The United States has been observing Mental Health Awareness during the month of May since 1949. Each year, businesses, organizations, schools, and individuals dedicate this month to acknowledge those affected by mental illness by presenting innovative ideas, events, and programs to support the treatment and prevention of mental illness. Many individuals that suffer from mental health symptoms have found that creating art can be used as a therapy and have very positive effects on their condition. A regular practice of creating art can be nurturing for relieving stress, increasing confidence, and supporting general mental health wellness in all of us,...

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and our collaboration with UMass MIND of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, we would like to share studies around the general benefits of creating art and the use of the Zentangle Method for individuals with serious mental illness. If you are an avid tangler, you may not need another excuse to tangle, but here are some benefits of creating art:  Engaging in visual arts has been shown to improve emotional regulation, or the control we have over our emotional state in a diverse range of stressful situations, as well as overall well-being...

Julie writes… In conversations with other tanglers and in blog posts, I have always shared that my Zentangle journey does not involve learning all the tangles. I tend to use the same tangles again and again and I have always been content with that. This does not mean that I don’t like to try new tangles but I tend to know right away if I like a tangle or not. Or, do I? There have been plenty of times in which I have written off a tangle as “not for me” only to end up loving that tangle in the...