Welcome to my new blog!  

As of November of 2013 I began a journey that caused me to rethink blogging. (I dabbled a few years ago and then gave up)  The reason I decided to try again is because I started dreaming about getting my certification to teach Zentangle.  I thought if I'm really going to do this I should probably have a way to share this with people.  Even if no one reads it, at least I'll have a record of this crazy journey.  So here goes my first attempt.

To begin with, I had absolutely no clue how I was going to make this Zentangle Dream happen.  But, with a determination that's somewhat uncharacteristic of me, I began brainstorming.  I could sell more greeting cards but that's a slow process. I could teach calligraphy again but that wouldn't earn enough either.  hummmm

Obviously, my big obstacle was the cost.  I couldn't imagine saving enough on my own.  My husband and I own an 100 year old house.  That kind of sums up a big part of the problem right there.  Add to that, that he's a musician and I'm an artist, should put the money issue to rest.  Having a husband who's a musician was a plus though because he had made me aware of fund raising sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo.  Many fellow musicians have used them successfully to raise money for album production. I didn't really want to hassle with those sites though. I thought, maybe I would attempt a private fundraiser of my own.  

I'm involved with several local art related groups with great people in them who I thought might be interested in helping a 'starving artist' go for their dream.  I have a great family and a bunch of wonderful friends so why not try?  Well, for one thing, I HATE asking people for money. But I bounced the idea off a few people and they enthusiastically said "Go for it!".  So I began a draft of my first fundraising letter.  I thought if I offered 'rewards' (just like those big sites) perhaps I wouldn't feel so bad.  At least people would be getting something for their donation.  In retrospect, I think most people would have given even without the 'rewards' but it made me feel better. : )

Here's the really AMAZING part of the story:  by the end of February 2014 the people who pledged to donate toward my Zentangle Dream had not only sent all they'd pledged but some sent more!  Everyone was so enthusiastic and encouraging. I was just blown away.  AND I reached my goal!  I sent my last payment to Zentangle and and booked my flight. Now I'm working hard to learn as much as I can before I go so I can come back and offer classes and cards and art work to all the wonderful people who believed in my dream; perhaps even more than I did.  Turns out - it wasn't about what I would do but what YOU did!!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  I hope I can figure out the ins and outs of blogging so I can share some more of this crazy dream with you. Here's the link for the Zentangle site in case you don't know what all the fuss is about.   http://www.zentangle.com/index.php or just google Zentangle and see the things that are being created with this wonderful art form. I'll add links to some of my favorite sites as soon as I can figure out how to do it.  : )