Let Your Pen Soothe Your Soul - Vol. 3

Bijou writes... The United States has been observing Mental Health Awareness Month during the month of May since 1949. Each year, businesses, organizations, schools, and individuals dedicate this month to acknowledge those affected by mental illness by presenting innovative ideas, events, and programs to support the treatment and prevention of mental illness. This month reminds us to recognize our wonderful CZT community that has found deep connections to the Zentangle Method through their own mental health journey, and who pass along the power of the Zentangle Method through teaching in their communities and beyond. They inspire others to tap into their creative abilities to soothe, heal, reignite, and empower... and they do the same themselves. We have asked some of our CZTs to share their stories this month and we thank them for their vulnerability in doing so. We hope these personal reflections remind our wider community how important it is to find a creative outlet and prioritize yourself.   Today, we hear from Melanie Moore. She writes... Learning and sharing the Zentangle Method has changed the course of my life. I was first introduced to Zentangle an art education conference session taught by Suzanne McNeil around 2010. I was teaching art in a K-8th grade school at the time. I found it an intriguing way to introduce students to drawing; and it was something I could do within the very small art budget I was allowed. What I did not predict was the intense interest and immediate improvement in focus that happened. It was magic! I continued to share the Zentangle Method in high school art classes, with similar effect; and I was struck by the striking creations made by my students, who often had little to no prior drawing experience. I also noticed confidence in their art ability, and the ability to tune out of the chaos of high school, while “tuning in.” Zentangle also became a coping mechanism for my own stress level, and was caught tangling in the margins of my notes in faculty meetings more than once! In 2015, I joined the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) in Destin, Florida, as Education Director—-where I direct touring programs and hands-on workshops for students and people with special needs. What I found missing in this area of multiple military installations and a very high percentage of veterans was an art program specifically for veterans - and particularly the wounded warrior population with visible and invisible injuries. Few people took my idea seriously, but I was given the opportunity to share the Zentangle Method with a small group of special operations wounded warriors at a retreat focusing on post-traumatic stress. One veteran in the group named me “the Bob Ross of Zentangle” (a compliment), and we received thank you letters and pictures of their continued Zentangle work when they went home. The board of the foundation took notice, and the Warrior Arts program was born. My friend who organized the class, a special forces medic and double amputee; learned to tangle with his non-dominant hand, and continued to advocate for the Zentangle Method and the Warrior Arts Program. Seeing the impact of the work I was doing, my parents helped underwrite my Zentangle certification in 2017.  At first, my goal was to have 10 Zentangle programs for veterans and active duty military in one year. Since then, the Warrior Arts program has grown to support around 80 Zentangle classes for the military community; plus 75 painting classes —- largely partnering with mental health support groups for PTSD and Military/Sexual Trauma; and in clinical settings supporting recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (the most common combat injury). We introduced Zentangle to Air Force Wounded Warrior (Eglin AFB) in 2018; followed by retreats for AFSOC Warrior CARE. As the program grew, MKAF underwrote the Zentangle certification of Chief Charles Burkett (CW3, US Army, Ret.); enriching the team with his experiences as a Ranger and Aviator; and his experience utilizing drawing as a tool for his recovery from a helicopter crash (and specifically Zentangle in recent years). Together, we have expanded the Warrior Arts Zentangle program with using the Zentangle Method for resiliency and leadership training programs for the military as well. The versatility of delivery methods for teaching Zentangle has also allowed us to connect with participants virtually in multiple states and stationed in various countries. Though I am not a wounded warrior or a veteran; I do have clinical depression. I would never equate my experience with a wounded warrior; but there have been times in my life when one of the only active things I could manage to do was to tangle. I was able to quiet my mind; and it did not need to be perfect, or even for anyone to see. In those times, I could not empty my mind enough to meditate, but I could move around a pen, and get lost in drawing lines—and I had an artifact of the experience. When one feels like one can’t recreate the past; there is power in being able to create something new, however small.  These days, I am feeling pretty well, and my colleague Charles and all of our students are a “tangle tribe” of sorts - coming together to make lives better, one tangle at a time.   As a reminder, we will release a 21-day series that invites our community to find 15-20 minutes for themselves each day from May 10th to May 30th. We focus on one tangle, one tile, one stroke at a time - simple, yet healing. You can find NEW Bijouisms and new videos each day in our newsletter and on our YouTube channel.