About Me

Most people began their exploration of arts and crafts at an early age, from school or at an educational setting.  Mine is quite untraditional.  Since I was 6, I can remember starting to draw on dirt or on sand, with little water and any stick I could find.  As a child, I was met with loneliness and having very few selected friends.  My two older brothers?  I think they would rather do boys’ stuff.  You know how that is!  So, when friends are not around, I take refuge by doing art on dirt.  In a way, it was self-soothing.  A little bit of water on dirt, a stick in my hand, just knowing that I am in control of my own element.  My simple art was both doodling and tangling.  And you're probably thinking, why not on pen and paper?  But there is something about leaving your prints on the sand, or on dirt!  I leave it hoping someone would admire and appreciate.  Perhaps, adding in their own expression.  Then maybe on to the next person! (It is what I would hope!)  And that to me, is sharing love of art.  At elementary, I got my inspiration from seeing my brothers drawing their own comic books.  At that point, I decided to give my drawing a little more character to the imagination.  So I drew my very first favorite cartoon characters.  Garfield and Odie!  To this day, still warms my heart to see it on television.  In high school, you will find scribbles in the pages of my notebooks. Drawings of things I admire, sketches of people, places, and doodling my feelings for the day.  I learned that when I am met with challenges beyond my control, art is when I feel more heard and understood.  In college, I ventured in to photography and art history as extra curriculums.  This was the time when I wanted art to be more than just a hobby.  Perhaps, educating myself and seeing where my options are.  Then one day, my friends and I attended a San Francisco Academy of Art University Showcase to support my brother Dexter's charcoal sketches displayed on the wall.  His giant art pieces are astonishing!  I felt so sisterly proud and thought, can I do the same?  College life had me always trying to see what type of art is destined for me.  And my other brother, Donovan, his unwavering talent in sculpture and diorama, if I could pick his brain and get my hands on one of those sculptures, I cannot imagine being any good and amazing as he is.   Did I mentioned that I did jewelry custom designs and making them?  But that's another story!  I had to tell you, ART is definitely in my family!  So, when did Zentangle come in to place?  One day years ago, I saw my mother-in-law’s beautiful card tiles of zentangle art, just laying on her kitchen table.  Never knew that this would change my life forever.  In the midst of self-healing, I instantly felt the connection to this art.  So, my mother-in-law gifted me a zentangle book and some materials.  From then on, I began to study, learn what she learned, and studied her ways of zentangling.  And this is not just an ordinary tangling.  It is about understanding the method to create it.  On one of my birthdays, my husband surprised me with an online private zentangle session with my mother-in-law's Zentangle Teacher.  Since then, I was convinced to pursue teaching it.  Fast forward to years later, I attended the amazing three-day Zentangle seminar training in Newport, Rhode Island.  Got to meet fellow artists from all over the world, seeing and sharing the same passion as I do.  I have never been more in awe of everyone’s talent.  And feeling starstruck finally meeting the founders themselves, in person!  It was one of the highlights of my life!  And on April 7, 2023, I became an official Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) registered for the state of California!  This has been the greatest journey of my art life!  So, to those artsy crafty folks who’s path I crossed, my family who never knew they inspired me, my mother-in-law who shared her zentangle, and to those who believed in me, I am so very thankful!  To my husband, who supported me all the way, and continued to do so, for being so patient as well as allowing me to breathe and keep my sanity, what would I do without you?  And to my sweet cuddly child whose autism keeps me going, I cannot imagine life without him.  I am so humbled.  Humbled to be enjoying and sharing this zentangle to all that are near and dear, friends and loved ones from afar and in between, and especially YOU who are here to explore the very heart of me doing what I love to do.  And as with each and every zentangle I draw, it speaks of my very special feelings that not only splashes of water on dirt or on sand, and a stick in my hand, it is now on a paper tile or a canvas, hoping to bring you some inspiration along your path.  You may not know this, but you are now a part of this journey.  Welcome to my world of Zentangle!