Is it Time to Change Your Story?

← Previous | Next →

Have you ever had to change your story? You know, that story you tell yourself. I have lots of stories that I tell myself. And over the years, I’ve had to change them many times! Looking back now, I see that I’m a bit of slow learner, or maybe I just don’t like to let go. I held on to some stories and I took too long to change them.

Okay, you may be wondering what I’m talking about. It’s quite simple. We all have stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes they come from our parents, sometimes from friends, or teachers, or just from your heart. But we all have them, and as we grow these stories change. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy learning so much! And I digress, again.

We all have these stories about who we are, or what we can do, or how the world is. For example, one of my stories was “I can’t draw.” And now my story is “I’m an artist.” If you know me, you know I’m a believer of the “No Mistakes” philosophy. So, I don’t have regrets (all roads lead here). Occasionally I wonder how things might have been different if I had changed that story sooner. But alas, it’s all good! No Mistakes!

My personal journey to seeing myself as an artist (who can draw), began when I discovered Zentangle®. I didn’t know what it was in the beginning, I just knew that I loved all the beautiful images I found online. I sought out books and began teaching myself. I knew I found something magical! And in 2017 I attended the seminar to become a Certified Zentangle Teacher or CZT. Practicing the Zentangle Method allowed me to nurture the artist who had been patiently waiting for me and I discovered that I can draw! and paint, and whatever I want.

I used to teach in my home studio in Arizona. Then COVID pushed me to move to teaching online, something I had always wanted to do. And the past year has changed everything again, as life sometimes can. In addition to artist, I’m also a full-time care giver for my brother who has a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a motorcycle accident. Now I live in Iowa and do not have a studio for teaching, so I’m re-evaluating again. I’m leaning toward creating classes with pdf files and video links that can be downloaded. I do miss my students and teaching live and/or in person. But for now, I’m changing my story again.

If you would like to learn more about the Zentangle Method or if you’d like a preview of this type of downloadable class (pdf with video links), I created a class and it’s available for free. It’s called Zentangle Quick Start, and you can get it by signing up for emails on my website homepage. Oh and the images in this post are just some of the tiles you'll create in the Zentangle Quick Start Class. (Full disclosure: I discovered that the links to this class pdf were broken. I believe I have fixed it. But I’m not a techie so…If you signed up and could not access the class, please let me know and I’ll get it to you. And if you sign up and it doesn’t work, please let me know that too! I’m not a techie, but I want things to work so I’ll get it fixed. It just may take some time.)