May 25, 2026

Greetings!

Welcome to Day 15 of the 2026 Bijou Be Well series!

Each year, in support of Mental Health Awareness Month, we share our Bijou Be Well series. This is a 21-day Zentangle challenge designed to encourage you to pause, breathe, and make space for yourself through small, meaningful moments of creativity.

In this year's series, alongside a daily reminder to tangle, we will share a collection of studies, articles, and stories that explore creativity and its benefits for mental well-being.

Today, we explore the topic of...

The Zentangle Method and Recovery

Bijou writes...

"We hear from our community that one of the greatest challenges in recovery and sobriety lies in interrupting the powerful cycle of addictive thought patterns and urges. The Zentangle Method offers an effective and gentle tool in this journey. The nature of the method creates a natural pause... a moment in which the brain is redirected away from craving and toward calm, focused creativity. The practice of putting pen to paper grounds the tangler in the present moment and offers a healthy, accessible outlet for restless or anxious energy. And what makes the Zentangle Method particularly meaningful in recovery is its simplicity. It requires no prior artistic feats and no special supplies. Just pen, paper, and the willingness to begin."

Read some of the impactful Zentangle stories from our community on the blog today.

This year, we encourage you to step away from your screen, ground yourself in your space, and create without expectation.

We will begin the series with an introductory video to help you get organized and familiar with the process. Each day that follows, we will release simple instructions and a step-out of a tangle to guide you as you build your Opus tile... one tangle at a time. If the step-out is not enough, and you would like additional guidance, we will also provide a video of each tangle from some of our previous Bijou Be Well series (we are in a Time Machine this year, after all!).

Now, take a deep breath, stretch your arms over your head, roll your shoulders away from your ears, take a deep breath, and join us in today's prompt.

Bijou Be Well Series 2026 - Day 15 Step-Out

crazy cadent Tutorial

Crazy cadent was created as a tangleation of our treasured tangle cadent. Rather than planting our anchor orbs in an organized grid, we take each stroke, one at a time, and connect them, dancing across our tile. Using the technique of take-off-and-land, we link two orbs together with an "S" shaped line. The result is expressive and unpredictable: 3-sided shapes to leave "as is" or fill with a fragment.

Even though this tangle grows in a "crazy" way, there is something about the graceful chaos that is so elegant. Though this may be your first foray into this tangleation, we have a feeling it won't be your last!

Tangling Tip: To get the full effect, experiment with altering the size of your orbs and stretching the distance between them.

We will add a little each day, one tangle, one stroke at a time. Take your time and trust this process. Now it is time to take a deep breath and a moment for yourself to tangle.

We will continue tomorrow with a new tangle and more suggestions to carry you through the series.

Are you just joining us? You can join us from the beginning on our website, here!

Each day as we go along, we will share Opus tiles created by different members of Zentangle HQ! We encourage you to take progress photos along the way so you can look back and see how your tile unfolded.

Translucen-Z Opus by Molly Hollibaugh

Translucen-Z Opus by Jean Moroski

Share your progress photos on the Zentangle Mosaic App and other social Media sites with the hashtags #BijouBeWell2026 and #BijouBeWell2026Day15.

Shop Bijou's Be Well Bundles here.

Bijou's Be Well Bundles contain 2 Opus Tiles and assorted tools to tangle with specific for each surface. Each glassine envelope also contains three Bijouisms selected just for you. 

Choose from white and tan Opus tiles, black Opus tiles or Translucen-Z Opus tiles.

The purchase of these supplies directly supports the overall production of the full 21 days of tangling in the Bijou Be Well series. We are grateful for your thoughtful support in helping make this meaningful offering possible for our community.

Over the past few years, Bijou has shed his wisdom in the form of "Bijouisms." They have been a great way for us at Zentangle HQ to bring light to all the little philosophies behind the method that are so important to us. These cute little 2" square cards are great to use for inspiration, to make a tile around, or to use as reminders to Breathe, Create, Enjoy, and Love Your Work!

Bijouism Deck Nos. 1-24

Bijouism Deck Nos. 25-48

Make sure to use the dropdown menu to select which deck you would like to purchase.

Take Bijou and his gentle reminders with you with our collection of custom Bijou apparel.

Bijou's Distressed Hat

2 colors

Bijou's Unisex T-Shirt

2 colors

Bijou's Crop Hoodie

3 colors

There is more Bijou apparel at the Zentangle Store. Take a look!

This apparel is made specifically for you as soon as you place an order, so they will ship separately from any other Zentangle products and are not returnable. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

The Zentangle Foundation is a non-profit organization. Due to the community's generosity, the Foundation can provide monetary support to organizations and individuals to share the Zentangle Method in their communities, support research studies to evaluate and quantify the benefits of the Zentangle Method, and support people in becoming Certified Zentangle Teachers by providing scholarships. The work to spread the Zentangle Method is essential to our recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. 

If you would like to learn more, and consider a gift, please visit the Foundation's website. Donations to The Zentangle Foundation may also be made on YouTube by clicking on the Donate button located on each video page. We thank you for your support!

Learn more about our upcoming events here!

© 2026 Zentangle, Inc.