Diva Challenge #150

I thought long and hard about 'my word' for the new year, as suggested in I am the Diva's Challenge #150. There were many words I could have chosen to try and suggest a key meaning for 2014 but I decided to really set myself a challenge. This year, my chosen word is inspire. 

I want to be inspired and I want to be inspiring. And inspiration doesn't just happen - we have to work at it. I like Peter De Vries' quote: 

“I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9:00 every morning.” 

I have never read Peter De Vries' but I am inspired to - and will!

How can one find inspiration? Well, experts suggest that 'doodling' can help - hurray!  I have found I am very inspired by Zentangle and so the word is appropriate for the reaction it has in me. I am inspired to try new patterns, to sit down most days and let my pen wander over the paper, with intent but not too much instruction and I do try to let the tangles 'happen'. In turn, this is very inspiring. As a creative but not particularly artistic person, when I finish a Zentangle or ZIA,  I feel I have created something that IS artistic - abstract and intricate and often quite beautiful! It is a really good feeling.

And in turn, I have been inspired to share my enthusiasm and now run a small but engaged Tangle group in my local area, where I can see how inspiring the making of Zentangle patterns is to others. We are learning together as there isn't a CZT for hundreds and hundreds of miles!

Apart from Zentangle, I also want to inspire the students I teach. Living in Spain, I find many people either want to study English or want their children to learn. I am a qualified teach of English to speakers of other languages and I work hard to make my lessons interesting and engaging.  I do genuinely love the English language. The more Spanish I learn, the more I love English and its flexibility, its subtlety, its lyrical sound. I want to inspire my students with a love of the language too - it's the greatest motivator for learning I can imagine.

 inspire

• ɪnˈspʌɪə/

  
  

  1. 1.

     fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

     
     

     
     

     • create (a feeling, especially a positive one) in a person.

       
       

       
       
     • animate someone with (a feeling).

Interestingly, I would still trust my words to inspire much more than my ability to produce art!! But I enjoyed doing a detailed set of tangles for my challenge this week. And am looking forward to seeing what my talented tangling friends have come up with over on Laura's blog. (That's probably you!!)

Tangles used: Ionic, 'Bales', Nzepple, Itsy Bitsy, Ilana, Nvelope, Florz and a selection of individual patterns, including Fern, Fengle, Zinger and Fescu...

(I was 'inspired' to run my black and white tangle through BeFunky's photo editor
to give it this 'sunburst' effect!)

1. Hope you'll be inspired to leave me a comment! 
2.