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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Color Wheel



                               (source: Wikipedia) 

Maria writes:

When I was first introduced to the classic color wheel, I thought I had been handed a secret to the mysteries of my universe. By the time I was seven or eight years old, I knew I was an artist, no matter what anyone else thought. My life revolved around whatever little precious thing I could create.

This color wheel showed me that colors were more than just a choice out of a crayon box. I now realized I had the power to create my own colors. That big box with dozens of colors of crayons no longer had the wonder it once had over me. I no longer needed it!

Now, I demanded colors I could mix myself. A benevolent elderly woman (my mother used to sew or alter all her clothes) found out about my need for paints and bought me a set of water colors. It wasn't a beginner's set with circles of dried paint; it was a real adult set of decent of water color tubes and two beautiful brushes. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My art immediately switched to more creative paintings and a fascination of no limitations.

Over the years I had a repeating dream in which I discovered a new color that no one else could see. In my dream it was so beautiful and beneficial that all I wanted to do was show it to others. However my problem was that no one else could see it!

Fast-forward 50 years and my dreams of discovering a new color were still alive. When Rick and I discovered Zentangle, I knew somehow that this was the color I had been searching for . . . dreaming of. As years went on and the Zentangle community and its creativity blossomed, I wanted a way to give back to our community of tanglers that gift that I was given so many years ago.
 Well, MY gift had been a color wheel, but what if we had a tangle wheel, of three of the most basic teaching tangles as primary colors, combinations of these as secondary, and all that comes between. Granted, I could not fit them all in there, but the theory of limitless tangle choices existed there.


As I was creating the tangle wheel, I thought of other art forms: language, dance, music. . . . and they all fell into the same system. 26 letters, combine them to create poetry and stories. Dance movements, maybe not so fascinating in isolation, but combine them to create exotic dances. Learn and practice the basic parts of an art, then proceed to combine them, enjoy them, and finally, go beyond and break the rules.

A major secret I discovered to enter my creative universe that I want to share with you is: PERMISSION. You don't need other's permission or blessing to be creative, only your own. Try new things, love what you create, admire what you find beautiful, and share your creations with others. That sentiment informs all our work with the Zentangle Method.

May this wheel and the sentiment behind it inspire you in thought and action.

-----+-----

What inspires you?

What turns on the switch of your creativity?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and we will pick a writer at random and send that person this 17 x 17 inch print of our Zentangle "Tangle" wheel!

And most importantly, have fun!

Maria


78 comments:

Dianne said...

Challenge! It is a challenge that inspires me. The challenge to create something that will be pleasing and uplifting to whoever views it. It is the challenge of taking the seed of an idea through a growing process that is not always easy but almost always satisfying. And, the challenge of bringing someone who does not feel they are creative to that moment when they realize they have within them the ability to create.

NanW said...

Nature inspires me. The colors and beauty I see challenge me to recreate it in my way.

Unknown said...

I'm inspired by everything, from the foam in my coffee to patterns I see in a retail store. I also dream in tangles and I'll wake up with this glimmer of an idea in my head and I'll spend the day tangling to see what happens when I put pen to paper! I think the key is being open to inspiration visiting you :) <3 Thank you, Maria, for this beautiful tangle wheel!

Marguerite Samama said...

Dear Maria ,
I am inspired by light and sound. Colors , voices and music are extensions of those for me. Whatever moves me, whatever lives inside of me, whatever I grasp and cannot vocalize or verbalize and may never be able to, inspires me, every connection and encounter. Everything I have come to understand and all the distant things that I may yet come to understand. Breathing life into, breathing air into, that is what inspire means. You inspire me too, as you know well.

Julie said...

I was attracted to Zentangle because of two things: "no mistakes", and "anything is possible, one stroke at a time". So simple, but so freeing. These two concepts continue to inspire me.

Lois Stokes said...

As a child I would sit in the bathroom and gaze at the black and white linoleum floor. Pictures would move before my eyes as I delighted in the faces and animals that were dancing beneath my feet. Patterns found within myself...within my relationships with others...and within nature and my environment....this is what inspires me.

Adele Bruno said...

Two things inspire me: Truth and Beauty. Zentangle demonstrates both.
It is true that all things are possible. It is true that simple lines-repeated, layered, and combined-create beauty.
I am eternally grateful for you and for your gift.

Mariët said...

I have always been inspired by letters, colors and paper.
As a yong child I drew on every piece of paper that I found.
Inspired by letters I startet calligraphie on my 40th.
In 2009 I discovered a whole new world, the world of Zentangle.
Zentangle has given my creativity a big boost! ��

Ginny Stiles said...

Architecture is filled with patterns...every building, door, and window,. I am especially drawn to Art Deco.
Am a Mooka fan.

Unknown said...

Music inspires me. Love all different kinds while working on Zentangle art.

Unknown said...

I am inspired by the natural world - the play of sunlight on the plains, the mountains dark with an approaching storm, the flight of an eagle, the call of a sandhill crane - all raise my spirit and call to be expressed. Other people inspire me with their unique creativity. Music inspires, lifting notes that allow my imagination to soar. In reflection, I must admit, mere existence offers so many opportunities for inspiration. Maria, your words are are one of those opportunities.

Kristen Kostelnik said...

Hi Maria et al.,

What inspires me in all ways has always been nature! That is true in my "day job" and in my Zentangle practice. The switch for my creativity though has mostly been Zentangle! It is definitely the unique color you discovered and fortunately for us, you also discovered how to let the rest of us see it.

Cheers,
Kristen Kostelnik Killips, CZT25

Lorna said...

Community! Other people inspire always. Zentangle has such a welcoming creative community and many many ways to plug in and share. Thank you for all you do.

Unknown said...

Patterns inspire me, Zentangle® was a dream come true for me. My creativity off switch doesn't work. I found a t-shirt recently that sums it up: I make stuff because I get sad if I don't. I, too, know I was born an artist. You are blessed to have found your new color. Thank you for sharing it and teaching us how to see it.

Unknown said...

I'm inspired by the new opportunities Zentangle brings to my teaching, my creativity, and my dreams for the future!

Jan Brandt, CZT said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jan Brandt, CZT said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Maria!!! What a WONDERFUL post!!! Yes ... permission. :D :D :D And appreciation for all that we can create. As a former dancer, I am inspired by movement. And I FEEL the movement in the tangles I love the most. Thank you for your story and thoughtful words. xo

Ellie Miller said...

Very often, it is the tile itself that inspires me. Each tile is unque. It may feel like all its sister tiles, and may look like all the other tiles. But look closely at the fibers and whole worlds open up. It's kind of like snowflakes--no two tiles are exactly alike. The way the fibers fall before the paper is pressed is as unique in any square cm as the snowflakes. Look carefully at any tile--at the lay of the fibers as light falls on the tile surface at different angles, and you will find unique patterns emerging that often suggest patterns or pattern combinations. Even a string can be inspired by the fiber patterns. Finding patterns in tiles themselves is part of the appreciation step for me, and the tiles find a way to let me know what they'd like to have me highlight with ink, graphite, or whatever tools I choose to use.

Unknown said...

When I studied French we had a French verb wheel. Later I discovered a chord wheel for creating music. What a fantastic idea if you actually created and sold a Tangle wheel for randomly selecting tangles to use when creating a tile. I hope this idea sparks someone's creativity to actually do this. I'm in line to purchase one!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

That is so seriously supercool --- such high magic!

Just having staggered in from final grading and faculty checkout after another intense semester and college year with my graphic design students and looking at turning around and going right back in to summer semester with the next batch, I really needed this recharge.

Love the way the tangles blend, interlace, and contrast --- and the connection with the colorwheel.

I share your website and blogposts with my students all the time when they tell me thay can't draw, find it stressful, are stuck, whatever.
And as rugged as it is to deal with all their drama, emotions, and life issues sometimes, finding ways to do so is what also makes teaching worth it. So I would say that a lot of my inspiration comes from teaching and trying to find ways to share these kinds of connections, whether it is to provide art therapy or evolve artistic talent.

Think this colorwheel tangle crossover may become my ultimate mandala!

Barb Burgess, CZT said...

I am inspired by my cancer and my students. Knowing that I have an incurable cancer inspires me every day to keep going and do my art. I am also inspired by my students. I think I enjoy teaching as much as I enjoy my practice. It is such a thrill to see what my students accomplish during and after they have taken a class. If they stick with it, they can do amazing things!

libbygilpatric.blogger.com said...

Take the light of spring sunshine. Add the rhythm and roar of the sea. Leaves begin to sway the trees, blossoms giving way to budding fruits. Muted tones of sand, stones and rocks add new patterns along with their visual percussion. Stir in the smell of salty air. We have all the senses in a three-dimensional sphere of colors, patterns, sounds, sights, smells. Imagine Springtangle!

Debbie said...

I was very moved by your discussion of "Permission": "PERMISSION. You don't need other's permission or blessing to be creative, only your own." I remember a turning point for me, with art, with writing, with dancing. Natalie Goldberg (author of many books on writing) said that you need to give yourself permission to write really bad stuff because it is only through the freedom of writing whatever comes out, without judgment, that you find the gems (very much paraphrased after many years). It it difficult for me to silence my critic, to let myself create solely for the joy of creating. Zentangle had been an avenue for doing just that. Thank you so much for bringing it into the world.

Lynn Jarrett said...

Life inspires me and getting to share it with others is simply outstanding!! Imagine having a large piece of paper (approximately 10 feet square)and drawing this color wheel on it. Next, you could invite several friends over to fill the wheel in with random tangles. What a work of art that would be!! What a fun time that would be!!

Linda J F said...

Being quiet, still, and listening to my inner voice helps to bring my creativity to the surface. Sitting on my back porch, hearing the wind blow and birds chirping centers me and allows ideas to flow from my pen. Also seeing the beautiful works that are created by the ever talented people at Zentangle headquarters....those stunning pieces help crank up my creativity, too! Thanks for all you do to inspire us!

Valerie said...

I am attracted to the "exotic," and have been ever since I was a child. New sights, sounds, foods, places touch my soul in deep places. It leads me to want to find a way to participate in and respond to this newness in some way.

Quillingmama said...

Music inspires most of what I make. I listen to a bit of everything, not one type of music. I was very sick as a child and the chemo that saved has done a huge number on my joints. I started tangling as something I could do on days when the pain level kept me from doing the other creative things I like. Zentangle allows me to just be in the moment for awhile and lets my mind escape what my body is not able to get away from. Other arts and crafts I enjoy include quilling, photography, painting, egg decorating, and several different types of jewelry making. I am often inspired to combine Zentangle into my other crafts. It is always fun to combine things in new ways.

Ramirez said...

I am inspired by lots of things but I find that what inspires me most are words. I love sayings and different letters, names and little notes. And I love to surround the with Zentangle patterns. They compliment the words, can make the more alive. The combination of them both is just intriguing to me.

Jeanie 'JJ' James CZT25 said...

Our community inspires me! Everyday I see something that I am amazed by... and often want to try myself! And, I believe, that one of the reasons our community is so giving is because of the example we are set from the top down. So thank you!

ForgetmenotTangles said...

This. This color wheel is my most favorite of all. I loved it when i saw it in Nov. I'd eat out in the hall at Zen Again and just follow the tangles. In aww. The color wheel is beautiful In it's simplicity but tangles with your story of an undiscovered color and your dream come true... awesome. Love it deep deep inside my heart.

Jody Genovese said...

As with all of your posts Maria, this too is so inspiring. This color wheel is by far the most beautiful I've ever seen. I thought that the moment I laid eyes on it during my CZT seminar.
I've done artsy things my whole life, but have always been held back by fear. Fear of what people might think of it. You're putting your innermost thoughts and feelings on display and what if it isn't good enough?? So I would start and either quickly lose interest, or never finish. Zentangle has changed all of that. And now permission..of course!
I see inspiration in just about everything now. I have more pictures of patterns on my cell phone from things in nature, to restaurants, furniture, I've even freeze framed the TV screen for background shots! The way things swirl and dance in front of my eyes in a way they never did before has been opened up to me through your amazing art form. This community is so supportive that I have the courage to post even the tiles I don't feel so crazy about because we all lift each other up with kindness and encouragement. The fear has disappeared. That inspires me.
You and Molly said something in a class once that I hear over and over, and that is that there is always something nice to say about someone's work. That inspires me not just with Zentangle, but with everything. Thank you for all that you do each and everyday to inspire and share..XO

DebM said...

Love the tangle wheel. I am inspired by all art forms but never felt I was a "real" artist..when I discovered zentangle I discovered my inner artist. Love the freedom it gives me to create something beautiful. Thanks for the inspiration.

Chai said...

My inspiration comes from every day life. My best inspirations have come in the middle of the night and wake me up! I have to write them down before I go back to sleep and sometimes I just have to get up and go put the idea into action! (good thing I am retired! LOL
Maria, I always enjoy your art and would be honored to win a piece that derived from your childhood. Thanks
Terri Y. CZT 16

Holly Williams said...

What a wonderful post~ and question. I am inspired by joy, optimism, and the creative process. Or maybe it's the other way around: the creative process bring me joy and optimism! I've always done some sort of creating (carving soap as a 10 year old, painting Asian watercolor eggs as a teenager, etc., etc). I'm so grateful for the optimism and joy that Zentangle has brought to my life, and to others around the world! What a powerful connection between us all!

Suzanne said...

I'm proving true the phrase, creativity begets creativity. I've challenged myself to create daily this year, and it has made my art better, and my thoughts of my own art have improved.

rennbridy said...

I am most inspired to create art by the people in my life. I am an elementary school art teacher. For each project I design, I make a prototype to understand the difficulties my students might have doing it. Wanting them to learn and succeed inspires me and pushes me to be creative.

In my private life I generally am creative when it involves making a gift for someone. Zentangles are an exception to that! This art form is the only art I have created that I enjoy keeping for myself. It is a private meditation and a reflection of my inner self. As I practice I can see improvement in my skills and stroke intentions. Although I am not designing the tangles, making them fit into the string requires creativity and I am inspired by that!

donnabridy@aol.com

Anonymous said...

A tangle/color wheel - what a magnificient idea! I'd love to play with that. I'm thinking tipple for a simple, basic shape, static for auras, and hollibaugh for drawing behind, maybe? Hmmm. . . .

Anonymous said...

I usually am doing my art for others. So my inspiration is the beautiful people in my life. I get to know people and them create​ works that reflect them. I also include fun write up to go along with my pieces that go hand in hand. I have always loved art and Zentangle opened so many more doors! Thank you Rick and Maria ❤️
Malia Benson CZT 15

Unknown said...

"26 letters, combine them to create poetry and stories." This caught my eye. I recently completed a series of "Alphabet poems", sort of like Psalm 119, where the poems are 8 lines, each line beginning with the same letter of the alphabet. I discovered that the letters I thought I'd skip -X and Z - were the most fun to write. Of course, I need to include a glossary for the readers, since xylem and such are words we don't often use or see, but oh! the fun of bringing letters and words together to mean something that touches the heart.

Spending time "in" a Zentangle does this for me, too, and helps me with my writing....

Unknown said...

Wow! Such a beautiful and inspiring colour wheel! I remember in Grade 8 (long past, lol!), when we created our own colour wheel in art class. This was, as you said Maria, "permission" to be my true self. My home life was very structured, rational, ... very black and white. Colour gives me the opportunity to feel, express emotion, be passionate, and inspires intuitive creativity... from my deepest heart! My inspiration is touched by many places, people, nature, my quilting, my Zentangle, and others' creativity as well. The art of discovering and learning Zentangle has taught me so many things in my life, not only my art. I have surprisingly let go of societal rules and conformity.... choosing to guide my life through intuition and passion. I take more risks, try more things. But most of all... I now choose to turn challenges into opportunities.... without feeling like a failure! Something that was very difficult for me before discovering Zentangle. Thank you Maria and Rick for all you do for this community! ..... YOU ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR MUCH CREATIVITY! :)

Judi K said...

I'm inspired by whatever is in front of my eyes at any given moment, whether it is your wonderful words about giving ourselves 'permission' or the strange holes that ground bees have been digging in our neighbor's yard (brown dots with a green background - that'll appear somewhere at some point), the graphic yellow bagels on an Einstein's bag (more dots: the poppy seeds), art books and gallery exhibits. With gratitude for eyeglasses (correctable vision)...

Unknown said...

Discovery inspires me. I've been searching for my "style," and when I see someone else's Zentangle design that I really like, a new design combination of my own forms, in it's entirety, in my head. This happens so quickly and so often that I've had to start a list for future projects. So, I will continue to explore and discover while I practice the art and relish in the artist that I'm becoming!

jeanchaneyaz said...

I have always wondered if everyone saw colors the same. For example, maybe you see blue where I see red, but the names work because that is what they were called. How could we really know? Anyway, I understand your dream of inventing a new color, and thanks for the lovely color wheel to drool over!

Ragged Ray said...

What a beautiful wheel.

Juxtapositions inspire me. Unlikely collisions that surprise and delight me. That make poetry and rhythm appear amid life's randomness. Beauty in the broken. Weeds flowering in a crumbled wall.

Karen's Yarn Paper Scissors said...

Color and freedom, when i was a child i made art as the adults told me i should. Make it this way with those supplies, color inside the lines, cut the paper this way. Whe i finally did muster up the courage to make art my way, i was thrown out, literally, of art class, and i never went back! Cut to 1999 or so, i had just finished my graduate work in social work as an adult student, was raising my children etc., and went to work in the mental health field and "discovered" art therapy. I re-opened the door to my own art practice as well as helping many, many clients with art over the maby years since then. Then along came this thing called Zentangle...i researched it and worked with it and discovered its' many uses in the therapy room. I contacted Rick and Maria all those years ago for permission, asked and given, for use with clients in group settings to help in the ability to walk away from addictions.

So freedom in many senses of the word, freedom to use art how I choose, freedom for my clients to use art to help walk away from addictions, freedom to choose for ourselves what we want....

Anonymous said...

Because of Zentangle, I see patterns everywhere. And color adds another dimension and pattern

Sarah Hluchy said...

If you broaden art to include fiber art, I have had inspiration come from need; desire to have something but an unwillingness to buy it; seeing a picture and thinking "I could make that!." I absolutely have to create. When I have gotten bored with a previous obsession/special interest, I will bump along until I find something else I want to create.

A few days ago I was reminded of how I want to be known locally as an artist, so naturally I wanted to tangle. I started by putting oil pastel shapes on my paper, then connected the shapes a certain way, filled in a background, added a couple layers of clear gesso, cut the paper into six tile sized pieces, and tangled on them. I will varnish them and sell them. But my process started with a need to create, and grew organically from there. My end product was nothing like what I had in my head because I followed the Zentangle method. And it's beautiful.

Dolly Bolen said...


My art is filled with an explosion of riotous colours, taking inspiration from culture, history, and nature. As an artist, I do not rush my artwork but I savor it, delighting in the time to immerse myself in the journey to create. At the heart of my artistic practice is detail, to every carefully drawn line, colour infused brushstroke, and balancing what I see with my imagination. I dabble in photography discovering new possibilites under the guidance of Mother Nature.
I try to convey a blend of natural beauty with contemporary images to inspire new thoughts and feelings. My artwork continues to grow out of love for the artistic process I travel through to get to my unexpected destination.

twin410 said...

The intricate fluid, rhythmic shapes in nature which are visible only when viewed with a magnifying glass are what humble me as well as inspire me to create.

Unknown said...

All the love you put into zentangle inspires me, Maria. I never tire of looking at new tangles and seeing how you take something from everyday life and turn it into something beautiful. It makes me look at things in a new way and see patterns develop in my mind. Now I just have to remove the fear and give myself permission to create from within.

fantasticcolor said...

One of my many creative inspirations is the greyhound. Being involved in finding forever homes for retired greyhounds gives me many thoughts of beautiful forms and dynamic movement. Sighthounds are elegant, and their flowing lines lead me to Zentangle as a way of expressing something beautiful.

Unknown said...

i have always been inspired by color, fiber and "supplies". i love looking at your color wheel and seeing the movement in the tangles and the flow of the colors...a true inspiration...

luvhymns said...

Back in my day I was given a set of metal molds. I can't think of the name of it but you had "goop" and I'd save my allowance to buy more goop when I ran out. Of course I had to have every color. I made little lady bugs by putting black for their dots and head and then add a color of goop. Then you'd cook them. I still have those lady bugs to this day in multi colors. That was my beginning of color and it continues today. What an obsession to have all the colors whether pens, or pencils or Nuvo drops.... I just grin!

Lisa F said...

As a child I loved nature and would create things from sticks and stones and whatever I could find. I loved the freedom I felt creating something from nothing. Zentangle gives me the freedom to be that child again. Thank you for waking her up. ❤️

Anne's tangle blog said...

When I read the word 'permission' in your post I realized that that was and is my inspiration. Not being able to draw (what I knew since my days in school) made that I even never tried. After many, many years Zentangle came into my life and it gave me the courage to give myself 'permission' to draw. And .... that changed my life!

Anonymous said...

There's so much that inspires me every day: The work of other artists, new art materials, challenges, articles from crafting books and magazines, Youtube, a person explaining passionately about a hobby/technique/... you get the idea. Inspiration is everywhere but you have to keep your eyes and your mind open to find them. This Colour-Tangle-Wheel definitely is very inspiring, thank you so much for sharing it!

Tinkered Art said...

My inspiration comes from the many people that have crossed paths with me, challenging me to grow, to keep an open heart and mind to take in the mysteries and wonders the universe provides us every day. There is much inspiration to be found if we stop to take them in.

Noreen said...

I am inspired by everything and the love and challenge to learn something new to me. I find Zentangle to be very relaxing and inspiring and find joy in introducing it to others. It is very rewarding to hear someone say the same thing that I have said "I can't draw" and then see them (as well as myself) draw beautiful art. I am very happy to have Zentangle in my life and have found my Art voice! My motto has become "You accomplish nothing if you don't try."

Ludmila Blum said...

This is so beautiful! I love art and could watch drawings and paintings for hours. And then, in a moment when I'm not really thinking about anything or trying to find an idea, the inspiration comes from somewhere inside me. Most probably it is a result of all those things I've seen before, combined to something new.

Unknown said...

Hey you wanna try it? I've met another lady who Zentangle from Bethany.... later in the summer??

I'm up to my eyeballs with my daughter's HS graduation ��‍��

Unknown said...

What really inspires me is color and nature. With color, shades of one color get me going, the lights against the darks. Nature inspires me because it shows reality and uniqueness. These qualities found in nature can be a great focal point for any project.

Anonymous said...

My passion years ago was counted cross stitch. Now zentangle is my new cross stitch. In cross stitch, you start with a blank piece of Aida cloth, making one stitch at a time until the picture emerges and comes alive. In zentangle, you take a tile, make one stroke at at time, until the picture emerges. The difference is I don't have to copy someone else's design. My owned design appears as I draw those lines, circles and squiggles.

Kristi said...

Maria, this is so beautiful! Everything you do brings out my inner light pushing me on to make beautiful things too. Thank you for that! And thank you for sharing this with us.
I think nature inspires me the most. When I see something beautiful in the world (the sun, the mun, trees, flowers, insects, animals, etc.) I want to save it somewhere so that I may return to that moment when I want to know the feeling and the experience again. To record it, or conjure it, in my own way.

Charlsmit@myself.com said...

What challenges me? Right now it's my desire to let go of my perfectionism. That's the beauty I've found in Zentangle...there are no mistakes. As much as I love color and admire how artists use color in their work, as I do when I quilt, I have embraced the simplicity of Zentangling with only black ink, graphite shading and a good quality paper. I love the complex and/or simple patterns I create with these limited tools. Art doesn't have to be about the intricate or difficult, learning to see the beauty in a black and white zentangle tile is inspiring to me. :)

Sabrina Stein said...

I am inspired by relaxation and a quiet surrounding. Letting my thoughts fly I feel the force of creativity. A magic box I am permitted to look in.

Unknown said...

I’m still absorbing the joyful tangled saturation of CZT27 … such a superb experience that I will hold close to my heart, always! A word Maria used often during the seminar was “flow” … a new perspective for me that changed my eye-to-hand communication. For me, inspiration comes from searching for a new perspective … the idea of “new eyes” … seeing something as if for the first time … finding variations of a theme. Perspective (new eyes) evokes emotions … the perspective from the pendulum as it swings … the high and low, light and dark, calm and fear, wonder and resolve, control and freedom, calm and chaos, fire and ice, etc. Each interpretation of a tangle becomes an adjective to describe a moment’s perspective. So, when I see your color wheel where tangles and colors flow together, it is a “new eyes” moment … it is the wonder of perspective.

Unknown said...

This post literally brought tears to my eyes. I, too, knew I was an artist at an early age. When I wanted to major in art in college, I was told to get a degree in something that would provide a good job, not art. Here I am, over 50 now, and looking at getting an associate degree in applied arts so I can finally fulfill that dream, although I have a master's degree in another field. What inspires me? Doing art, doing Zentangle, helps me see the beauty in the world around me. In the past year, Zentangle has been a vital part of my life. It has helped me be more present to the beauty in both small and spacious wonders. Instead of just seeing a tree, I find myself paying attention to the tree, looking for the repeated patterns that are Zentangle in nature, how could I draw that limb or leaf? The lights casting shadows in a parking lot at night become fascinating. The moon illuminating the clouds at night... tangles on a black canvas. The very act of participating in the practice of Zentangle has brought the world into greater focus. So each new tangle inspires me. Being present to the beauty of simple lines that come together in new and exciting ways beckons creativity to come play each time I sit down and pick up my pencil and tile, to Zentangle one more time.

Roseanne said...

The gift for me was, indeed, "permission." Zentangle gave me the gift to explore my creative side in a way I thought I could not. There is no going back. For that, I am so grateful.

CZT Aishwarya Darbha said...

Love this, I totally agree 👍 with you Dianne

Anonymous said...

I am happy to hear of your benevolent elderly woman who saw what you needed and gave it to you. I am inspired by birds. I see so much beauty in their "just being". They live in the present moment and offer their song to all who will listen. I get a creative boost just by walking and watching the birds in nature do their thing. Jackie S CZTXIII

Andrea said...

Happy Mother's Day to all!

ria matheussen said...

Thank you very much for this lovely post. I enjoyed reading about your dream Maria and it is wonderful your dream came out and made so many people happy by sharing your art.
I have given my website the name Tangledreams because I'm fond of tangling and I'm always dreaming of creating new tangles. I'm very happy that I was able to contruct a few patterns.
When you look around, inspiration can be found everywhere:especially in old buildings and churches. Also while walking trough nature I discover so many little jewels...
And very interesting: just taking a look to the clouds...their forms, their colours, their movements... always changing, absolutely gorgeous.

Karin Godyns CZT20 said...

I get inspired by many things.
Children inspire me for their playfulness and honesty. They draw, keep it simple and have no judgment. And ALWAYS find their drawings beautiful.
Nature inspires me for its colours.
I love to look at Botero's paintings and Gustav Klimt. I love Aboriginal Art. And needlework art. I find Art Deco work so intruiging. The beautiful shapes and colors...
I also get inspired by Fractals (enter this word in Google and go to images). I love to look at their beautiful colors and shapes.
For my Zentangle art I am inspired by Shelly Beauch, Anoeska Waardenburg, Marguerite Samama, Maria Thomas, Julie Willand and Lynn Mead (and others). I tend to look a lot at these artists' work to see how they go about it.
So many thing to get inspired by....

Valerie Hayes said...

I am inspired by the prospect of things I haven't tried and creative problems I have not yet solved, and by seeing new and unexpected things created by others. So many tangles, so many combinations, so little time!

Unknown said...

I am inspired by color - i have little things strategically placed in my office so any time i and stuck, i can glance in any direction and see some color.

i am inspired by shape.
shadows.
music.

i am most inspired by my emotions and feelings.
if i'm stressed out, i look to simplify.
if i am angry, i look for calm.
etc.

SADLOVE said...

Challenge! It is a challenge that inspires me. The challenge to create something that will be pleasing and uplifting to whoever views it.
goldenslot
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Unknown said...

I was attracted to Zentangle because of two things: "no mistakes", and "anything is possible, one stroke at a time". So simple, but so freeing. These two concepts continue to inspire me.

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