Last week I spent four days at the Zenjo Retreat at the Golden Jubilee Hotel in Glasgow. For me, the journey was laughably short – just across the city. For one other attendee, it was a whole different story. She’d flown all the way from Australia! We had to get a photo together, of course, just to capture the epic difference in our travel times.
From Monday lunchtime to Thursday lunchtime, I was immersed in four days of tangling. The retreat was organised by Joanna Quincey and Darcey Ellerby, and together with guest teachers Yvonne Westover (Canada), Robin Kellogg (USA), and Martina Ramhapp (Switzerland), they treated us to nine incredible sessions.
Every morning began with something special – a song written by fellow CZT Tracy Hough. Jo played it for us before each class, and it quickly became the soundtrack of our retreat.
Each lesson I learned something new – from a class on how to create repeating patterns, to experimenting with black-on-black tangling, to clever new ways of using the supplies I already use every day. Even as a CZT myself, I walked away inspired, excited, and full of ideas that I can use to teach my own classes.
One of the funniest moments came right at the start, during the ice-breaker activities. We were split into groups according to the tangles on our lanyards (I was NZeppel, in case you’re wondering). Our task was to find something we all had in common and then invent a motto and a codeword or handshake. After rejecting the usual ideas of wine, books, and crafts, I threw Johnny Depp into the mix – and suddenly, the Johnny Depp Appreciation Society was born. Our motto was yo, ho, ho and a bottle of Zen! See what we did there!?
Another little highlight came one afternoon when the stars aligned and all four Lisas at the retreat managed to tangle at the same table. Jo snapped a photo of us, and it’s one I’ll treasure. Being part of the “Four Lisas” was just another reminder of the friendships and connections Zentangle brings into our lives.
Aside from the tangling, there were other highlights. We made a trip to the Burrell Collection museum, which was full of inspiration. I saw so many patterns and textures that I was a bit snap happy and took way too many photos – that’s all a part of the fun, though, isn’t it?
On our last night, in true Scottish style, we danced to some live Ceilidh music. So much fun!. Laughter, music and a few questionable dance steps (mainly from me). It was the perfect way to end our week together.
What I loved most, though, were the people. Some were CZTs like me, others were tanglers who’ve never taught, and all of them were just lovely. I met people I’d only ever spoken to briefly online, reconnected with familiar faces, and made brand-new friends. It felt like walking into a room full of friends I just hadn’t met yet.
I met Jo (Quincey) when she first came up to Glasgow to look at possible retreat venues and had also already met Jacqui Bull and Ruby Maguire (watch this space for more info on a collaboration between me and Ruby). I first became aware of Tina Cox outside of Zentangle – when she was demonstrating on TV for Clarity Crafts. So lovely to meet her in person and so many other wonderful people besides.
Now I’m home again and my head full of ideas – my brain won’t stop buzzing. I’m so impatient to start bringing what I’ve learned into my own classes… just wish there were more hours in the day!
Zenjo gave me calm, connection, inspiration — and a reminder of why I love this community so much.
If you would like to find out more about The Zentangle® Method, click here to visit my links page, where you can download my free eBook The Art of Calm, which will take you through an entire quick and fun Zentangle project.