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Zentangle Project Pack No. 19 Reflections

Zentangle Project Pack No. 19 Reflections

Whew.. Project Pack No. 19 was certainly one for the books.

It was big, it was ambitious, it was daunting, it was inspiring.

We approached this project pack series a little different than most. Our tangling team each worked on their own piece in the same order that you all did. Molly filmed Day 1, and then we all tangled that day and then waited for the next person to film Day 2 and so on..

Before we even began, Molly kept telling us to “trust the process.” I remember she gave me several reminders and then right before I sat down to start my piece, she called me. It was almost like she could sense I was about to begin, and she wanted to remind me one last time, “trust the process.”

What was the big deal? It was Project Pack No. 19 after all – that means we have done this now 19 times.

This project was a big deal. Not only because the end result was a beautiful compilation of tangles, textures and techniques, but because it called on us to really lean into those Zentangle philosophies that we appreciate so much.

I have not been pushed out of my comfort zone like this in a long time. Like all of you at home, I did not know what the end result would be. I trusted our team and knew it would be great, but I truly had to trust the process. I was encouraged to use tangles that I normally would not have chosen for my work, taking things one stroke at a time, and reminding myself (often), that there were no mistakes.

Now that we have finished, I can truly say that it is one of my favorite project packs. It is a reminder of resilience, creativity, trust, and embracing the unknown. I have a renewed appreciation for all the different families of tangles and how they work together and complement each other and a renewed sense of patience when it comes to my art (oh was it hard to wait to shade).

I am grateful for Molly and her vision for this project, her trust in the process and in us to help relay it to all of you. And I am grateful for all of you, who tangled along with us (and may still be tangling) in this series, which really was, a big deal.

Julie Willand

38 comments

  • It is so daunting but I love it. Just started mine last night as we’ve changed jobs and have been busy moving back to Florida. Got the furniture delivered Christmas Eve and the project pack was the first thing I started working on! I love seeing what others have done. Everyone’s work is just so different and so wonderful. Very inspiring.

    Mary Kay Watson CZT 17 on

  • At one point, I, like many of our Tanglers, thought about throwing my hands and saying beam me up, Scotty! However, in the spirit of Zentangle, I put my big boy pants on, and proceeded as instructed, tangling on through day 12. And I’m so glad I did. It turned out to be such a beautiful project. why would anyone doubt the process? Once again I Zentangle headquarters came through as always!

    LaJuania on

  • Phew!! This was a very big project for me and I still have 3 days to go before I finish. Thank you for such an inspiring project. It really did push me out of my comfort zone. I am truly grateful for the constant reminders to trust the process. This was so helpful.

    Lianne on

  • Phew! That was exhilarating!

    Still shading … gotta go 😉

    Ann Baum on

  • Happy Everything to All of YOU, This is wonderful. I didn’t get the pack but I had a big piece of watercolor paper so I painted the tree, then started following along. I decided to practice each tangle before I added it to my tree, so it is going to take me awhile. It really helps to see the various trees on each video, a good reminder not to try for “exact copy.” One thing that helped me especially is that Maria spoke the name of each tangle clearly and wrote them down! I hate to play the age card, but here goes, I am 83 and love to paint and draw and now tangle. But I am new at the tangles. I love the way you all are assigning scientific names to the groups too. This is my first time doing the 12 days of Zentangle, it won’t be the last. Love, grace xoxoxoxoxo

    grace on

  • I have to admit that I “cheated” and binge-watched all the videos before starting, as I was out of town with poor Internet access until December 22, and will be gone again starting January 3 so likely won’t get it finished.

    I think the HQ folks will enjoy all the great comments as folks finished their piece, as there had been a bit of consternation at first on some of the FB sites. Looks like a big WIN as everyone pushed through. How you come up with all these different ideas is amazing to me.

    Kendra Page on

  • I’m thankful for you bringing us this project pack. It’s my first one to complete (though I have several others on hand I haven’t tried yet). I completed mine on Christmas Eve and took it to be framed on December 26, because I loved how it turned out! When it was in the early stages, I honestly briefly considered quitting. I watched the video through, and practiced Fengle twice before doing it on the template. Then I proceeded to draw it “wrong” though we know there are no mistakes in Zentangle! I kept going, trusting the process, and used some creative license to make the best of it. Sure enough, the supportive comments from our community often mentioned how much they liked the Fengle (the very tangle that almost made me cry!). I also didn’t follow instructions once and then had to try and figure out a way to work around that—Zentangle is so forgiving. What I thought was a problem turned into a blessing, and I was able to make something that I was pleased with, and other people enjoyed looking at as well. There are definitely some life lessons in this process and project! If anyone is hesitant to try Project Pack 19, please don’t be. Make it your own, take your time and don’t be intimidated—but be inspired. Thanks again, Zentangle HQ!

    Ardath Egle CZT 37 on

  • Oh yea! Thank you so much to Molly for sharing your vision with all of us. I am all the better for it. Perseverance to pass through the ugly or difficult stage without judgement is a gift!

    Kathy Y. on

  • This project does “grow” on you. I made my own background and looking back I don’t think I needed to draw as many lines as the actual project has on it. I think that was my one wish…that I had left the grid with just pencil lines and not done it in ink. I have been following other’s PP19 work on the CZT Facebook page. The one I loved best was by Ayumi Fujimura (CZT34) from Japan. If you have a chance to look for that image do so…it’s absolutely spectacular. I much enjoyed most of the project. It is NOT my favorite project pack but having said that I had a good time with it. I think if I were in charge of bringing it out to the group I’d have chosen to use two of the larger 10" square official tiles side by side. Half a tree on each tile. So much easier to move the tile around that way. Thank you all at HQ for making these videos for us all as they are a huge inspiration. Happy New Year! Ginny Stiles CZT15.

    Ginny on

  • I am still working on mine as I am being inspired by the work of others. Thank you for this wonderful invitation to truly trust the process. We may say those words, but we needed to really do it with this project. It’s been humbling to me to remember it’s not just a nice saying. I have found the Zentangle practice a treasure trove of life lessons that has and continues to inform and encourage my spiritual journey as it brings me joy and confidence in my creative explorations. Thank

    you again!

    Diane Harpster on

  • Julie, how well you described this amazing Project Pack. Every day was big adventure and I absolutely loved it.

    Your piece is incredible and I love the ‘lightness’ you managed to incorporate . Love it.

    Kathy McMurtry CZT on

  • I may not have been able to put pen to paper yet on this one but I have watched all of the videos. This Project Pack is so different than the rest. Definitely going to take me out of my comfort zone, a lot, but I’m really looking forward to it and having a gorgeous piece of art when I’m finished.
    Thanks so much to Molly and all of you at Zentangle for continuing to challenge all of us. ❤️

    Betty Card on

  • The results are absolutely stunning! The process is coming straight from the creators of the whole method. You all live and breathe Zentangle and the Zentangle method. We all trust you and rightfully so!! Not only do we trust the process, we trust the creators of the process!

    Katrina Thiebaut on

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