In 2007, we started BLOG Zentangle and began our enjoyable series of conversations within our Zentangle community.
In reading through these blog posts with their insightful comments, we decided to bring a few of them to your attention from time to time. It is easy, for me anyway, to sometimes think of old information as stale information. But these insights and conversations are anything BUT stale!
Julie writes...
When I am teaching a Zentangle class, I always start my classes the same way. I advise my students to clear their spaces of any distractions, to get comfortable and to take a moment to practice gratitude. One of the things I always express is my gratitude for this opportunity to put pen to paper. There is something so magical about putting pen to paper
There must be something in the air lately about this idea - that putting pen the paper is special - because it has come up a lot in my conversations lately. It came up in the class I taught last week. It came up when talking about a handwritten note my husband and I received recently. It came up when I was talking about when I was in college and although I always had a laptop with me, I took all my notes by hands.
Then, yesterday, I was searching in the Zentangle Blog archives for something unrelated, when I stumbled upon this blog from 2011 about putting pen to paper. Since it has been on my mind lately, I thought I would share it with you all.
I invite you to enjoy this post from December 2011...
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Rick writes:
In this morning's websurf, I landed on, Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing.
The act of writing helps you clarify your thoughts, remember things better, and reach your goals more surely. Here's a look at the science and psychology behind writing, and why the pen may be mightier than the keyboard.
Zentangle is all about putting pen to paper, so I wanted to read this. I encourage you to read it, too.
Today there are fewer and fewer reasons to put pen to paper. So when you do put pen to paper, it has a greater impact. Putting pen to paper creates an intimate closed loop as your eyes focus on your pen and its ink. This experience is primal and immediate.
In other systems that loop is broken. If your fingers are on a keyboard, mouse or tablet, your eyes are usually on a screen. If you're watching your fingers type (even on a typewriter), the result is also elsewhere. Even if you are using a stylus on a touch screen there is a technical gap between stylus and screen image. As your movements are translated through computer processors and software into pixels on your display, your stylus never really "touches" your creation.
My takeaway from this article (not surprisingly) is that the magic of writing longhand is in what happens because you put pen to paper, not just because you are writing.
This article reinforces how valuable the practice of the Zentangle method is. The benefits of putting pen to paper don't depend on how good you are, they depend on doing it. The Zentangle method provides the structure and freedom for you to enjoy this process without expectations or self-criticism. I think that's an important and easily overlooked reason for the benefits and enjoyment that Zentangle provides.
As you enjoy creating something in a Zentangle way, fresh and creative ideas have a way of popping up. Keep another sheet of paper handy to capture those idea jewels!
Bunny (Frances) Wright on
Mary Lou Minard, CZT 32 on
Occasionally, when I begin to write I think about the Middle ages and what a privilege it is to be able to express ourselves in this way. It’s akin to walking into a glorious Cathedral filled with spectacular colored light. How humbling it must have been for those who lived with tiny dark windows and candles!
Mary D'Angelo, CZT 32 on
Occasionally, when I begin to write I think about the Middle ages and what a privilege it is to be able to express ourselves in this way. It’s akin to walking into a glorious Cathedral filled with spectacular colored light. How humbling it must have been for those who lived with tiny dark windows and candles!
Mary D'Angelo, CZT 32 on
Occasionally, when I begin to write I think about the Middle ages and what a privilege it is to be able to express ourselves in this way. It’s akin to walking into a glorious Cathedral filled with spectacular colored light. How humbling it must have been for those who lived with tiny dark windows and candles!
Mary D'Angelo, CZT 32 on
ELaine NOvak on
Jamie Herron on
MatheussenRia on
Not all jobs come with a computer attached. I regularly take notes about jobs or sketch components, and I can carry the paper or notebook into the workshop.
I have to admit that the feel of writing on ordinary paper with an ordinary pen is so much nicer and easier than that of using a keyboard, and that is just the cheap materials!
Catherine Gisby on
Noilin Dempsey on
wendy tann on
Jake on
This blog is spot on for me! I’m never happier than when putting pen or pencil to paper! I was a calligrapher for years before I discovered Zentangle…but the two are so intertwined and complementary, it was just a natural fit for me! I also prefer writing notes by hand to typing them. There is a hand/eye coordination factor to learning, comprehension, and retention that does not occur, for me, with electronic notation. I also gift my tangles to friends and family in cards and letters. They are always well-received, often with the familiar comment: “I wish I could do that.” They don’t believe me when I tell them: “You can! Just find a Zentangle Class near you!” I am a “True Believer” in the power of the pen! Thanks, Rick & Maria!
Jake on
Loved it. Might be time to do it again.
Paulette Kirschensteiner on
Leslee Feiwus CZT27 on
Paula Schneider on
I journal by hand, not electronically. Being trained in handwriting analysis, I can watch my moods and the subconcious come to light in formation of letters and words. Literally reading-between-the-lines! Notebooks and pens are a weakness of mine, the feel of my favorite pens and thoughts crowding to the front of my mind, wanting to be the first to be placed down! Using a non-dominant hand for tangling is a whole ’nother lesson ;))
Ginger White on
Valerie H. on
When I was teaching (elementary school), I always reinforced to my students that handwriting was an art. We practiced this art form daily, even for five-minute intervals, but always slowing down and paying attention to the strokes…hmmm, sounds like the Zentangle Method to me! No wonder I enjoy this so much.
Mary Kay Cass CZT34 on
Janice Undem on
I feel the same way! A blank piece of paper and a new pen-Heaven! I don’t understand people who ‘Zentangle’ with computer art software. They are missing the tactile experience which is every bit as important to me as what I put on that paper!
Melinda Butcher on
Myra on
So very true. When I write, properly write I mean, I always use pen and paper. It feels like the words come from me more directly, I feel them, and they take on rhythms and shades that simply don’t happen when I type. And of course the echoes occur – when I tangle I think of things to write, when I write I think of things to tangle!
Jem Miller on