Zen & Art. Time to retouch my creativity.

I've been inspired over the last couple of days.  I read a post by Running With Scissors in which she was teaching kindergarteners art using a method called Zentangle.  I was so impressed with the outcome of the drawings of 5 and 6 year olds using this method, that I jumped right over to Zentangle.com to find out more. 

After a few minutes of browsing the website, I felt something stirring inside of me.  I remember this.  This "weird art" as my son Daniel often called it.  This method combines drawing of repetitive patterns with meditation.  And sure enough, without having a name for it, it was exactly the type and style of drawing I'd been doing back in the day.

I spent hours the following day looking through the wonderful drawings posted on the Zentangle group on Flickr.  So familiar and yet each drawing completely unique.  I was mezmerized! 

Next it was on to YouTube for more of these marvelous drawings.  I spent another hour or so just watching these art works being created.

Finally it hits me!  I ran upstairs to pull out some of my old drawings and art work and thats when it happened.  I realized I'd lost touch.  I couldn't remember the last time I sketched a line, let alone a full piece.  It's been so long I couldn't even remember where my sketches are!!!  That's so sad.  I felt disgusted and disappointed with myself. 

Thankfully, while writing this blog I did remember where I'd stashed some of my sketches and drawings.  Whew!  I could come down from that state of panic now.  Finding those old art pieces let me reconnect to a part of myself that has been neglected for a while now. 

Here's one of the pieces I did a few years ago. Definately overworked it,

 but I still likey & it seems to fit into the concept.  I did this one around 2005

I'm so happy I came across the Zentangle concept, and the idea of again drawing every day.  It's my new resolution to give myself that 15 or 20 minutes each day to express myself with pen to paper. I'll keep you all posted as to how this goes.

Mandala Zentangle day 1 drawing with Sharpie. 

Day 1 any shape will do.  Drawing with ball point.  I'm definately going to

need to pick up some good fine point drawing pens for this study.