Greetings of the season, friends and fellow tanglers! It’s been a very, very long time since I shared anything here, mostly because of the year I’ve had. So much travel! I feel as though I’ve been out of town more than I’ve been home – particularly this fall – and while I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences full of fun, friends, and family, I’m completely ready for a couple of weeks of relative quiet, celebrating the holidays at home before getting back into the swing of real life in the new year.
Now, on to the main topic of my post (which I’ve actually been attempting to write since November) – I’m happy to announce that I’m a CZT® all over again!
Those of you who have been following my Zentangle® journey from the start might recall that I first became a CZT in June of 2016 (CZT Seminar 25), and since then I’ve been happily teaching, learning, and connecting with a whole lot of amazing students and fellow CZTs from all over the world.
Throughout the entirety of 2024 the tangling community has been celebrating Zentangle’s 20th anniversary in a variety of ways, and as part of this milestone Zentangle HQ took the opportunity to review, update, and add to their CZT training program. The first of the revamped CZT seminars was offered this past November, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to complete the training again and refresh my skills. Since I’d been traveling so much in recent months I decided to take advantage of the hybrid option, and signed up to complete CZT Seminar 42 online from the comfort of my own studio.
The first “best thing” about participating in the online seminar was that it forced me to do a major tidy-up and organization of my very messy studio! I don’t know about you, but I am much more apt to create and learn – and to fully enjoy the process – in a calm, uncluttered space, with anything I’m not using for a particular project tucked away in its place. Some people may thrive in chaos, but that is definitely NOT who I am! After a full day of preparation my studio was in order, my workstation set up and ready, and my seminar supplies unpacked and neatly organized on a small table next to my desk.
The seminar was three full days long, and was led and supported by the amazingly talented and professional Zentangle HQ team. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about the organization is their commitment to excellence in all that they do, and it shone through in everything from the packaging and quality of the seminar supplies to the individual presentations to the thoughtful surprises peppered throughout each day. They took care to make sure that online participants felt a part of things, repeating any questions asked or comments made by in-person attendees so that everyone could benefit whether or not they were actually in the room, and scheduling separate Zoom gatherings at the end of each day for anyone who wanted to join.
For my own part, I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to complete my second seminar. While the core message was substantially unchanged, the revised approach and expanded material was so beneficial. I went away feeling confident that I’ve been on the right track all along, while at the same time newly inspired and excited to employ a fresh approach in some areas of my teaching practice.
A couple of weeks after seminar ended I received another batch of goodies in the mail – my new certificate, a gorgeous print which I won during the seminar (I was certainly shocked when my name was drawn!), and a CZT tote bag.
I’ve always said that both discovering Zentangle and subsequently making the decision to become a CZT has been, without hyperbole, life-altering. The experience has brought change in ways that I never would have imagined anything could, and for that I will always be grateful. My completion of a second CZT seminar only affirms that Zentangle is truly something special, and I am honoured to be a part of introducing what they’ve created to the students that come my way.
