Zentangle®
by Women’s Brain Health Initiative:
RELAX THROUGH MINDFUL DRAWING.
Looking for a fun and creative way to relax that is easy to learn, even for people who think they have no artistic talent whatsoever? Something that is simple, yet more individualized and expressive than just colouring? If so, you’ll want to try Zentangle®, a popular self-help art modality that is both fun and therapeutic, and no previous art experience or skill is required.
Zentangle is a form of meditative drawing using structured patterns that can help you relax and focus.
The Zentangle method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, in 2003. The philosophy of this method is summed up in their trademarked tagline “Anything is possible one stroke at a time.”
“Soon after it presented itself to us nearly 20 years ago, we knew it was important,” said Thomas and Roberts. “We both trusted our feelings and our inspirations and left our day jobs to focus fully on Zentangle.”
THE ZENTANGLE PROCESS
With Zentangle, it is the process that matters more than the end product. Yes, tangling does produce unique and beautiful pieces of art, but art-making is not the primary purpose. Rather, the main goal is to help you relax, reduce stress, and reach a mindful state.
To do that, it uses a specific process and principles.
· Begin by gathering your supplies. You only need three tools: a pencil, pen, and piece of paper. Typically, you use a 3.5-inch square piece of paper (called a “tile”) and a permanent black pen, although other types of pen and sizes/types of paper can be substituted. Note the absence of an eraser from the supply list.
That’s because, with Zentangle, there are no mistakes. You use the pencil only briefly at the beginning and then switch to pen, and if you make any unintended marks, you just leave them and figure out how to incorporate them into your art.
· Before you begin, take a few slow and deep breaths, relax your body, and clear your mind.
· Using the pencil, place a light dot in each corner of your paper tile. Then use the pencil to lightly connect the four dots using straight or curved lines, creating a border. Next, continue using the pencil to divide your tile into sections by drawing what is referred to as a “string,” which can be a zigzag, swirl, circle, X, or any other shape you like. Draw your string quickly, without any thought. Don’t try to picture or plan in advance how the end piece of art will look.
· Choose your first tangle (i.e., pattern) and use your pen to draw it, one stroke at a time until one of the sections on your tile is filled. Be mindful as you work, focusing your attention completely on the task at hand, not thinking about the past or future. Repeat until each section is filled with a different pattern. Rotate your tile as needed while you work. You are creating abstract art and there will be no top or bottom.
· Once you are done filling the sections with tangles, you may choose to use the pencil to add shading and depth. Then, sign and date the back of your tile, and pause to look at the finished piece, reflecting on how you feel.
“The structured process used with Zentangle simplifies things, freeing your mind from the need to make a bunch of decisions,” explained Deborah Kopeschny, a registered psychotherapist and art therapist, and certified Zentangle teacher, based in Toronto. “It is much easier to relax when you don’t have to think about what to draw, or what materials and colours to use.”
“Zentangle is very accessible. It is suitable for all age groups, and once someone has learned the basic techniques, they are able to do it just about anywhere, anytime, using only a few inexpensive supplies,” continued Kopeschny. “Zentangle is such an enjoyable tool for managing stress and nurturing mental well-being that many people tangle every day.”
ZENTANGLE-INSPIRED ART
The process described above is the traditional Zentangle method, the one that has been studied and found to cultivate a mindful, meditative state that provides many benefits (described in the next section). Some people stick to making traditional Zentangle art. There are endless possible combinations of strings and patterns one can put together to create a different piece of art every time.
However, others build on the foundation of traditional Zentangle and branch out to make what is referred to as Zentangle-inspired art. Some ways Zentangle-inspired art may differ from the traditional approach include: being much larger and more complex than a traditional piece, utilizing additional supplies like coloured pencils or markers, and not being abstract (e.g., a drawing of an animal, leaf, or other object may be used as the basic shape to fill in with patterns).
BENEFITS OF ZENTANGLE
The reported benefits of Zentangle include reduced stress, a sense of inner calm and peace, improved sleep, and lower blood pressure. It has also been linked to increased focus, concentration, creativity, and problem-solving, as well as improved memory and self-confidence. It can also help provide a healthy distraction from things like trauma, grief, or pain.
What is particularly exciting is that Zentangle can produce these benefits very quickly – after as little as one session.
One study involving 24 caregivers of people with Parkinson’s disease found that a single 20-minute Zentangle session resulted in a significant decrease in both stress and anxiety. That study was conducted by Lianne Sufrin as part of a thesis for Hofstra University in 2015.
Another study also found positive impacts of a Zentangle intervention that was fairly short. In this study – by Siu-Ki Chung and colleagues, published in American Journal of Occupational Therapy – 38 adults from the general public were randomly assigned to a Zentangle group or a waitlist control group. Participants in the Zentangle group completed a two-hour class, learning basic principles and completing two drawings, and were then encouraged to practice on their own for two weeks.
The researchers found that, compared with the control group, those in the Zentangle group experienced significant reductions in negative affect both immediately after the intervention as well as two weeks later. Further, participants who practiced Zentangle for more than 80 minutes per week experienced a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms as well as improved self-compassion.
“The Zentangle method has always been a fun, easy, and enjoyable system of creating beautiful images. However, we did not anticipate the many other ways a Zentangle practice would benefit people. Their stories tell of relief of pain, anxiety, and traumas small and large; of the joy of creating something beautiful; the pleasures of a worldwide supportive community of creators … and 1,500 or so other things!” said Thomas and Roberts. “We are grateful that even after 20 years, Zentangle continues to be an amazing and magical adventure – for us and for so many other people across this world.”
GIVE IT A TRY!
“The best way to discover the benefits of Zentangle is to give it a try,” said Kopeschny. “In our fast-paced world where information overload is so prevalent, there is a critical need for mindfulness, calm, and uninterrupted focus. If you are seeking a brief respite from your busy life and relief from chronic stress, Zentangle might be an ideal pastime to begin. Other forms of mindfulness activity, like meditation, can be challenging to stick to, but many people quite enjoy putting pen to paper and allowing a beautiful, unplanned work of art to emerge, making it much easier to develop a consistent Zentangle habit and reap the subsequent benefits.”
There are many free or inexpensive ways to learn to tangle. There are in-person and online classes offered by certified Zentangle teachers, or you can learn on your own using free online resources or one of the many books available on the subject.
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Zentangle terminology
When you are creating a piece of art using the Zentangle method, you are said to be “tangling,” i.e., tangle is the verb used, not “Zentangling.” The individual repetitive patterns used to create each drawing are referred to as “tangles.”
Zentangle & dementia
Zentangle Inc. and the Zentangle Foundation are working closely with the Alzheimer Society of Calgary. They are applying the Zentangle Method to benefit not only patients, but also caregivers and families of patients.
Negative affect refers to the subjective experience of unpleasant emotional states such as anxiety, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, anger, and envy.
Zentangle is a mindfulness activity, i.e., it helps individuals cultivate a deep focus on the present moment, noticing what is happening here and now without judgement.
Research has shown that mindfulness offers a broad range of mental and physical benefits, including: psychological well-being; decreased mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety; reductions in chronic pain; and improved brain function and immune response.
Long-term mindfulness practices have been found to change brain patterns (toward calm yet focused states of attention), as well as brain structure (encouraging thicker, more developed areas of grey matter).