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The Creative Process… Journey

The Creative Process… Journey

Molly writes...

I have this photo I took of a project pack tile I was working on a few years ago. The photo was taken mid-process, but for some reason, I loved where the tile was in this moment. I loved seeing some of the tile looking finished and other parts roughed out. The snapshot made me feel content and spoke to the process of making the piece. I could see the potential. It made me think about the creative process and about processes in general. It made me ponder how important our process is and how important our journey is, regardless of where it takes us.

I am sure you all have heard it before, from Emerson to Aerosmith, that our life's meaning is found more in the journeys we take rather than the destinations we reach... such wise sentiments indeed! And so logical when you think about it...

It is, of course, on the journey where everything happens. It is where we get stronger, where we grow, where we discover, learn, laugh, and experience it all. However, along with all the glory a journey can bring, it can be challenging, boring, discouraging, long, and altogether overwhelming. Some journeys may leave us questioning how or if we will move forward.

Throughout this glorious life, we take countless journeys toward countless destinations. Some we choose, some choose us. And although our very wise scholars remind us to focus on the journey, to embrace where we are, and to value the time spent, it is so hard not to acknowledge our obsession with goals and end results. In fact, we are bombarded with it from a young age. If you think about it, we as a species tend to focus on the destinations. We occupy ourselves with the checking of boxes, awards received, goals achieved, resumes, milestones, and so on. We are more fascinated with quantity, badges, certificates, and anything we can put a label on, rather than on the actual process and experience that got us there.

I think about this a lot with the Zentangle Method and with art in general. Here, too, it is quite easy to get caught up in the result. The result, like many destinations, can be distracting because in art, the results can be beautiful, rewarding, and fulfilling. It is only natural to want to rush through or, even worse, quit because the process is messy or uncomfortable and the destination feels impossible.

So how do we separate these experiences and gain perspective on the importance of the process and still value the destination? And even more importantly... how do we find the courage and strength to hang in there and keep going? 

I am not sure there is a formula, but we can start by looking at things one stroke at a time. We can put an intention out there to trust ourselves and the process. That trust comes along with the understanding that a creative journey, like other journeys in life, can be messy, hard, and not what we expected. We can remind ourselves that all those moments are temporary and we are constantly moving into new moments, perhaps moments that feel more attainable. If we shift our focus a bit, we can see that there is value in the messy parts and the hard parts, too. Success is different for all of us, so let’s embrace and celebrate whatever achievements we are conquering. We can focus on the small victories and the baby steps. Perhaps it is stopping to marvel and appreciate little things along the way. Or maybe it is in reflection and recognizing change and growth. Or maybe it is just pausing and feeling whatever it is you are feeling in that moment, knowing that all of it is temporary.

We can move through the hard parts and awkward stages just as we move through joy, laughter, and awe. We can recognize beauty along the way and take it with us as fuel for the next step. We can make mistakes, and instead of seeing them as roadblocks, we can use them as guides. We can choose how we react regardless of the way the journey takes us. We can work in layers in our art and in our life... trusting that the layers build upon each other. We can take our time on this path that is uniquely ours because it is not a race. We can get lost and find ourselves and maybe get lost again, and there is value in that. We can lean on each other in our process. Lend a hand, give a compliment, a hug, a high five. We can celebrate one another through the hard parts and in our successes.

And as we learn to embrace the journey and all its unknowns... and we learn to focus on each stroke, each moment, each layer... the more opportunities and joy we will find along the way.

So yes, there you have it, when you really think about it, the magic is indeed in the journey. The destination is merely a lovely stop at one end of the process. And once you are there, in that moment, you see, in all its glory, that it only has any value because of all that came before it. And just like all the other fleeting moments along the way, the destination, too, is fleeting. Then, before you know it, you are on a new path… a new journey.

 

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” - Ernest Hemingway

Molly Hollibaugh

32 comments

  • Oh, Molly, your words are so meaningful and inspiring…..slow down, enjoy the journey, sometimes so very hard. I love the Mosaic app because it is such a supportive community when I am not liking my creation and someone chimes in and points out some detail I had not noticed and it lifts me up. Thank you, Molly. I am saving this essay, and thanks to your whole family for giving all of us this wonderful world of Zentangle.

    LaquetaS on

  • I love all the comments and of course I’m intrigued by which project pack the photo was from. I love chambered nautilus in every way shape and form. This is what the drawing reminded me of. Help and direction is appreciated

    Elaine Wegenka on

  • I love all the comments and of course I’m intrigued by which project pack the photo was from. I love chambered nautilus in every way shape and form. This is what the drawing reminded me of. Help and direction is appreciated

    Elaine Wegenka on

  • A wonderfully timely post for me. As a somewhat inactive CZT38 and 42, I would like to further engage folks in my 55+ community but I am afraid of boring them (and me). I am not a teacher by trade. I want to get Zentangle out into the world, but don’t want to dislike the process, teaching classes that don’t appeal to me just to inform others.

    Kendra Page on

  • A wonderfully timely post for me. As a somewhat inactive CZT38 and 42, I would like to further engage folks in my 55+ community but I am afraid of boring them (and me). I am not a teacher by trade. I want to get Zentangle out into the world, but don’t want to dislike the process, teaching classes that don’t appeal to me just to inform others.

    Kendra Page on

  • You are a gift of inspiration and give hope with a single stroke to those who don’t think they are gifted. I am 84, a widow, and disabled most often inbound. Zentangle has been a good pass-time for me. Even though I don’t always have perfect lines, it’s been a joy to try. I love to review all the beautiful pieces that members have done. Thank you for sharing.

    Estelle Rouleau on

  • What a great piece Molly, Not only the writing but the tiles as well. When we are young and everything is new, it can be scary, but the world is also full of wonder. As I got older, I lost that wonder. Then I thought life is a learning process and if we aren’t learning, we might as well be dead. the Zentangle method, which I learned on my own through trail and error, has taught me that life is just a journey. We learn new things along the way that enrich our lives; sometimes in subtle ways. The journey is not always comfortable, but we always learn something; even if it’s something not so comfortable. Zentangle has helped me cope. Slow down. Take things one stroke, or step, at a time. Thank you .

    Tracy Lamb on

  • It’s true that the tile is beautiful as it is. And I think you have to trust the process and may be, when you feel like stopping, it’s just because deep inside, you know it’s fine as it is and you have reached the result your tile needed.

    dominique on

  • I’m on the Project Pack #19 journey currently so I can relate to this blog. I like the golden rule tile you worked on Molly. Was this or would this be a possible future project pack? CA

    Carol on

  • Beautifully created piece! You certainly gave much thought and caring for others as you wrote it! What a gift!

    Mary Lindeblad on

  • Molly,

    A beautiful piece of writing and a spectacular piece of the process that is Zentangle. Your journey is a marvelous unfolding quilt of art and words. I have fond memories of a lively expressive student in my classroom of long ago, and I also have fond memories of becoming your student as I found my way to Zentangle. Thank you so much for the many treasures that I have found on my life’s journey and keep dropping both the writing and Zentangle gems upon all the old as well as the new tanglers.
    With much fondness,
    Martha Buma

    Martha Buma on

  • What lovely insight, Molly—wonderful.

    Becky Ruiz Jenab on

  • What a beautiful observation. There were many poignant moments in this writing, but most importantly, for me, to embrace life’s journey one stroke at a time. Zentangle is about life, as well as tangling. Thank you for sharing your heart-warming thoughts, Molly.

    Louise Horner on

  • Interestingly, I just posted in the Mosaic app this same idea – the Bijoiusm “It’s the journey.” I struggled a lot with the Bijou Be Well series this year and I think it was because I was focused on the final outcome and couldn’t really relax into the process. I do think the journey, and the enjoyment of it, is really important and maybe even more important than the product we create. Somehow I think the process is reflected in the product as well.

    Dione Greenberg on

  • So beautifully articulated Molly! Thanks!

    Rimona Gale on

  • Wow! What an impressive piece of writing. As a sewing teacher of adult women I can so relate to the journey we take as we create our garments. Students come into my studio with beautiful new fabric and pattern and think about the final garment they are going to create and wear. Then there is the journey, with joy plus headaches along the way. They sew in groups and support each other when things go wrong and right! I have been lucky enough to cruise with my husband and zentangle was the perfect item to take.

    I would find a quiet corner on deck with the ocean all around me and get lost in following a new tangle.Absolute bliss!
    I am 81 and also create designs for fabric and I still want to put zentangle patterns onto fabric for people to wear.
    Jane Foster

    Jane Foster on

  • As I read this, I immediately thought of my grandchildren studying pre-med and clinical psychology. I will be sending it to them so they can remember to appreciate the challenges they encounter and hard work they do towards their goals. And, of course, it’s a good reminder for me to appreciate the joys and challenges in my life-including my art making. THANK YOU, Molly!

    Gale Sherman on

  • As I read this, I immediately thought of my grandchildren studying pre-med and clinical psychology. I will be sending it to them so they can remember to appreciate the challenges they encounter and hard work they do towards their goals. And, of course, it’s a good reminder for me to appreciate the joys and challenges in my life-including my art making. THANK YOU, Molly!

    Gale Sherman on

  • Tellement vrai! Je suis tellement d accord avec cela.

    Et c est parfois bien complexe de le dépasser par moments !
    J invite toujours mes patients et participants à persévérer, dans des moments de combats avec soi même, lorsque notre juge intérieur se pointe et court circuite notre flow et notre confiance. Car c est très souvent au terme de cette bataille , ou lorsqu on lâche les armes qu une nouvelle perspective, qu une nouvelle opportunité se pointe. Et que nous apprenons quelque chose de nouveau.
    Merci pour cette résonance Molly 💜💗

    Anouck ROUSSARIE on

  • Every journey make an impact. Learning and sharing from each journey is what makes life meaningful. I am just starting my Zentangle journey. (member of the upcoming CZT44 class) The image is striking. As a photographer am I also intrigued by any image that is a result of the golden ratio. I am curious, which project pack was that and is still available?

    Margaret Sufke on

  • Every day is a journey towards doing the best we can for ourselves and others. Zentangle lets us put it down on paper to relive and remember the day. I Love Zentangling for that reason. Thank you!!

    Diane Campbell on

  • What a moving essay, Molly. Thank you so for this fresh take on our journeys. I feel like as I age, I have to purposefully slow down, or I miss those moments in time. The natural curiosity ebbs. However, a forced pause is better than none at all.

    Of course, the method helps me with that. Recently, I find myself rolling back my shoulders and taking a few deep breaths, entirely separate from the process of making art or Tangling. This line really stuck out: “Some journeys may leave us questioning how or if we will move forward.” That brings to mind another oft-repeated phrase: trust the process. When I read that sentence, I thought of hopelessness or discouragement; feelings we all can identify with. But I think of all the journeys I’ve taken that have lead up to now, and overall there’s a feeling of satisfaction and purpose. And a trip is made that much sweeter by the interesting places and faces we meet along the way.

    Joni Freed CZT43 on

  • Molly, this was a beautiful observation. It’s so true the journey is where everything happens, life lessons, learning, and so much more. Once we get to the destination that usually is a lull in our lives because everything is finished and then things come to a stretching halt. It’s almost depressing, until we get going with our next project. Thanks for your insights.

    Leslee Feiwus on

  • Your reflections are so thoughtful and deeply moving. The journey itself, with all its challenges and joys, is so meaningful and deserves to be cherished.

    I began my Zentangle journey several years ago when I became the full-time caregiver for my mom. Zentangle gave me a much-needed break from the stress of caregiving and nourished my soul with beauty, creativity, and calm.

    As the years have passed, her condition has worsened. She is now in a wheelchair, and dementia has changed her so much from the person she once was. As we draw closer to the end of her life, I find myself embracing the peace and respite that Zentangle brings me more than ever.

    Your words carry such meaning and wisdom. I am deeply grateful for you and everyone at Zentangle HQ. Through your own journey, you are touching more lives than you may ever know.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Brenda Salot CZT37 on

  • Thank you, Molly, for this beautiful reminder to represent for everything that shows up in our moment-to-moment experence. It is especially timely for me, as I navigate healing a broken arm. Everything had to be rethought and reorganized around a circumstance not of my own choosing and it has brought the gift of Zentangle back into my life. Work is difficult, but creativity suddenly became necessary to my recovery as the depression threatened to hold me hostage. I am so grateful for the Zentangle Method and the joy it has brought me over here years, and especially now. ❤️

    Dayl Constance on

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