It feels like in the PNW the weather turned overnight.  We don’t always have a lot of crisp leaves to walk through, but the soggy ones are littering the ground and growing thicker each day.  It all makes me very happy to have our Fall Motivation series to give me a great reason to get back in the habit of creating a space of focus and relaxation with pen and paper in my day.

Yesterday’s exercise involved this tangle, Pepper:

And today we have a pen and ink exercise that I just used in my brand new Pen and Ink class. I am looking forward to sharing everything from Zentangle, calligraphy, lettering and even a little bit of cartooning and a lot of focus, relaxation and creative exercises with the mighty pen. I can’t wait to see what the students create.

You can catch the Podcast on www.tanglepod.com or in your favorite podcast app.  If you download PodBean you can follow our podcast and get a notification everytime a new episode comes out.

Happy Tangling!

This month on TanglePod we offer a daily episode of motivation – simple exercises to help you pick up a pen, create a little mental space and focus.

Take the exercises with some hot apple cider, your favorite spiced beverage, or your morning coffee.   Listen on tanglepod.com, iTunes, your favorite podcast app (and now Spotify)!

It was a happy coincidence that I happened upon a 12”x12” paper, with grid lines – with 31 episodes to go through audio production, I have a lot of time to listen and do something fun with my pen. In our first challenge we talk about the tangle Bales – and with bales I have made good use of my very large workspace!

Oh – and if you speak or are learning French – we will have the challenges posted in French as well, just for fun!

Happy Tangling!

I am very excited to be partnered with Girl Scouts of Western Washington to bring Zentangle workshops to middle and high school Girl Scouts this fall.  If you have a Girl Scout in your life – please share this opportunity with her.

You may be familiar with the bold, fun artwork called Zentangle, but did you know that the Zentangle Method is actually developed and intended to encourage focus and mindfulness? It is a great tool to help you calm down when you feel overwhelmed.
The steps purposefully encourage concentration in the moment and discovery, rather than a focus on the finished project.Join us to learn the ritual and history of the Zentangle Method, practice the steps and discover why slowing down the breath are important to feeling good.

Students will gain an understanding of the Zentangle Method, and how to use this art form for relaxation and focus. Class focuses on the steps of the art form, creating hands on art while learning how to incorporate breath, as a method to relax. Zentangle is a pen and ink art, with a focus on the process, not outcome. The emphasis of this class is on practice and appreciation, how to work with and find positive in mistakes, and encouragement to finding an offline passion.

For more information on workshops geared to GSWW:

Girl Scouts of Western Washington Zentangle Workshop

For information on workshops for your team, group or school contact me.

Its good to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, and try something new. Or adapt something old to a new medium.   After helping out in the metal shop on a few projects, I decided to try my hand at some plasma cutting  –  and see if I could get some tangle designs to work with steel.

One of the challenges with steel – is unlike pen and paper – if you have a closed loop like an “O” – the middle falls out because it isn’t connected to anything.  So you have to rethink how you draw to ensure that everything is connected.  Keeko had been on my mind, and I thought it would be a simple one to try.  I did have to make a few corrections in my mock up of how to do the “e” and “o” to make sure they didn’t fall out.

I immediately found a way to take this metal art and make it into a message board!

This one is finished in a rusted/distressed sort of effect.

Aquafleur is a bit tougher to express, without the string I was afraid the shapes woud not look anchored, but I was so wrong! It is bent on the bottom to make a little stand instead of to hang on the wall.

I made this one a little stand to sit on my desk.o much I had to do another one. I wondered how the swirl of a snail’s shell might hold up –

And in my last one for the weekend, I wanted to see how the swirl of a snail’s tail held up!  It turned out so cute!  And the finish ended up so beautiful – rustic yet a little more sophisticated.  The application of the chemicals for the finish is clearly its own artistic skill.

This is also a rustic type finish, but done a little darker than keeko. I love the effect.

Close up of the finish.

Close up of the finish.

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Typically it is appropriate to knock all these little nubbs off – they are left from where the cutter melts the metal, but I left them on the back because I like that is a reminder that this piece is unique.

Taking some time to play was so fun! I can’t wait to see what comes next as I set to explore and expand my skills.

Happy Tangling!

Kellie

Allowing your mind to be still takes practice. Allowing your body to truly rest takes practice. Not a lot of new skill or explanation required, just reminders and time spent in regular practice.

You might naturally find when you journal or draw, or in the  middle of other focused activities that you pause for a moment and capture a bit of stillness, where the silence envelops you like a bubble while you process your thoughts and emotion. We need these moments in our day like a breath of fresh air for our minds.

Even just now – take a deep breath and take a moment to be still. Fight against the constant pull to be in motion.  Look off to the distance, or just close your eyes and still your hands, your feet, and if you can – your mind for a moment.

Do you have trouble bringing yourself to a place of stillness, or quiet in your mind? Finding a meditative practice like Zentangle can help you incorporate steps to slow down and focus. Contact me to schedule a group or private workshop. kellie@soundtangle.com.

We enjoy corresponding with our listeners and in this episode we share and discuss some of their questions!

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In the latest episode of TanglePod – Juliette and I discuss how found poetry and Zentangle fit perfectly together.

Found Poetry has been around for a very long time, and is a great way to combine a love of words with art. Zentangle pairs really well with it, becasue the spaces on the page between the words can easily guide your pen strokes.

When I find a poem, often I need time to think about it – and using Zentangle as a process to meditate on the words popping out of the page is a perfect way to spend some time thinking.  Often the words have deeper meaning and intention and it is a lovely break to just let them marinate in my thoughts while letting my pen and breath flow quietly filling the spaces between.

On my found poetry page of CharmingBlueberries I go into detail about how to create with Found Poetry.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our podcast, today is a perfect day to give it a try!  We have several free episodes, and lots of archived episodes for subscribers.  www.tanglepod.com.

Happy Tangling!

Listen to our latest episode as Kellie and Juliette talk about holiday traditions and keeping the creative spark during this busy time of year. 

Check out our Episode page for photos and a few recipes!

Making time for creativity comes up often in our TanglePod episodes.

Life often gets in the way and we put this essential time on hold while we prioritize other things.  This month, a puppy has upended my days and the first to go has been my quiet creativity time. Slowly I am finding a few moments in my mornings to do parts of a tile, even if I can’t lose myself for more than a few moments.  While I may not be able to create a whole tile, I am very happy that I continue to at least pick up the pen and paper, and get a few strokes complete.

I hope as life throws you curve balls (or puppy kisses!) that you continue to make time for your creativity. Keeping even a few moments in your routine can make sure it comes back sooner when your schedule is back on track.

put your pen down and play with me!