Rock On!

Colorful lights strung along the eaves of homes twinkling bright in the dark of night. Sticky sweet peppermint candy canes swirling around in mugs of hot chocolate. Pine scented candles glowing and enlivening rooms with the smell of Christmas trees. Toasty warmth emanating from orange yellow flames dancing in fireplaces. Carols and noels we know by heart playing throughout every home and store we visit. Hello December! Given all the sensory stimulation this time of year, I’ve decided on a Quest for Calm that I hope will ground me and keep me in the present moment. Seeing our niece’s Instagram post recently, my interest in this practice was renewed. Lily, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist implements and teaches art techniques in her work helping others, and this is one I can’t wait to try! But let me relay my Zentangle experience first.

If enjoyment equates to relaxation, and relaxation brings serenity, then I’d have to say my November exploration brought me to a place of pure joy and peace! I uncovered a Tombow Spiral Art Journal in one of my supply drawers and recorded my Zentangles in it. Using a pencil, Posca inks, and micron pens, anything I needed was right at my fingertips, so creating a Zentangle was as fuss free as it could be. Another bonus is that in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, I could complete a design!

From my journal: November 18, 2024, Newbury Park, California

“Dusted off my Zentangle kit that I bought way back in 2011!! My first tangles were in the box…so neat to see them!”

Up until this November, the only time I regularly engaged in Zentangling was once a year when October rolled around. That’s when I decorate at least one of my Halloween pumpkins with this technique, but no more! Now that I’ve rediscovered how fun, fast, and simple it is to Zentangle, I know I can enjoy making a little piece of art while experiencing a little piece of mind…anytime at all.

This month I will be pursuing an art form that became a favored pastime during the pandemic. The resulting creations were seen in Internet posts, magazines, and neighborhoods throughout the US and around the globe! Though recently popularized, this type of art dates back to the Stone Age, that is 36,000 – 15, 000 years ago – whoa! And now we have a women’s empowerment coach from my home state of Massachusetts to thank for its resurgence. Go Megan Murphy! Murphy is the person behind The Kindness Rocks Project whose mission is to adorn rocks with bright colors, designs, uplifting messages and hashtags, and place them around neighborhoods to inspire fortunate finders! Anyone who discovers a rock can take a photo of it and connect with other rock painters on social media. And if so inclined, the finder can keep the rock and replace it with one of theirs, or place the found object in a new location. Clearly, a great combination of creativity and connectivity!

Rock painting is my choice for this December’s Quest for Calm because of its therapeutic benefits. First, painting is engaging and requires you to focus so it can keep daily worries at bay. Second, repetitive motion helps you to relax and calms your mind. And third, the act of creating allows you to see your art come to life and then you are left with something to have and to hold. On top of that, mindfulness-based activities have been shown to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in your brain, both of which boost your mood and make you feel good!

Basics needed for this experience include smooth relatively flat rocks, acrylic paints, a brush, and a package of tools Lily suggested, a 5-Piece 2 Way Nail Tip Dot Paint Manicure Kit sold on Amazon for $3.99. She said that applying paint using one of these tools will result in a raised dot surface which is good for people who like tactile objects. I’m definitely one of them! As in months past, I’ll dedicate 15-30 minutes at a time, at least three times a week for this pursuit. I can’t wait to tell you how it goes. But right now, I’m ready to gather up my supplies, and simply rock on!