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When we developed the Zentangle Method
, we dreamed of what it might become. Thirteen years later, so much (and more) of what we dreamed has come true.
One example of what is possible with the Zentangle Method comes to us from a remote village in China.
This story is an elegant expression of our original intentions for the Zentangle Method, namely that:
- Everyone is an artist
- It feels good to create
- It's fun to share your creations
This newsletter is all about that story.
Enjoy!
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A Village in China Learns the Zentangle Method
Zhengcui Guo, who also goes by Jan, is a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) in China. She received her CZT training in Taipei, Taiwan last year.
Jan posted a blog post about her recent trip to teach the Zentangle Method in the village of Bawen in Guangnan County in the Wenshan Prefecture of the Yunnan Province in the People's Republic of China.
We selected a few parts of Jan's blogpost for this article and added a few comments. When you are finished reading, please visit her blog to read all her words and see larger versions of these and many other beautiful pictures. There's so much more to read and enjoy. (Link below)
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We often talk about how you can practice the Zentangle Method with a stick on a sandy beach at low tide. In this village they mixed a local red mud to tangle on their stucco buildings.
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Jan wrote:
这孩子，就是这座房子主人的孙子。老奶奶告诉孙子，这里还要填满。虽然，我听不懂老奶奶讲什么，老奶奶却似乎明白我想要干什么。艺术在这里已经超越了语言的界限。
"This child is the grandchild of the home's owner. He is so happy to join us to create art out of his house. It seems the Grandmother understood what I asked, and helped the child know what needed to be done, although I don't understand her language. Art is beyond language, isn't it?"
Jan wrote:
后来的大雨把我逼到别的地方去躲雨，但我准备回去的时候，发现孩子们冒雨，还在画。他们是真爱上禅绕画了。
"
A heavy
rain
forced me to another place, and I had the children stop to avoid the rain. But when I returned to hotel, I found the children were still there, for they didn't stop, they were still drawing. They had fallen in love with Zentangle."
Jan wrote:
戴着草帽的是这些孩子的校长。站在后面看了好久好久。最终还是忍不住，尝试着画了一会儿。校长戏称孩子们是"老师的老师"。
"The man pictured here with a straw-hat is the headmaster, who stood behind his students for more than half an hour, watching us. I asked him " Why not have a try? Your students can teach you." Finally he was happy to take brush to start his first Zentangle, but following his students. I made a joke about this to him, "Now the teacher is student, student is teacher". Children dare not to openly agree to the idea. But the headmaster agreed about this, for he said, "Yes, why not, you are your teacher's teacher".
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Jan wrote:
在今天完成的墙面墙拍个毕业纪念合影
"
We made a g
roup photo with these tiny artists in front of our work today."
At the end of her blog post, Jan wrote:
我们的禅绕村落计划还只是一个开始，一个美丽的开始，一个用艺术装点生活的梦的开始。
在这里，人人都是艺术家；
在这里，艺术回归到生活；
在这里，艺术超越语言、辈分、贫富、性别、职业、年龄、地区、民族、国家的界限；
在这里，在艺术前面，人人平等；
在这里，禅绕无界。
"
Our Zentangle Village Project just started, with a beautiful beginning revealing a great dream to decorate our life via art.
"Here, everyone is an artist;
"Here, beauty is returned to life;
"Here, art is beyond language, seniority, financial status, gender, occupation, age, region, ethnicity, national borders;
"Here, everyone is equal in front of art;
"Here, there are no limits in Zentangle."
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Rick and Maria comment:
What a elegant expression of how art IS "beyond language, seniority, financial status, gender, occupation, age, region, ethnicity, national borders" and, religious beliefs.
The Zentangle Method creates this common ground because Zentangle Art is independent of language, age requirements, political views, religious beliefs or any other barrier that might separate us from each other.
Even though our name, Zentangle, has "zen" in it, we do not teach Zen or any religion. We teach how to create beautiful art with gratitude and appreciation.
See below to learn how we chose our name.
Thank you, Jan Zhengcui Guo, CZT!
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How "Zentangle" got its name
As soon as we got the idea that became the Zentangle Method, we knew it was important. To avoid interruption while we gathered these fresh ideas, we took a mini-vacation at a bed and breakfast in Western Massachusetts, blank book and pens in hand. We describe those special days in our first book, The Book of Zentangle.
On our last night there, after trying on many names, we still hadn't found one that fit. Although we did like the word "tangle" to describe our new method of drawing deconstructed patterns.
During that time we were both busy in Maria's stationery design business, Pendragon Ink, Ltd. We explored ways to reference that name because we use a pen to create tangles. So, we tried "Pentangle." But we rejected that because it was already in use and we felt it might be uncomfortable for people who have a negative perception of pentagrams.
Then, one of us said the rhyming word "Zentangle." It was like finally putting on a shoe that fits after trying on many ill-fitting ones. All at once, we both exclaimed, "That's It!" The name fit with Rick's background in meditation and Maria's background in art. The name also fit with our quick description of our discovery as a "meditational artform" because its easy to enjoy a relaxed focus as you draw. (
That having been said, we only teach the Zentangle Method of drawing. We do not teach meditation or any religion or doctrine.)
So we did an online search for "Zentangle." No one was using it. "Zentangle" it would be! We reserved zentangle.com and began the process to register our name.
More fun trivia:
Rick meditated for years, although contrary to reports, he never practiced Zen or Zen Buddhism. But we do have fun saying,
"He's Zen and she's tangle." (And if you've met us, you know why! :-)
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We are thrilled to see so many people from different countries, belief systems, languages, cultures and backgrounds create and share their beautiful Zentangle creations.
Hundreds of thousands, most of whom believed they could NOT draw, now enjoy expressing their creativity through the Zentangle Method. This will forever warm our hearts.
Thank you for being part of this uplifting adventure of discovering, creating and sharing so much beauty in this world as exemplified by Jan Zhengcui Guo's experience in the village of Bawen!
With all our Best Wishes,
Rick, Maria, Martha, Molly, and all of us at Zentangle
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