DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

the crux of it

7/8/2014

 
Picture
This week's Zentangle® Challenge from The Diva was a tangle I had never seen before: Crux, by Henrike Bratz.  And it was indeed a challenge; yesterday I took it for a test drive on a piece of scrap paper.  Disaster!  Ugh!  My first tries were hideous.

I liked Henrike's illustrations, and the Diva's version, but wow, I had real trouble with it.  Just couldn't get it. 

So today, with great trepidation, I grabbed my Gelly Roll pens and a black tile and set to work.  To warm up, I started with Squid, the organic tangle on the right of the tile.

Much to my surprise, Crux came out just fine.  I have no idea why.  Was it the warm-up first?  It just flowed right out.  Could have knocked me over with surprise.  Any ideas on why this sometimes happens?  Is it that the brain has had time to think about it overnight?  Is it the beginning of muscle-memory from the practice yesterday, even though yesterday's results were terrible?

I am posting this before I change my mind.  I am surprised to say that I like it.  Even the colors are unusual for me; I never use pink.  Next I'll swing by the Diva's website and see what other people are doing with this tangle.

The whole experience reminded me of my experience with high school algebra (seriously--read on and you'll see why). 

Freshman year I took Algebra One
.  Up until then I had been a straight-A student in my academic career, although math was always a terrible struggle.  Algebra One totally defeated me.  I did not understand one single thing the entire year.  At the end of the year I squeaked out a D, I think, the only D I ever got, and I think they gave me a D only because they couldn't bear to give an F to an otherwise A student.  I knew Algebra Two was coming up in my Junior Year and began worrying the day Algebra One finished.  Sophomore year we had Geometry.  I did poorly at that also, but managed to grit my teeth and get through it with a B if memory serves.  That summer after sophomore year I went into a full-scale panic, knowing what was coming up:  The dreaded Algebra Two.  I knew I could not do it.

Mid-summer I was practically physically sick with anxiety.  Finally the month before school resumed I went to the library and took out an Algebra One book and brought it home.  In a state of complete hopeless terror, I opened it and began reading.

I understood every word.  It was a breeze to learn.

This was a complete mystery to me then, and even now.  What happened?  I aced Algebra Two and even enjoyed it...why?  Did I mature somehow?  Did my brain go to work on the topic after that horrible first year?  What made the difference?  I still would like to know.

Today's experience with Crux was a (very) mini-version of that phenomenon.  Go figure.

---------------------------
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”
Truman Capote
and another quote I'm sure I've shared before:
“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”
Salvador Dali


sal link
7/8/2014 08:40:54 am

I too prefer organic to grids, but yours really glows! Wow!

Devin
7/8/2014 02:43:10 pm

Thank you Sal. That is wonderful to hear from you (I just downloaded a zendala template from your site--love your site).

I just managed to re-do this picture and it's slightly better than the one I had before.

sal link
7/17/2014 09:00:32 am

Oh, fab. Please zap me or leave a comment when you've used it as I'd love to see how it turns out!

Kia
7/8/2014 03:12:31 pm

Love the vibrant colours on the black tile. I especially like how the two patterns work together. I've always found that leaving a work of art, or school work, for a day or so, seems to let your brain rest and assimilate things and almost always you get better work and new ideas. Go figure.

kia
7/8/2014 03:38:54 pm

Love the vibrant colours on the black tile. I especially like how the two patterns work together. I've always found that leaving a work of art, or school work, for a day or so, seems to let your brain rest and assimilate things and almost always you get better work and new ideas. Go figure

HeidiSue link
7/8/2014 05:44:04 pm

this reminds me of a garden...there is a trellis, with a flower on it. Very pretty. The detail that really caught my eye is the little white dotes around each petal.

Jennifer Hohensteiner link
7/8/2014 10:40:17 pm

I loved your piece right away. I love pink and I love dots. Very nice. It was fun reading your algebra story. I do think that the subconscious can do a lot of work for us if we let it. Anxiety, frustration - they block us.

Annemarie
7/8/2014 11:30:40 pm

I do like your tile a lot, The black tile is beautiful.

Didisch link
7/9/2014 02:59:35 am

Oh this looks great on the black tile. I love the bright pink and purple colors in the piece. And your layout is great, by leaving the right side black. Makes it very intersting.

Devin
7/9/2014 03:49:19 am

Thank you all! I have only done one previous challenge, and you are all making me feel like a million bucks.

I wish I could post my responses to everyone else who participated, but on many of the blogs (not all) I cannot figure out how to sign in. Darn! I am enthralled with how varied and lovely our interpretations are.

Kathy link
7/9/2014 01:55:44 pm

Ahh...algebra! It was my nemesis too! I like your variation of Crux, your tile just seems to glow!

LonettA link
7/9/2014 08:58:31 pm

Really wonderful on the black tile! I like the colours, too! Nicely done!

1 Art Lady Kate link
7/13/2014 06:10:20 am

Really looks great with the colors on the black tile!

Your old friend, P.
7/18/2014 08:42:28 am

That's exactly what happened with Algebra, your brain matured. You were young for your grade. You were only 13 yeArs old until almost half way through 9th grade. There brain development involving abstract thinking that happens around then.


Comments are closed.

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

      If you enjoy reading this blog, input your email address here to get an every-other-month notice about checking for new posts.

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    Picture
    Certified, 2021
    Picture
    Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
    Picture
    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Black Tiles
    Bookbinding
    Broken Wrist Tangles
    Clocks
    Colored Pencil
    Creative Inspiration
    Death
    Diva Challenge
    Drawing
    Dyeing Wool Or Yarn
    Fans
    Frederick Franck
    Gellyrolls
    Gesso
    Gratitangles2018
    Gratitangles2020
    Gray Tiles
    Ims
    Inktober
    Inktober 2018
    Inktober 2019
    Inktober2020
    Iphone App On Tangles
    Joey Challenge
    Knitted Knockers
    Knitting
    Knots
    Mandalas
    Map Tangling
    Marathon
    Meditation
    Neurographica
    No Fail No Learn
    Other People's Work
    Poetry
    Portrait
    Punch Hooking
    Punch Needle Embroidery
    Quilts And Other Art
    Rainbow Lead Pencil
    Renaissance Tiles
    Rug Hooking
    Scratch Art
    Sketchbook-skool
    String Thing Challenge
    #summertangles2018
    Tangles
    Tarot
    Tarot Rug Project
    Truly Miscellaneous
    Watercolor
    Weather
    Zenagain2018
    Zendala-dare
    Zenuari2019

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    SITES TO WATCH:

    Insight Meditation Society

    Oxford Rug Hooking School


    Zentangle:  The Official Site

    Green Mountain Rug Hooking

    Massachusetts Tarot Society


    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness