learn how to do it. Following the illustrations and instructions and the Zentangle method, I was able to learn how to do it. I then found an on-line blog that I could watch. I also found a book that had Zentangle designs stitched on fabric and then made into pincushions. They were so pretty and my first love is anything that has to do with sewing so of course I had to master how to do it. It took a while but what a wonderful experience I had mistakes and all – but of course there are no mistakes in Zentangle. One of the designs was Rick’s Paradox which is a wonderful tangle to stitch on fabric. I don’t do it everyday but I love watching someone tangle and truly get lost in its beauty.

I first heard of Zentangle in 2011 when someone dropped off a flyer for a class. I was so intrigued by that word – “Zentangle.” I did all sorts of research, the internet was still brand new, but fortunatly I am a librarian and was able to find books by Sandy Steen Bartholomew and a few others and that got me started! I went to the class and was told the instructor was ill but here’s some paper and pen just draw some squiggles and doodle in the spaces! I knew that was NOT Zentangle. Not too long after that disaster, an intro to Zentangle class was offered at a different branch of our library system and it was a real class, with real tiles and 2 certified Zentatngle instructors! I was hooked! Even had a private class with one of these wonderful ladies. I met more people and we would get together every week or so for a few hours of quiet tangling. Then covid hit and for some reason I put my pens away (I had picked up my crochet hook so at leat I was busy!). Last spring I bumped into one of the ladies from our informal group… I had only met her once or twice way back when but she told me about a group at a local senior center (I am now retired with a tiny bit more time on my hands). My real Renaissance started in August of this year when I signed up for the class and rediscovered my love for putting the pen to the paper…it’s the process I love!

“My Renaissance” began because of a friend. On February 12, in 2012 a friend of mine (Rae), suggested I check out a particular site online as she thought I might enjoy it. It was Linda Farmer’s site TanglePatterns.com and that day I drew my first tile, and since that day, I can honestly say I have drawn a tile almost every single day ever since and I have drawers filled with hand bound books I have made to hold my tiles. I am now 83, still tangling most days and still marvelling in the hundreds and hundreds I have done over those years, and that there are no two tiles alike, every single one is different, which continues to amaze me!

I saw a Zentangle class offered in the Columbia Art Center in Columbia, MD in 2011, taught by a very talented teacher, Deanna Williford, and I was hooked! That was my Renaissance moment. After taking all of her classes, she finally told me to get certified. And that’s what I did in 2014 in Providence, RI. In 2015, I retired as an elementary school principal after 55 years as an educator. I started teaching Zentangle in senior communities, senior centers, and to children both in Columbia and in southern California during the summers when visiting family. Both my mother and sister were trained artists and received many awards for their artistic ability. I didn’t know that I had any artistic abilities until I took Deanna’s classes. She awaken it in me, and I have been teaching ever since. I moved from Maryland to Long Beach, CA in November 2024 to be near my son and daughter-in-law and extended family. This year I joined OLLI at Long Beach State University and started teaching Zentangle last week. I now teach on Wednesday afternoons for 2-hours with 19 students in my class. I’m 82 years old and see myself teaching for many more years. Thank you, Maria and Rick and all the Zentangle family for creating such a powerful art form!

My renaissance was exactly how you described it. In 2014 I started doodling on small pieces of paper, and then looked up “doodling” online and ran into the Zentangle “method”. The no mistakes philosophy spoke to me. My interest was peaked, then I found an Ollie class at a nearby college called Zentangle. Kathy Dudek and her husband taught it, I LOVED it, and still practice regularly. I was so excited during Covid for your online class!! What a JOY it was doing that and becoming a CZT!! First letters I’ve ever had after my name!! I’ve shared Zentangle with small groups and one-on-one as a therapeutic tool for troubled/discouraged friends and acquaintances. I’ve had the privilege of seeing others “come to life” at the sessions learning one stroke at a time!! It has been a most helpful tool for me personally, to remember the joy of creating!! So thanks to all of you❣️👏 And praise Jesus for using me and Zentangle to bless so many over the past 11 years!! ❣️👏🙌🙌🙌

ii started tangling in May, 2014…mom, the artist, had just passed, & ii finally felt ii could begin something even though art had been her domain… every day since is a new beginning, that includes her for seeing things differently & not comparing ones offerings to others… never thought ii’d be grateful for losses over gains, but ii am… and, thanks to all y’all who share zentangle, though ii don’t feel like an artist, ii’ve become skilled at recognizing artistry everywhere on purpose. So thank you.

My revival came recently. I am a retired elementary school teacher, and I never thought (or heard that) my teaching made a difference. When teaching the Zentangle method to a group of Veterans last year, I finally had some feedback about what a difference I was making in their lives. I know becoming a CZT was the most important thing I did for myself, but I am glad I can pass this on to others.

I don’t QUITE recall my Renaissance but I do recall the first shading of a Zentangle drawing! It was MAGICAL how the form popped off the page. And the white highlights! Oh my goodness … pure joy and a deep respect for Maria’s magic! Thank you for bringing this to our world! I taught it to my son and his friend, both trying to get off drugs. They loved the process too. Sadly, his friend died of leukemia at age 49. I guess we can all have a tragedy woven into our experience. I sent him a pic of what I wanted to share next. We never got there.

My intro to zentangle was through the spanish teacher at my school. She said it sounded like a fun, meditative class we could both use. I ended up going to providence czt training in 2019 and it helped me survive the pandemic, caregiving mom and one brother through cancer treatments , pers