Well, this week I hit the 500 posts milestone on Ten Thousand Tangles. Yay me! While actually getting to ten thousand tangles is still pretty far off in the distance, I think reaching the 500 mark after just over a year of tangling is not too shabby at all. Happy Tangled Tuesday!
Tangling Goodies
I’ve been asked how I came up with “Ten Thousand Tangles” – that is, the name I use for both my tangle gallery and shop – and thought that having arrived at the 500 posts milestone, now would be a good time to explain it!
The idea was actually triggered by a Macklemore song called “Ten Thousand Hours” (Peter and I went through a big Macklemore phase last summer!). Here are some of the lyrics that I found inspirational:
A life lived for art is never a life wasted.
I stand here in front of you today all because of an idea
I could be who I wanted if I could see my potentialSee, I observed Escher
I love Basquiat
I watched Keith Haring
You see I study art
The greats weren’t great because at birth they could paint
The greats were great ’cause they paint a lotPut those hours in and look at what you get
Nothing that you can hold, but everything that it is
Ten thousand
On further investigation I discovered that the song was largely inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-Hour Rule” (from his book Outliers) – that is, in order to become an expert in your field you have to practice for around 10,000 hours.
While I haven’t yet read the book (and also realize that the 10,000 hours figure could be up for debate!), I like the spirit behind the notion: if you want to be an expert at what you do you have to practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more. Overnight or natural-born success stories are few and far between – for most of us, being an “expert” artist, or writer, or athlete (or, or, or) isn’t in our DNA, but rather comes with hours of practice. And I’m pretty excited about putting in mega practice hours on my tangling!
So, that’s how the idea for “Ten Thousand Tangles” was sparked. And the fact that alliteration was involved sealed the deal! 🙂
New Tangles
This week I learned Slink, Y.A.F. (Yet Another Flower), Radia, Florgrate, Boxt, Pi, Ninja, Fürn, Zusafürn, Subcub, Tentacle, Ballenchain, Bellaposa, Paisley, Flores DeCasa, Billiken, Baseflake, Crystle, X-glass, Lustrade, Itch, Pellet, and Tung, all from Yoga for Your Brain by Sandy Steen Bartholomew.
If you’re following along in Yoga for Your Brain, you’ll notice that I’ve skipped a few of the designs. This isn’t because I don’t like or want to do them, but because I’ve previously learned them through one of my other books (there is often overlap and some repetition between the various Zentangle®1 books).
I also learned Uni, Croscro, and Schway, all from TanglePatterns.com.
Tangling-in-Progress
I’m back on track with my goal of finishing my tangled alphabet in September, so that I can get the originals scanned and start offering monogrammed products on Ten Thousand Tangles for the holiday season. Currently I’ve got the outlines for both Q and R set up and plan to get both tangled this week.
Finished Projects
This week I finished N, O, and P in my tangled alphabet series.
Just yesterday I decided to learn the tangle Schway so that I could draw an arrow (arrows within an arrow, rather!) as my response to the Photo A Day Challenge prompt. I really like this particular pattern – it almost has an optical illusion feel to it, with the two sets of black and white arrows. I think the end result looks rather complicated, but it’s actually a fairly easy tangle to draw.
Coming Soon
This week’s tangling goals include:
- Carry on with my Zenletter collection – completing Q and R.
- Continue adding products to Ten Thousand Tangles.
- Create pieces for new sponsors.
- Photograph my previously-completed set of four Zendalas and set up listings to sell the originals in my as-yet-to-be-opened Etsy store.
P.S.
Previous posts in this series are all tagged Tangled Tuesday.
For background on how I discovered and got involved in Zentangle, and links to further information and resources, check out my blog post For the love of tangling.
You can browse my entire tangle gallery at Ten Thousand Tangles.
And, if you’re interested in having a little piece of my art for yourself, please click on the GoFundMe button below for more information and also visit my Zazzle shop Ten Thousand Tangles. (Pssst… links to my international Ten Thousand Tangles shops are in the Alphabet Salad sidebar – just click on the appropriate flag and you’ll get to the place you need to be!)
1 The Zentangle® Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Flores de Casa! Oh, that is so cute–like little lighthouses all around in a ring! Great tangles this week, Laurel. I think my favorite is Florgrate. I hope you do make it to 10,000. I enjoy these so much!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thanks so much, Elaine!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: gottgreen
August 19, 2014
Wow! Congratulations on your 500 tangles! You are well on your way to 10,000. I did read the book and had to agree that it makes sense that we have to do something over and over and over again to get good at it. It isn’t always talent that makes us succeed. Much of the time it is persistence! Don’t give up!
Kathy recently posted… Why We Mourn The Death Of Celebrities
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thanks, Kathy! I’ll have to give that book a read sometime.
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
how very interesting on how you got your name…I tried for a while to find an interesting name and something that described what I planned to do but it didn’t work out that way
Katrina recently posted… Why I hate photos of myself
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Coming up with a name is HARD – I was just lucky, I think!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: ellytreehugger
August 19, 2014
Wow! Congrats Laurel! 500 Zentangles is impressive and in one year! I have yet to start one as I am still catching up on emails, blogs, and to-do lists! 😉 <3
elly stornebrink recently posted… Middle Child: You ARE Special! Today’s Your Day!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you, Elly!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: candesscampbell
August 19, 2014
Wow! 500 Tangles! It seems having your to do list on this blog is like having a public coach. I love when people put names together like that. I think it is a gift!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
My blog has definitely helped to keep me accountable in all sorts of ways!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: goodgirlgonered
August 19, 2014
Of course! Yoga for the brain. That IS what it is like. I’ve never done it, but I see so many people are tangling. Or something. 😉
It seems like it’s a lot of fun and really interesting. And a constructive hobby!
Andrea B ( recently posted… Butternut Summer, Mary McNear ~ Book review
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Yes, yes, and yes! Love tangling. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Congratulations, Laurel on hitting your 500 milestone. You are such an inspiration, not least because you keep yourself going through your many projects and dreams. I have learned so much and adore your lovely alphas. Well done!
Sammy d recently posted… The Last I Heard, He Was Slurping a Daiquiri
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you so much, Sammy! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Awesome!! 🙂
Congratulations on completing 500 tangles!!
The ones you have shown here are so pretty! Loved the letter P – very creative
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you so much, Pixie! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: shyvish
August 20, 2014
I’m a Gladwell fan! I’ve been meaning to get my hands on the Outliers. Time I did. I love the idea of 10,000 hours of practice 🙂
Congrats on the 500!!
Shailaja V recently posted… The Last Straw
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
I’ll definitely have to read it some day!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Way to hit a milestone, Laurel! Congrats!
You ate certainly plugging away…such an inspiration to me 🙂
Life Breath Present recently posted… Right Now Challenges
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you so much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: shilpaagarg
August 20, 2014
500! A cool milestone achievement, Laurel! Loved the N, O, P zenletters here! Great going! 🙂
Shilpa Garg recently posted… Beyond School
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you very much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Great achievement! 500 tangles in a year. Fantastic.Congrats!!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you so much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: BelowTheSalt
August 20, 2014
Wow! It’s been fun watching your growth as a Zentangler. Your designs have gotten ever more sophisticated and elegant. The N is stunning! Wish I had an initial to match it!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you so much, Linda! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: Boomeresque
August 20, 2014
Congratulations. BTW, that arrow within an arrow tangle most definitely creates an opitical illusion. Nice.
Suzanne Fluhr recently posted… Reflections: Honolulu, Hawaii
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 20, 2014
Thank you, Suzanne!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: bodynsoil
August 20, 2014
Very pretty work, I love the zentangle letters. I don’t think I’ve heard of this technique before.. I need to read back on your blog..
bodynsoil recently posted… The heat wave might be over, hot flashes remain on the horizon
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 21, 2014
Thank you very much! I’m so glad I discovered tangling – one of the most fun things ever. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: nabanita21
August 21, 2014
I just love your tangles and congrats on completing so many!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 21, 2014
Thank you so much!
Laurel Regan recently posted… World Organ Donation Day: Are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Twitter: sheshadotme
August 22, 2014
I loved those inspiring lines and loved the idea of 10000 hours of practice to gain that expertise.
Your tangles are beautiful and very neat. My fav from above is O with those black and white keys, waves in it. It is looking extremely beautiful! Congratulations on 500. All the best for rest 🙂
Shesha recently posted… Blunders and wonders- #Food!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 22, 2014
Thank you so much, Shesha! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo Friday: Architecture
If only I have as much patience as you. Your work is so lovely and neat.
Mentioned you on my blog today 🙂
Rajlakshmi recently posted… My 12 Most Favorite Fun Activities
Twitter: alphabetsalad
August 23, 2014
Thank you so much! I will check it out!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo Friday: Architecture
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