A Quest For Focus

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** My Paradise


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Zenned Out

Friday, August 27, 2010

I've spent the last 4 days on discovering the zentangle (or whatever it is you may call it). I've always doodled as far as I can remember. Well, in the way I do things - go big or go home - I started with a doodle aka string on a sheet of 11x14 bristol board then cut it up into 12 pieces, I did number them first so it would be easy to put them back together, then shuffled them a bit and had at it, one at a time I filled each square.........for hours, days even, just me, my favorite music a Micron pen and a 2B pencil. I had help along the way from various zentangle artists out there on the internet, there is some incredible talent out there in this sort of art. So, here is my first attempt at a zentangle ensemble:
I added a Buddist mantra I had gotten on an ATC from my friend, Brenda, that I thought would be good on here somewhere by Thich Nhat Hanh. This was such a great thing to do - just to make pattern after pattern practically without much thought. What was even more fun was seeing what all 12 looked like once I put them back together! 

Also this week, I hit my 200 mile mark on my virtual trip across the USA. I've also lost 8 pounds so far. Not a ton but my clothes are looking so much better and I think I've gained a bit of muscle so I can deal with that! Here is my newest close up map and I've added my trail progress  looking at the whole state of Virginia:
Only 500+ miles to go before I leave the state! haha! I've set what is probably an unrealistic goal which is to be done w/ VA before the first snow falls because after it does I have to put the bike up and exclusively walk until the spring which will make for some S L O W progress. But we'll see - I'll try my best! 

This video/song is a little long, but hey, what Grateful Dead tune isn't? This song carried me through a piece of the above zentangle and I thought it suited my post just fine.
 

 
the heart has it's seasons, it's evenin's and songs of it's own...at the Shores

2 Click here . I love comments!:

BelleSouth said...

Extremely well done, Andrea!! I cannot get into doing a zentangle, I get very impatient, it seems, when I try to do one. Not my thing I guess!

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Abby had a very bad infection in her digestive system, kind of par for the course who will eat odd things, and even then swallows them almost whole! She is on antibiotics and a very limited diet, which she is not happy with, but she is doing better.


Take care,
Rebecca

Unknown said...

Oh, hopefully Abby will recover tout de suite! Do post updates on her progress.

And thank you! I have tried zentangles MANY times but failed miserably - this time I may just have the hang of it. I think the trick was to make the doodle then fill it in, before I'd just try to fill in the space. It was an extreme lesson in meditation :)

 

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