No mistakes

There are no mistakes in Zentangle. There is no eraser in life. That's why there's no eraser in the kit or at classes. Very interesting things often happen on the paper or canvas when I do something that wasn't what I intended or expected, but I keep going anyway. Deal with it. It's a challenge, an opportunity. Learn. Experiment. Have fun. Be amazed.

I enjoyed this 13 minute video of jazz musician Stefon Harris and his improvisational quartet. For him the bandstand is a sacred space. For me that's the paper or canvas, for a dancer or actor perhaps the rehersal hall or the stage. Stefon talks about there being no mistakes on the bandstand saying, "Every 'mistake' is an opportunity in jazz." Sometimes one member will play something that may seem like a mistake to the audience, but Stefon says that the 'mistake' there is that the other members didn't respond to it; it's an opportunity that was missed.

Many actions are perceived as mistakes only because we don't react to them appropriately. Perhaps it seems like a mistake because we try to ignore it rather than recognizing, accepting and developing in another direction. Eliminate "Gosh darn!" from your vocabulary and replace it with, "Hm, how 'bout that!" 

Enjoy the video; plus there's some really interesting music!