Embracing the Yuck

My tile for this week’s Diva Challenge:

Tangles used: Bales, Knase, Flux, Mooka, and Tipple

This week’s Diva Challenge was presented by guest blogger, Elisa Murphy, who was inspired by the the fact that Laura’s son Artoo just had eye surgery.  Recognizing the fears and anxiety that a parent feels when their child needs surgery she asked that we lend support and solidarity to Laura, her family, and others “fighting the feelings that come with being forced to sit with the unsteadiness and powerlessness [of the situation]”.

Our challenge was to tangle with our non-dominant hand (including shading and blending). She added “Let’s return to the foundation of Zentangle and focus solely on that process, celebrating the imperfection of the product.  Can you find the beauty in the discomfort? What happens when you tap into that shaky feeling as you navigate your tile?  Did you find a way to adapt?”

She further encouraged us to write our thoughts and feelings on the back of the tile.

My biggest challenge was fighting the desire to switch to my dominant hand – just to “fix” something or clean it up.  I was aware that the tile would not look as “polished” as a tile done with my right hand, so I was ok with that.  I used a Micron graphic pen to color in the triangles and you will see that I didn’t “stay in the lines”  and the coverage needs to be cleaned up. To do this tile I had to go really, really, really slow.  Imagine what it would look like if I hadn’t?

I found that my pressure was very heavy in my attempt to make straight lines and nice orbs and just before I finished the tile I realized that I could have using an Apprentice Pen.  I’m thinking about doing another tile with the Apprentice Pen to see how that works for my unsteadiness.

It was an interesting challenge and when I have time I will do another tile.  It raised my awareness to challenges other people might have with tangling – the youngster who has not developed their fine motor skills, someone who through an illness has lost some of their fine motor skills.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I would be delighted if you left me a comment.  And, a huge thank all who have left comments in the past.  I really appreciate them.

To sign up for my free Zentangle Newsletter, published six or so times a year, go to www.TaoOf Tangling.com.

Time for me to see tiles posted by others on the Diva Challenge.  I encourage you to also visit the site to see the various interpretations of the challenge.

Until next time,
Sending smiles,
Maureen