True Zentangles and CZT Status

When I figured out that I couldn't conform and stick to what a "true" Zentangle is, I was still labeling my videos as a Zentangle video. What I was drawing was different than a Zentangle but would still appeal to people interested in Zentangle. It was sort of confusing to me and to some of my viewers that what I was doing was not what the originators of the Zentangle art describe. Eventually I went with the label of Zentangle Inspired Art and I used that terminology to describe my art until I continued to branch out and figure out what I liked. I did create a video on May 10, 2013 called "True Zentangle and Clarification" to explain what I was doing. (As I'm writing this blog post, I am wondering if this was my last "true" Zentangle I posted on my channel.)

This was a quickie drawing taking only about an hour or so. I like the way it looks, and think it is a decent Zentangle drawing for a quickie. Granted, there's no shading but I specifically remember not wanting to spend any more time on a style of drawing I didn't particularly enjoy at the time. The string of the Zentangle that starts off the drawing always felt constricting and the lack of color to be used in a Zentangle always bothered me. I love color.

Labeling my videos as "Zentangle" also brought the question "Are you a Certified Zentangle Teacher?" I still get this question occasionally but not nearly as much as I did in 2013. If you don't know, I am NOT a CZT and do not intend on becoming a CZT. I did consider it. I looked into it and when I saw how much money it was going to cost, what would happen at the conferences to become "certified", and so forth, I quickly realized that this path was not for me. I was already losing the desire to fit into the Zentangle "Box" and so it didn't make sense for me to invest a large amount of money into becoming a CZT. I now have a line in every one of my video descriptions to answer this question. It states:
                              I am NOT a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) nor do I intend on becoming a CZT.  Although some of my art can be considered a "Zentangle" - MOST are what I call "Freeform Tangles". Although I use a lot of the same patterns, my creations are MUCH less restrictive than traditional Zentangle.

Here's the video: