Endings and a New Beginning

Oh my... it is crazy how VERY quickly this year flew by. I am so grateful for all the blessings my family and I had throughout the year.  It was a wonderful year and I am excited about what is ahead in 2016! I have lots of plans/ideas/goals and am excited about working on them. So... what are a few of them?

PLANS, PLANS, and more PLANS!

• More Zentangle® Audio Meditations in 2016!!!! (What has been holding me up? I need to find a better way to host before I add more audios... It is costing me WAY too much money. So this will be one of the first things I will need to research.)

• Weekly Blog Post (It will be fun to see a weekly recap of art I've worked on and any adventures!)

• Challenge Participation (These will be recapped in the Weekly Blog Post. I LOVE participating in challenges... it inspires me to see outside my little box and to try something new.) 

• Yoga Practice (I have practiced Bikram Yoga since March 31, 2012. I have 919 under my belt... So I am excited to hit 1000(!), most likely by my 4 year anniversary date! On January 4th I will begin participation in a 60 day challenge that the studio is putting on. It is always fun to work towards a goal with others. I normally practice every day that I am in town and take a break if we are away for weekend or something... I will be challenged right away because we will be away for a few days during the time period. This means I'll have to practice in another studio. That will be another thing that makes me step outside my box!) 

• Be Mindful in ALL that I do (It is too easy to get lost in multi-tasking, etc. I want to step back... and enjoy the moment I am in... this will mean learning to limit easy distractions... like my phone, social media, etc.)

I think that's enough for now! I want to end this year's blog with a few pictures from an Introduction to Zentangle class I taught a few weeks ago to 27 BRILLIANT YouTube engineers! I had a blast preparing and teaching this seminar. It did add some crazy busyness at Christmas time, but I am so happy that I did it. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to share the beautiful mindful meditation of Zentangle with others. 

Name art created for each student.

I absolutely ADORE creating an "experience" at each class I teach. It makes me so happy to see my students enter the classroom and see that they each have lovely, personalized art just for them. It took me MANY days to finish all 27 pieces... it was a lot of work, BUT I had hours and hours of my own meditation and enjoyment in the process. I needed it! It had been awhile since I forced myself to sit at my art desk and create. 

The gorgeous sunrise the day of the workshop!

The morning of the workshop I took a little walk along the beach... This is the SPECTACULAR way the day began!

Entry to class!

Display of my art and supplies.

Name art for each student ready to be picked up!

Room set up... An easel at each seat to display art.

All set up and ready for students to arrive!

Yay! They're here...

... and more here ...

Time to add their tiles to the mosaic!

Finished art!

Inspiring art done by all!

A few things struck me as I taught this particular class... The engineers set their phones aside and were silent AND engrossed in the process as they drew each tangle. They were so excited to view their art next to all the other art created by their peers. They took so. many. pictures. :)  The moment that meant the most to me was when I heard one student say, "I really AM an artist," as he left at the end of the workshop. Mission. Accomplished. 

Once again... I am so grateful for this past year and I look forward to a fantastic year ahead. I wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous, AND art filled New Year!