Julie writes...   As Zentangle artists, we have more tools in our toolbox (pencil pouch?) than just our pens and paper. It has become abundantly clear over the past few months, that our most valuable tools are the philosophies and lessons we learn practicing the Zentangle Method. Sometimes when you start a tile, you have no idea where it is headed. You just tangle away, taking things one stroke at a time, free to move this way and that. Other times, when you start a tile, you have a plan. Maybe you were inspired by another tile or had a vision...

In a recent blog post, Tangled Manuscripts, I showed an inspiration for a tangle and asked for step-out ideas. It turns out that Maria Vennkens had already deconstructed and named this tangle otto almost a decade ago!    Here's a related version she did of the tangle sweda.     Michelle Dugdale, CZT, also approached this pattern by defining the negative space triangles. Notice that she begins with connecting the triangles to each other. When looking to deconstruct a pattern into a tangle, it's often helpful to begin with the repeating negative spaces. Marie Antoinette approached this pattern a little differently and developed...

Julie writes... At some point, we have all probably heard The Golden Rule (not to be confused with the Golden Ratio, which is Ricks area of expertise, not mine): treat others as you would like to be treated. I think that the past few years have really showed us how important it is to follow the Golden Rule. In times of uncertainty, grief, or hardship, a little kindness, patience, and compassion go a long way. Whether it is with your family and friends, or a stranger at the grocery store – we should all be striving to treat others as...