Tangle Rut, Now What?

"What do you do when you're stuck?"

We get this question a lot at ZTHQ. Maybe you, too, have found yourself a little stuck. There are times when you are trying to put pen to paper, but are feeling a little uninspired. Do you use a string or no string? Which tangle? Too many decisions… nothing seems to work.

I don't think there is only one correct way to get you out of a tangle rut, so I asked a few different people here at ZTHQ what they do in these situations...

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Julie: When I am stuck in a tangle rut, I turn to mono tangles to help me out of it. I choose one of my favorite tangles (usually marasu or crescent moon) and I will tangle it over and over again until I get my tangle mojo back. The familiar strokes of a favorite tangle make it easier to start tangling again. Once I have a little momentum, I will try some variations, maybe a tangleation or some enhancements for flare. Sometimes it takes 1 or 2 tiles, sometimes 4 or 5, but eventually I am back to feeling creative and inspired.

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Molly: When I am stuck in place where I don't know where to begin I have a few go to remedies.

• Ask Bijou. By that I mean, I usually reach for a Bijou tile. It is less intimidating and less of a commitment. Usually by the time I finish a Bijou tile my drive is reignited and I am on to the next tangling adventure.

• Go with the familiar. Many times when I am halted in my creativity tracks I start out with a "Mac and cheese" tangle. The one that I can almost tangle without looking or thinking. This puts me in that zone where I can find my flow again.
• Force a string. If I am at all indecisive, I just force myself to put a string down as fast as possible. I make sure that I have zero time to think. Once the string is there I just take it as the lead.
• Open my journal. If I am in a place where I just need a fix but not sure where to begin I usually reach for my Zentangle Journal. I always have some half done exploration I can jump into or a corner of a page that needs a little extra. It is a different approach than a tile but it gets me going.
• Project Packs. The Project Pack series was actually born from a stuck moment. I was in a funk about black tiles and thought about how diving into a concentrated study on one theme would be a fun way to get through something like that. And coincidentally I really look forward to when we release project pack videos so I can work along with them with that little bit of guidance ... with of course that offering to take it in my own direction at any point in time.
• New art supplies. I have never been into candy but art supplies on the other hand just light me up. New pens. New paper. Even a sharpener gets me excited. Next time you are in a slump try treating yourself to a new pen or other art supply ... it's a little thing but oh so special and just might inspire you to use it.

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Rick: I have a low table in my office that I dedicate to tangling. All my tools and tiles surround the tangling space. I sit on the floor on a lambskin that Molly and Nick's daughters gave me for my birthday. The light comes in the window from my left (I'm right-handed). I sit down. I pick up a tile. I appreciate its texture and color for a moment. Then I put a mark on it whether with pencil or pen and I'm off and running. I don't particularly want to have too clear an inspiration for what I want the outcome to be. That paradoxically limits my inspiration.

If I'm stuck for a starting point, I'll do a quick scan through Zentangle Mosaic's waterfall and begin which whatever catches my eye. 

My challenge is to set aside the time to sit down. But once I do sit down and make that first stroke, everything easily flows from there. Also I usually put on headphones and listen to classical music or lectures while I tangle. I always come away from tangling refreshed and energized.

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Martha: When I don't know where to begin, I always go back to basics. After you have been practicing the Zentangle Method for a while, some of the steps may become automatic, so, I will go through each one of them with intention. Gratitude, Appreciation, 4 dots, border, string... 

I start with crescent moon, then hollibaugh and then see where my pen takes me. I find if I am stuck, I am focusing too much on what the outcome will be and not the journey itself. Going back to basics reminds me why I put pen to paper in the first place.

I will also spend some time on Zentangle Mosaic. If you spend just a few moments watching the Waterfall, you will always be inspired but the Zentangle art being created all over the world.

I did ask Maria this question too, but I guess she never gets stuck...

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Thiele: I would consider myself a beginner in the Zentangle Method. Though the act of putting pen to paper and drawing dots, lines, and curves is something I have done my whole life, the intentionality behind my pen movements is still new. I am comfortable when I am following along with verbal cues, or when I have some visual inspiration. I feel intimidated, though, looking at a blank tile and receiving no direction on how to fill the space. So, I start with a border and a string. I give myself limitations inside the boundaries of my tile. I let my eyes follow the string I have created. I ask myself, “What tangle lends itself to this curvy blank space…”

I don’t know all the tangles yet (I imagine that takes some time…), so if I am stuck after filling one space, I refer to my previous tiles for inspiration. I think about complementing what is already on my tile… maybe I need some drama or something softer. Regardless, my old tiles serve as a reminder that I have done it before; I know my hand and pen are capable.

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Jen: This may seem counterintuitive but when I am stuck, I look at it as an opportunity to learn, to look for the unfamiliar. I will look to learn a tangle I do not know. The new pattern, the new shape, how it grows, or maybe how it contains and works as a string for other tangles. This is how I fell in love with foundabout. It takes a bit to learn as it is very deliberate in the order you put down strokes, so I stay fully present when tangling it. It offers so many possibilities for filling and enhancing and adding layers of tangles. I found once I tangle that foundabout base, I have become unstuck and lost in the process.

Lately, I’ve been playing around with Legends sets and having an absolute blast! There is something so fun about the randomness of the die rolls. No pre-planning, no overthinking, just a roll, a prompt, and a creative challenge. Each toss makes me pause, really see my tile, and figure out how to weave that next prompt in. It is taking me down paths I would never have wandered on my own!

Right now, I have multiple tiles in progress, all using the same prompts but with each I am responding differently. I cannot wait to see where Lady Luck and the ever-inspiring Lady Aura lead me to. So much fun, and lucky for me as a ZHQ employee, I am already playing around with the next installment and thoroughly enjoying the adventure!

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Next time you're feeling stuck, try one of the suggestions above. Or, maybe, you have another trick you want to share with tanglers in the comments below.