Weekly Diva Challenge #255

Ghosts of Tangles Past

Phew, this „weeks challenge # 255 „ was really challenging to me. The Diva invited us to recreate a tile from our past, so we can see how our style has changed, hopefully increased. I think that is a great challenge idea, mostly for those who are tangling quite a long time, but Laura encourage also the ones who are tangling just for a few month, because even than it is interesting to see some growth.

Well, I have to admit that I was a little scared to start. I took my first tile from the 9th of September 2015, which is not such a long time ago. I participated on the challenge #238 „UMT – Tri-bee by Beate Winkler, CZT“. I remembered that I was really excited doing my first tile and since it was the first one I really had no expectations, I just started without having anything in my mind. No that is not completely right, the thing I had in my mind was ,this is my first try tangling a tile, it is okay when something comes out that I am not pleased with. I don‘t have to be perfect I am just starting with something new. So I draw my string with half closed eyes, just like my hands leaded me. Then I started one stroke at a time, I made little „mistakes“ on shattuck, but it was okay for me. When finishing my tile I was so amazed and surprised how beautiful it came out. I really liked it.

Now I am sitting in front of an empty tile, in my mind the expectation to see a growth after recreating, also knowing that tangling is about not having any expectations in the result. Then I was thinking about how to recreate and I decided first to recreate the String – luckily I had taken a picture of it. I wrote the name of the tangles I had used in the spaces of the string copy and turned my original tangle upside down.

 

Okay, still sitting in front of that tile not daring to start. Then I had the idea not to recreate on a white tile but on a renaissance tile (which is a fake tile, meaning noch the original, because I could‘t get it here in germany, the fake-one is darker an the paper quality not that good). Since I haven’t only once or twice tangled on a renaissance tile and never really liked the outcome I thought, that will be a challenge without the direct comparison. I felt much better and started tangling.

Sometimes I cheated a little bit by turning the original tile and looking at it, but my husband saw that and while he stopped by he just took the tile and went away with it – well, than 😉 Since I don‘t have the microns for renaissance tiles I experienced a little with other fineliners and colors and polychromes. I had a lot of fun and I wasn’t caught anymore in my mind, thinking about recreating something greater than before.

I am satisfied with the result, but I am more pleased with my solution how to handle that challenge to feel comfortable but also challenged.

So in the end for me I see the growth more in how I handled the situation, that to see a growth in my tangling style. Which is very good for me, since I started tangling tiles 5 month ago. For me Zentangle® is more a method to relax and to let got my perfectionism and my high expectations towards myself, which always pressures me. Well I also love to have a beautiful result, but with Zentangle® I learned to enjoy and appreciate more the creating without judging than the final outcome.

Now I am curious see the tiles of the other participants.
Such a fantastic challenge! Thanks to Laura Harms.

And thanks to all to that leave so kind comments on my blog, I really appreciate it.