Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a very enjoyable book, and a very well written intro to zentangles. Let me take a minute to explain the concept of zentangles for those who don't know (I'll explain the 'but' in the title in a bit). Think of zentangles as a zen or meditative way of doodling. You take a square card, put some marks in the corners- or really any random location- and using a pencil, connect those dots in a loose, 'unthinking' manner. The whole point is that you CANNOT make a mistake, because whatever you wind up with, you work with; there is no erasing. From there, you switch to a pen and use patterns to fill in the spaces, or if those spaces inspire you with images, go from there. I have to say that so far, I'm having a lot of fun with it and will probably purchase more books. There are books for various patterns and levels of experience. I purchased the book based on (almost literally) glowing reviews by people who had really gotten into them. I was trying to jumpstart my artistic side, and the whole concept of sparking creativity by drawing on a small card reminded me of a writing exercise I was taught, where you try to tell an entire story in one brief sentence. The small space, limited colors and short amount of time force you to stretch those creative muscles. I can see this being helpful to many people; artists, writers, or even people looking for a new way to meditate. The authors know their stuff and are all certified zentangle teachers (czt), which brings me to the 'but' in the title. On the page called "zentangle resources", there is information about respecting the zentangle copyright (which is a good thing), and becoming a czt. I wish wholeheartedly they had put this at the end of the book. The tone was not unpleasant, but it cast the rest of the book, and indeed the whole 'zentangle movement' in a negative light. Between that and the near dazzling reviews, it started to come across as kind of cult-ish. The endorsements scattered liberally throughout the book pretty much all stressed the importance of taking a class and the excitement of being a teacher. Then, the insistence on pigma micron pens and the notion that you COULD do zentangles on 'regular' paper, but it's sooo much nicer to do them on 'official' zentangle cards, well, that bugged the heck out of me. At approximately 50 cents a card, and considering the cost of the pens, this was no longer a very inexpensive hobby. Don't get me wrong- I applaud the creators, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, for coming up with the idea, which really seems to work for many people. I don't know, maybe I'm too much of a 'granola' kind of girl, but the whole notion of such exclusivity and conformation seems to belie the very concept of zen. All that aside, I can honestly say that I do really enjoy doing zentangles, and will purchase other books in the future. I WILL NOT, however, be puchasing any 'official' (my choice of words) zentangle products. I've found that paper coasters (approx. 16 cents each) make wonderful subtitutes for zentangle tiles. Being rigid makes it really easy to punch a hole in the corner and attach a ring type binder for an instant book, and you can use both sides! Also, any gel type pen works great on them. So, while I DO recommend this book, I also encourage you to keep the zen in zentangle and use what you've got on hand or can get cheaply. I also really, really encourage the authors and other certified zentangle teachers out there to not push product so overtly. For some strange reason, it reminds me of the Tupperware and Home Interior parties my mom used to go to; yikes!