Tangled Valentines

One of the personal issues that frustrates me is that I enjoy a wide variety of things but never seem to master any one thing to the degree that I might be perceived as accomplished. I like to knit but I am just a beginner and everything I knit looks terrible. Also, I always abandon crafts that use yarn, thread, or string because something always goes terribly awry. In sewing I was constantly getting the thread tangled near the bobbin. In embroidery, the back of my project looked like a complicated insect nest. With counted cross stitch I always lose count and my whole design is off. With knitting I forget my row and end up doing it backwards or one row is different. I never moved beyond chain stitch in crochet.

I like to draw but am not good at it. I like to craft but nothing I do ever looks professional like the cards, crafts, etc. that you  see on other people's blogs. I made Bailey a card for Valentines day, inspired by an image of an owl on The Queen's Scene . I envisioned my version of a precocious little owl. Well there were some issues with my owl and while I could have improved upon him the second time around I didn't have time to make him a second time. Real world crafting has time limits.

If I could show promise in one area then I would invest in the tools of that particular trade. I would buy all the stamping stuff or all the drawing stuff or all the scrapbooking stuff. Some of the equipment for paper crafters is essential if you want to get a professional look. I like to dabble in all those things so I don't actually own a good paper cutter or a die cut machine, I own lots of stickers, random paper, regular scissors, some stamps, some ink pads, all kinds of pompoms, yarn, pipe cleaners, some sketch pads, a regular pencil, lots of different kinds of markers (from Crayola markers to Prismacolor to micron pens), and (I can't stress this enough) I never feel like I have the right glue for whatever I'm working on!

My latest interest has been Zentangle. I am not an artist and I am not interested in using Zentangle for meditation but I do like to doodle and this seems like advanced doodling to me. Here's how the Zentangle website describes Zentangle: " Our Zentangle method is a way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is fun and relaxing. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages".

I have used the book Totally Tangled by Sandy Steen Bartholomew to get ideas and practice different tangles. 

 I used the book Illustration School, Lets Draw Cute Animals by Sachiko Umoto to draw the little animals in the center of the design.

Most of my tangles have been fun but not uniform and again not "professional" or polished. I may need to accept my creations as they are and as with every other area of  my life: persevere. I need to take the running mantra mentioned in my previous post and apply it to creativity: Be Strong, Be Brave! Happy Tangling!