Tangle Refresher 148 – Featuring personal accounts of how Zentangle® has changed lives

Revisiting and updating a Refresher from the past …

Recently I found myself on the TanglePatterns page containing all the personal accounts readers have shared describing in their own words how Zentangle® has changed their lives. It is powerful and inspiring reading.

The creative satisfaction (exhilaration?) we experience is an obvious benefit of the Zentangle Method, but the unexpected emotional, psychological and even physical benefits are often not honored as much as they could be and that’s what this occasional series aims to spotlight.

When I began the series three years ago, I wrote,

“One of my greatest, and most unexpected, rewards in running TanglePatterns.com is receiving comments and emails from fellow tanglers thanking me for the site and describing how Zentangle® has changed their lives. It is a wonderful feeling to know you’ve made a difference in a person’s life. Of course the real difference is what the gift of Zentangle has given, but I’m honored to help in my way through TanglePatterns.

For some time I’ve been sharing some of these stories (not private details) with friends and family, and it seems to me that these should be shared more widely. Many of you are new to this art form and I’m not sure you are aware of how Zentangle has helped so many people in dealing with some really tough challenges in their lives.“

Here are some of the challenges shared in inspiring testimonials of how Zentangle has made a difference in someone’s life:

• Relief from chronic hand pain, and depression and anxiety
• Healing after a traumatic brain injury
• Dealing with loss and grief
• Overcoming artist block
• Overcoming fear of failure
• Dealing with loneliness and loss
• Respite and relief for caregivers
• Overcoming panic attacks
• Relieving mental exhaustion and increasing productivity
• Providing relief from medical withdrawal and Parkinson’s Disease
• Healing a broken heart
• Improving hand control from effects of Parkinson’s Disease
• Improving hand control after mini-strokes
• Accomplishment after loss of vision in one eye
• Handling ADHD and anger management issues
• Handling the challenges of “loss, age-related physical conditions and the sometime resulting depression”
• Finding confidence and having fun drawing
• Helping cope with devastating loss
• Helping express feelings without words
• Changed life of manic depressive, bipolar tangler, renewing her outlook on life and reviving her creative interests
• Disabled, bedridden tangler finds life is richer and depression is dealt a blow through Zentangle
• New tangler discovers unexpected benefits beyond the Zentangle art form

You can read the full account of all these stories in each person’s own words by visiting the STORIES tab in the pink alphabetic tangle menu bar as shown below at the green arrow.

If you would like to share your own experience for this series, please email me (linda [at] tanglepatterns [dot] com). You can make your story as long as or short as you like and, if you wish, your personal details will remain anonymous.

I’d love to share your inspiring story …

* * *

The Tangle Refresher series, aka Buried Treasure, spotlights hidden tangle gems from the past. It can remind you of tangles you might not have used for a while or introduce you to some you haven’t come across yet.

Here are five more tangle pattern gems and a Tangle Refresher from a year (or two) ago for your tangling pleasure. Remember to check out the “More Good Stuff” links below too.

BTW as you visit these tangles please do leave a comment of thanks and encouragement to show the artists you appreciate them for sharing their creativity to inspire yours. And please share a link to your favorite tangles with your followers on all your social media. Thanks!

Zenful tangling!

Buried Treasure from the tangling past

	Jetties
	African Artist
	CanT
	Kisses
	Boxed Up
	Tangle Refresher 120

More good stuff …

• Creating colorful Zentangle-inspired mini canvases – a video by CZT Leslie Crumpler of Sakura of America
• How to create a Zentangle-inspired Galaxy on canvas – a video by CZT Sam Taylor
• New to Zentangle? The Official Zentangle Kit has everything you need to get started, including a great DVD tutorial by Zentangle co-founder Maria Thomas.
• A great companion to the Kit is the new Zentangle Primer Vol 1 – your CZT-in-a-book by the founders of Zentangle!
• Everything you need to know about creating Zentangle-Inspired Art or Products
• Free Interweave eBook – Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for crafters and artists
• Tangle Pattern Refreshers – the entire Buried Treasure series.
• Find more tutorials on TanglePatterns by visiting the TUTORIALS tab on the pink alphabetic menu bar
• Find a CZT near you – the link to the list of Certified Zentangle Teachers is located in the left sidebar of the site under the heading SOURCE WEBSITES.
• Interested in becoming a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT®)? Here’s more information.
• Linda’s List of Zentangle-original tangles — THE tangles to learn first if you’re new to Zentangle.

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