The Zentangle Community

I started tangling in August 2018 as I had some important decisions to make. As I grew in knowledge of Zentangle (self-taught) through various books, I found myself connecting to this group more and more. I am a follower of Abraham-Hicks and this method of meditating was a perfect fit with that philosophy that there is no ‘wrong’ way of doing and that through positive thoughts, positive actions result. The more I tangle, the clearer I become, the happier I am and so the world around me benefits greatly. Through one line at a time, I believe each of us is changing the world for the better. I am so grateful for all that Zentangle offers all of us!!

I finally did it, took a seminar to be certified, #32! One more item off my bucket list. Now I am teaching Zentangle and it’s so fun, for me and for my students. I started in my home, with friends, I have 2 classes per week, one in afternoon and one in evening. This works for retired and working people’s schedules. Next step, open up classes to the public, teaching is not in my comfort zone, but I’m feeling more confident, so pushing that zone a bit more by teaching to people I don’t know. I will be teaching a 4 week class at the local Zen Center, how apropos is that!? My vision is to creat a Zentangle community here in my town, and I can see it happening! I’m so grateful for this artform and for the amazing, loving and supportive ZT community!! And to Rick and Maria for recognizing the potential on that fateful Saturday!

I finally did it, took a seminar to be certified, #32! One more item off my bucket list. Now I am teaching Zentangle and it’s so fun, for me and for my students. I started in my home, with friends, I have 2 classes per week, one in afternoon and one in evening. This works for retired and working people’s schedules. Next step, open up classes to the public, teaching is not in my comfort zone, but I’m feeling more confident, so pushing that zone a bit more by teaching to people I don’t know. I will be teaching a 4 week class at the local Zen Center, how apropos is that!? My vision is to creat a Zentangle community here in my town, and I can see it happening! I’m so grateful for this artform and for the amazing, loving and supportive ZT community!! And to Rick and Maria for recognizing the potential on that fateful Saturday!

My official journey with Zentangle started in 2015 when an old friend of mine gave me a one-on-one beginner class. I was introduced to something like it a few months before that, but it wasn’t until I saw Zentangle books at Michael’s that I realized it was kind of like a movement of Zentangle artists all over the world contributing to this wonderful mosaic. I attended Seminar 32 in October 2018, and life has handed me a few challenges since, but soon I will be teaching classes in the Lansing, Michigan area. I’m really chomping at the bit to get going! I love knowing that a world-full of Zentangle artists and teachers are cheering me on and wishing me well! Thank you, Rick, Maria, Martha, Molly & the entire Z-crew at HQ for offering all of your gifts to us, to make our journeys so much more loving, exciting, relaxing, peaceful, meaningful, purposeful, and so much more! Zentangle gave me everything I could have needed during this time in my life. Thank you for helping me find the real artist inside. Maria, you commented on one of my first few tiles I uploaded to Mosaic, and you called me an Artist. I never forget that. Thank you. Means the world to me.

Theresa Smith, CZT32

As soon as I took my first class, I knew that I wanted to teach Zentangle— I had finally found my artistic outlet! But I never imagined how wonderful an experience the actual seminar would be, led by Maria, Rick, and Molly and supported by Martha, and then, this community! I met such a warm, creative group of people from all over. I hosted Beverley Exell right after the seminar for a week — her first trip to the US from Australia! I was amazed at all the people who traveled here for the first time for Zentangle. Since then (June 2014), I have met other CZTs at workshops and weekends in Maine, Buffalo, Canada, MA, CT, and met teachers when visiting in CA. I have had the opportunity to teach Zentangle to students in India -“Zentangle removed a block from their brain” and opened them to a creative life. This past summer, I had the chance to travel to Europe. There, my first friend from seminar, Tina Hunziker, came to see me in Interlaken, and another friend, Beate Winkler, hosted me in Hamburg and introduced me to Diana Schreur in London! The accessible, surprising, rewarding beauty of this method and the warm and supportive community of people around the world who practice it: This is wonderful world of Zentangle. Thank you all!

I have been truly blown away by the kindness and caring of this community. From the day I posted my first tile on FB and Mosaic, to my announcement that I am headed to seminar in March, and even today as I posted about giving my first private lesson to a friend in immeasurable personal pain. The truly beautiful practice of Zentangle has forever touched my life. But it is the beautiful people of Zentangle that have forever touched my heart and my soul.

Thank you Molly for this lovely post, I’m glad to be a little part of this Zentanglecommunity and have spent so many beautiful hours since I found this interesteing way of drawing on the Internet…

Thank you Molly for this lovely post, I’m glad to be a little part of this Zentanglecommunity and have spent so many beautiful hours since I found this interesteing way of drawing on the Internet…

Molly, what a beautiful blog post. We love you too! I love the way tangler’s support one another. So generous with their knowledge and advice. It is fabulous.

Oh Molly, what you have written describes exactly how I have felt right from the beginning. For the past seven years, since I met Rick and Maria, and all of you (I remember you and Martha came at the end with your two darling baby daughters), I felt this strong connection to other Zentangle enthusiasts, a connection I never felt before in my entire life even though I was always very socially active in my community. There’s just something so super special about people who are attracted to Zentangle and I know it’s because all of you at head office set the tone. I have taught thousands of students how to tangle since CZT 8, Feb. 2012 and if anyone mentions they are interested in becoming a CZT, I immediately encourage them to attend a seminar, even if they never plan on teaching. Being in the company of you, Martha, Rick and Maria is a very special time indeed. In fact, it’s an experience of a lifetime, and one I will never forget. In fact, I hope to attend again some day.

Brenda Shaver Shahin, Guelph, ON, Canada
www.brendashaver.com

I absolutely love our Zentangle Community. I discovered Zentangle about a year and a half ago. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful CZT, Amy Kam, in Grand Rapids. I’ve been on the app now about a month. When I first came across it I didn’t want to join because it “cost money“. However the more I thought about it the more I wanted to join. It’s been such a joy in my life. I am honored to have some wonderful tanglers giving me positive feedback on the tiles I upload. I feel like I have friends all over the world and it’s exciting when I open my iPhone and see a number up in the corner of the Zentangle logo and know that someone is communicating with me. I feel like I know them and they are friends.I love seeing other’s work. It’s so inspiring. I am tangling now more than I ever did. I’m trying things now that I never would’ve thought I would try. Holly I’m so grateful to you Maria. Rick, Martha, Julie and everyone else who has given us this wonderful gift. Thank you

I’m naturally quite withheld about connecting with people. And I started very slow in the early days of tangling – just communicating with one or two warm and welcoming souls. But my tangle friendships have flourished over the years, and now my practice is enriched by that sense of connection. The warmth, openness, generosity, playfulness and love is truly heartwarming. I’m speaking with people who I’d have never encountered without this thing that brings us all together. This troubled world needs more of that!

Like Michelle Werner I lerned the Zentangle Method all by myself. Back in 2015 I found a book in a bookshop here in Germany while looking for a present for one of my daughters. And that was the beginning of a wonderful journey of drawing and creating. Soon I discovered the little teaching films on youtube, for instant of Melinda Barlow, the HQ,Sakura of america , Susan Mc Neill and others who share their knowledge so widehearted. So I could learn from so many talented people and I felt like beeing a real part of the comunity.

Now this is the time and place to say a big " Thank you" to all of you,whereever you live, because you enrichend my life, and I hope to one time I will meet some of you, especially the ones of the HQ ,
yours Martina Fegeler, Germany

I had no idea what I was walking into at CZT 16 seminar. I left with a passion for teaching Zentangle to anyone that would sit still. My students became my friends. It’s all because of Maria, Rick, Molly, Martha and the rest of the ZT crew. Your passion and compassion spills out and shows us what ZT should be. Love you guys so much.

Thank you Molly for putting into words a description of what it is like to be part of this wonderful, warm and welcoming Zentangle community. You have covered so many wonderful things we share and it truly is a world wide community. How many other communities can truly say they are worldwide?

It all begins with the warmth and caring, excitement and passion that you all have for us! We love what you have created, how you present it to us, how you care about us, your giving nature, and your embrace of every tangler! You have given us the example of how to treat one another and how to have a sharing spirit. You are available to all the tanglers and you all are the start of and glue to all of this magical journey! I know for a fact that you would literally give the coat off your back to one in need!

I haven’t had an opportunity to take a class from a CZT because there aren’t any in Nova Scotia, Canada so I am self taught and I haven’t had the pleasure to attend seminar yet and hope to one day BUT I still feel like I belong to a community that supports everyone. Although not having personally met nor talked to anyone who does Zentangle, I’ve found the mosaic app and facebook have been wonderful tools of support and kindness through total strangers, who all have nothing but kind words and encouragement for everyone. To me, it’s so amazing how Zentangle has brought so many strangers together, without ever meeting each other and I couldn’t be more grateful, so thank you Maria and Rick, for all that you’ve done and continue to do. I hope to one day meet you and thank you in person 😊😊

I have only had a personal experiences with Zentangle up to this point. I’ve tangled on my own and tangled with small groups of friends. I’m looking forward to joining the ranks of other Certified Zentangle Teachers in June 2019. My work at a school provides me with lots of students who thrive on opportunities to have time to sit and relax and learn some new drawing techniques. I can see that things will blossom from here. Looking forward to meeting new folks at CzT #34.

I have only had a personal experiences with Zentangle link up to this point. I’m looking forward to joining the ranks of other certified send tangle teachers in June 2019. My work at a school provides me with lots of students who thrive on opportunities to have Time to sit and relax and learn some new drawing techniques. I can see that things will blossom from here. Looking forward to meeting new folks at CzT #34.

Zentangle is certainly a tie that binds. I love the CZT 31s who tangle together every week with a challenge and share their life stories as well. I feel as I have so many new friends and can’t wait to meet them in person, again some day. I also like chumming with the CZTs in the area. Gathering together a couple of times a year to share helps us all to gain new skills to enhance our tangles. I am so appreciative of Rick, Maria, Molly, Martha, and the rest of the Zentangle Family for giving us the gift of Zentangle!

When I got on the plane in Chicago to travel to my CZT seminar in June 2016, I was carrying a bag that looked tangled that my daughter had given me. A woman spotting my bag said Zentangle, I said yes and she answered I’ll wait for you when the plane lands. That was the beginning of a very dear friendship.

Last year I contacted two CZTs that don’t live far from me to see if they were interested in helping me start a group in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. They both have become dear friends and we are now a group, 21 strong, called Midwest Tanglers United.
I cherish each friendship I have made through this group.
There are many things to dislike about FB, but what I love is that I have continued to stay in touch with people I met from all around the world. That is truly a gift.

When I became certified I never thought Zentangle would bring so many wonderful, warm, genuine, kind, passionate people in my life either. First of all, there was the wonderful people at Zentangle, Inc. Then my fellow tanglers all over the world, that I met online and eventually for some in real life. I never thought I would get to teach to a wonderful groups of people weekly, or connect with people from all over the world. I definitely didn’t think I would start a podcast with another CZT I met after my certification and who became a great friend. I definitely did not think I would, 5 years after my first certification, get to go back to a Seminar and share this experience with not one, not two, but six of my former students and are now fellow CZTs. And they were not even living near me, 5 were from France (where I am from) and one from Alaska, when I live in WA! The Seminar is a one kind experience that foster long term relationships and affects your life forever. I feel blessed to have encountered Zentangle and have this amazing community of people that comes with it! Thank you Zentangle, Inc. for making this happen. Thank you wonderful Zentangle community.

I started my journey in 2009, working as a librarian needing a idea for summer reading programs. I found Zentangle and a teacher to come to my library. She had just moved to Utah from Massachusetts and was from class #1. We had over 150 kids attend the one day class in there sessions. I knew after that I had to become a CZT. It took me one year to get into a class graduate of class #4. Been teaching ever sense. Started my YouTube channel to help my students and it went wild with now over 17,000 subscribers and 2, million views every week. Love what I do but most of all my CZT family and students all over the world.

I started a pattern practice session at our local library. The library supplied the space and donations paid for the supplies. My intention was to have some people to play with. The program was to last four sessions and the group wanted to continue. We have met every Tuesday for the past five years. It is amazing how a vision can turn into reality and give the planet more calm and more art. I love it!!!

Where to begin?! Since 2014 when I became a czt, I feel like I have gained 100’s of new sisters and a few brothers!! They have inspired, motivated and encouraged me along this Zentangle artistic journey. Who ever knew that I would go on to teach at Tangle U…or travel to Ireland and teach at the European Retreat!! I feel so blessed and lucky to have these friendships and experiences!! Thank you Zentangle Family 💖