Names

To paraphrase Kendrick Lamar, “If I’m going to tell a real story, I’ll start with my name.”

This week Laura challenges us to use our name as a string. I love this challenge. Our string is our foundation for our Zentangle Art, just as our name is the foundation of our reputation. It is fitting.

In fact, I’ve been toying with this idea for several, um, decades. (4 of them if you are counting.) Here is a picture I did when I was a freshman in high school. Which is weirder:
a) that I still have it,
b) that I remembered that I have it,
c) that I knew exactly where it was, or
d) that I had to go upstairs 3 times to remember why I went up?

As a boy-crazy freshman, I was delighted when I entered high school and saw all of those cute guys. So, this is a list of all of them. LOL. How many names can you find? (I can only find my name + 3 more.) circa 1976

When I first learned about Zentangle (from Sandy Bartholomew’s Totally Tangled), I used names as strings a lot. Here is my name in my 9th-ever attempt at Zentangle. I was good back then: numbering, signing, and dating everything! (Even though I didn’t always get the right date! This was 11/11/2010, not 2011!)
And in my 10th, I used my daughter’s name:

I can see Sandy’s inspiration. Can you?

A few years later I did this one. I remember starting with my name, but I have no idea where exactly that is. That’s OK though. The string is supposed to disappear as you tangle. I learned that at CZT training 🙂

From 2013. I found a “before” picture in a previous blog post. (Back when people read this blog, apparently.)

I remember being so afraid to shade it. Not anymore. I couldn’t help myself. Here is the after shading version. I think with all of the hours I spent tangling this piece, I should have spent a few more minutes being a little more careful with the pencil!

And, in case you are wondering, I actually did do the challenge. Three times.

Not sure I like any of them as well as my earlier works, but it was nice to make art with a pen in my hand instead of with a computer! Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me. But I really must get back to work.