Zentangles: PART 2

We're doing Zentangle self-portraits!

And yes, I know...

... that probably sounds intimidating.

But it’s really not. I promise.

Step 1: Choose the Photo

Start by picking a photo.

Ideally, it's going to be a photo of you.

And I know, that alone can feel like a lot.

I have business head-shots that I genuinely love, so I picked one of those. Choose something that feels like you. A candid moment. A memory. A version of yourself you recognize.

You can technically use any photo, of anything, but I’d really love for you to try using a photo of yourself. So much of what we’re practicing here is learning to see ourselves clearly, so just try.

Print the photo. Cut it out. Glue it to a blank piece of paper or into your sketchbook.

You are officially the subject of a portrait!!

Step 2: Create Pattern Around It

Now take everything you’ve learned in Practicing Pattern and Zentangles: Part 1— the patterns, the lines, the no-erasing rule — and go nuts.

Surround your portrait with lines and patterns.

Layer behind it.

Flow into the photo if you want to.

Let the patterns frame you, hold you, celebrate you.

No overthinking, no correcting, and no perfection.

Just movement.

Step 3: Add Color (Optional but Powerful)

If you want to take it further, add color.

Use any medium you love.

I personally adore oil pastels smudged with a tissue or watercolor washes, because they both add color without covering up the lines I've just spent all that time creating.

This is play. This is exploration.

This is a chance for you to see yourself in a way that feels new, exciting, and true.

What’s Actually Happening

Zentangles are a form of creative meditation.

Repetition. Rhythm. Nervous system regulation. Turning down the volume on self-criticism.

All great things.

But this is different.

In this exercise, you’re not just calming your brain, you’re giving your thoughts a purpose. In Zentangles: Part 1, you practiced turning self-criticism off. Now you get to practice intentional creation without unnecessary control. That’s powerful.

Because for those of us who lean towards being controlling and perfectionistic (hi, hello!), control can feel safe. Necessary. Addictive even.

But real creativity? Real brand growth? Real identity work?

That requires letting go of control so that your instincts can lead.

When you create pattern around your own image without critiquing it…

When you decorate yourself instead of dissecting yourself…

When you let the lines celebrate instead of distract or apologize for…

You get to practice seeing yourself differently.

Not as a problem to fix.

Not as a something to polish or perfect.

But as a person.

Whole. Layered. Beautiful.

Why This Matters (Especially for Your Brand)

If you can’t look at yourself without immediately dissecting what you see…

You’ll do the same thing to your brand.

You’ll over-correct your voice.

Dilute your edge.

Hide your intensity.

Filter your perspective.

But when you can sit with your own image — surrounded by your creation — without criticism or self-doubt running the show?

That's when you'll learn to build from a place of embodiment instead of insecurity.

Your brand stops being something you perform and starts being something you express.

BUT WAIT!! You didn’t do this to just stick it in a drawer!

You did it because something in you needed it.

This is usually the moment people say, “Huh, that was interesting,” and then go make themselves busy again. Don’t do that.

In a Brand Breakthrough Session, we can take what you uncovered and untangle it together. No pressure. Just clarity. The kind of clarity that actually changes things for the better.

If you’re feeling that little nudge that says there’s more here… follow it.

Book your Brand Breakthrough Session.