Late Night Tangles

Oh boy!  New gray-toned paper to play with.

On a new Zentangle® gray tile. I really enjoy working on toned paper. Bales (day 8) and Lola (day 9) for Inktober 2019. Gray tile, Micron 01 in black, graphite + white chalk pencil.

I'm beginning to think I do my easiest tangling late at night.  Both the previous work and the work below were done very late.  It was after midnight when I finished each of them.  I'm thinking that being tired slows down the critic in my head, plus at that time of day my goal is really relaxation, and I don't care much about what comes out of the pen.  The result is usually better than the more self-conscious efforts when I'm more alert.

Days 10 and 11 of the Inktober 2019 project. Cubine in the background and Instaflux in the foreground. Microns 01 and 03 in black, plus General's Chalk Pencils; done on a gray tile.

I take note that in meditation, focusing on the current moment and not worrying about the "results" is prime.  And so is acknowledging that there is an inner critical voice; realizing that the voice is "just thoughts," and that thoughts are not the same as facts.  We do not have to believe or pay attention to thoughts that pass through our heads, and that goes for the critical voice as well.

It's difficult to have fun or to achieve concentration when your ego is engaged in what it thinks is a life-and-death struggle.
(W. Timothy Gallwey)