Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Challenge of Doing Something You Don't Want to Do

This week's Diva challenge is to use the new official tangle schway. I will admit that I do not like this tangle and was planning on skipping this week. But this little voice inside my head reminded me that I am always telling Birdie that we often have to do things we just don't want to do. Sure, it's just a Zentangle challenge, but I did set a goal to do all of them this year.  I always say that in order to achieve big goals, you have to do the little things, even when you don't want to.  But, I don't always do them.  So, I am doing this one even though I don't like it.

At first, I thought I disliked it because it was too graphic, too linear, or maybe too representational.  But, as I was looking at the 30 or more other Diva challenge entries, I realized it is because this tangle is tough to "personalize." Almost everyone's schway looks the same.  Even Shelly Beauch who usually can take any tangle and adapt it to her flowing style ended up with a tile that was very angular. (Not that they aren't beautiful.)

So, I challenged myself to start with schway, but to try really hard to do something different with it.  I told my beginner class last Friday that the string will disappear after you fill it with tangles.  I thought I would try to make the schway disappear by filling it with tangles.    So, here is my challange.

And here are some more "twirly whirly" things inspired by Justine Ashbee.







Can you tell I'm still really enjoying this?

14 comments:

  1. Wow, your's is an intricate schway! It is lovely and so are your whirls and twirls. They feel to me as if they are swaying with the current at the bottom of the sea.

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    1. I think they look like things at the bottom of the sea also. Especially the last one. Birdie thinks it looks like Jacques from Finding Nemo.

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  2. You did a really good job with personalizing the schway well done.

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  3. Cris, i feel the same way and it's my challenge!! lol... this looks great though!

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  4. I've yet to do anything with schway - but I really like what you did with it!
    Your swirlies are, of course, beautiful!

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    1. Thanks. The swirlies are my new favorite thing.

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  5. I also shied away from Shway but I made myself do it in my page-a-day calendar. Then today I held an "intro to Zentangle" calss in which one of my former students brought his wife. Both of them said, yes, we just learned Shway and I realized I really NEED to keep up with my students!!!! It made me laugh!

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  6. You've shwayed my thinking about Shway. I think I'll try again.
    Good lesson in not giving up...and they look beautiful!
    Barbara

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  7. You are it full swing with your twirly swirly things! Your shway is like a garden in its beauty and I love how you soften it with curved lines!

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  8. You definitely made me search for the Schway with your variations. Really enjoying seeing your whirls and twirls.

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  9. Hard to find Schway back in your tile :-) Just what you wanted!?
    I love your twirls!!!

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  10. Love what you've done with Schway, has an MI2 feel, lovely. Your swirly whirly stuff is FAB!

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  11. You've absolutely disguised Schway, love it this(ch)way!! Watching your swirls&twirls I understand how hard the Challenge was for you ;-))

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