Hi, and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog where I am always exploring.
Recently I completed Zentangle® Project Pack 6, and as I flipped through the finished journal, I realised it had given me far more than another completed project. It quietly reminded me that confidence often grows one small step at a time. It also reminded me that simple tools can still give us plenty to explore.
Returning to the basics with Zentangle® Project Pack 6
One of my favourite things about Zentangle® Project Pack 6 was returning to the foundations of tangling.
There was no need for drawers full of art supplies. Just a Black Micron, a graphite pencil, a white gel pen, a white chalk pencil and a tortillon for blending. That’s it.
Even after all these years, I’m still amazed by what those few tools can achieve. Every now and then, I find myself returning to the basics. Each time, I’m reminded how much possibility there is in keeping things simple.
It’s something I’ve really come to cherish.
Finding confidence on black tiles
If I’m being honest, I’ve never felt especially confident working on black tiles.
Drawing with white ink on black paper has always felt a little outside my comfort zone. I could admire other people’s work, but creating my own was another matter entirely.
This project gently encouraged me to spend more time there.
As the pages slowly filled, I noticed my confidence growing. Not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, steady one. By the time I reached the later pages, I wasn’t worrying quite so much about getting it right. Instead, I was simply enjoying the process.
I wouldn’t call myself a wiz at working on black just yet. However, I do feel that I can work this way when I want to. More importantly, I find myself reaching for black tiles a little more often.
That feels like progress.
Zentangle® Project Pack 6 and the “No Mistakes” philosophy
The theme running throughout Zentangle® Project Pack 6 is the Zentangle® “No Mistakes” philosophy.
I’ve always loved this idea.
A line that doesn’t go quite where you intended doesn’t have to ruin the piece. Instead, it can become an opportunity to look at the work differently.
Lately, I’ve realised I’m trying to carry that same philosophy into everyday life.
Sometimes we take a path we didn’t intend. Sometimes things don’t unfold the way we’d hoped. Yet those moments can invite us to look from another perspective.
They might even reveal something we couldn’t see before.
I’ve also noticed this changing the way I look at unfinished tiles. For years, I quietly tucked away pieces that didn’t quite go to plan. They sat waiting because I couldn’t see a way forward. Recently, though, I’ve been pulling some of those tiles back out. Instead of seeing mistakes, I’m beginning to see possibilities.
A journal I’ll return to
As I flipped through this finished journal one last time, I realised it hadn’t simply helped me become more comfortable working on black paper.
It had reminded me that confidence grows quietly.
One page.
One pen stroke.
One unexpected line at a time.
I know I’ll revisit this project again someday. Not because I need to learn it all over again, but because it has become a lovely reminder of why I keep exploring. The simplest tools can still surprise me.
An uncomfortable technique can become a little less uncomfortable.
And something that once looked like a mistake can sometimes become the beginning of something completely different. Perhaps that’s a useful reminder for all of us.
Before you go….
Thank you for spending a little time with me today.
If you’d like to keep exploring together, I’d love to welcome you to Always Exploring.
It’s my occasional letter from the studio, where I share new artwork, creative adventures, behind-the-scenes moments, and the little discoveries that make me smile. Every now and then, you’ll even get a peek at what I’m working on before it’s shared anywhere else.
The kettle’s usually on.
The Milo certainly is.
And there’s always room for one more around the studio table.
🌿 Save Yourself a Seat at the Studio Table
Until my next blog post, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” Ephesians 4:1.
In peace always
