The Quiet Side

Exploring the unseen benefits of creative focus.

Comfort  :  to give strength and hope to

How much of your day is making someone else comfortable? How much time do you spend not being comfortable? Perhaps your shoes are a tad tight, or you can’t quite relax in an upright chair at a meeting.  Or you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation and can’t find a way out of it.

Plenty of things we do in our day may find us in uncomfortable positions, straining to avoid getting up, or reaching to high when we should get a step stool. When drawing, the last thing you need when trying to relax is finding yourself reaching your hand awkwardly or sitting in a position that causes you pain.

Sitting at the table, or on the couch, or an upright chair, or even standing at the counter, a standard 3.5” tile is a great size for taking time out of your day to be creative without feeling overwhelmed.  Whether you are using the cotton tiles from a class you took or you have made your own tiles cut out of your favorite paper – there is so much about the size designed to help you find a comfortable position.

3.5” fits on just about any surface. It is small and portable, you can use it on a table, place it on a book, or perhaps even hold one in your hand to draw on.  You can tangle upright or cozy on the couch with a cat in your lap. Sometimes I like tangling in journals, but I always find it awkward to move the open book around in my space, unlike a small tile which spins freely whatever direction I need it to.

The square shape is easy to rotate – and so are the triangular tiles – you don’t need to contort your body to draw a line in the corner – simply rotate your tile. You don’t need to push your pen across the paper where it will jump and sputter – simply rotate your tile so you can pull your pen toward you. Pulling the pen will be an easier stroke, and when you get ready for the next stroke a simple rotation keeps your hand in a comfortable position.

Make the tile change direction to fit you, your comfort is top priority. When you can be comfortable, it is the first step to using a pen and paper to relax.

Try This

Cut a piece of paper to 3.5″x3.5″ or grab a tile if you are already a tangler.  Fill the tile with straight line strokes, playing with what direction is most comfortable for you to make your mark.  I like pulling the pen toward me, you may like going left to right or right to left.  Fill your tile with parallel lines using the same comfortable motion.

Now rotate your tile and keep your stroke in the same motion, but cross your lines to make a grid.  Just relax into the rhythm of practicing the same comforting motion,   rotate your tile again, this time on your grid diagonal and keep filling the tile with lines of the same motion.  Relax knowing that this is just practice. Practice with the pen, your position and letting yourself feel calm and comfortable with the motion of your pen on paper.

deliberate – still – appreciate – quiet – focus – trust – deconstruct – beautiful – reflect – relax – discover – create – comfort – shade – breathe – inspire – be bold – embellish – savor – slow – calm – admire

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