Laurie Chester

 

When the Covid pandemic hit and the world closed down, Laurie Chester was glad she had started Zentangle drawing a year before. She turned to the process of combining patterns, known as “tangles”, to manage her isolation, concentrating on each stroke of the patterns and combining them in different ways. Drawing them became a daily hobby and a way to settle her mind.

 

In November of 2020, she actually completed the multi-day virtual training to be a Certified Zentangle Teacher while she was sick with Covid! She says Zentangle literally saved her life during that difficult time. She had been struggling with depression, anxiety and chronic PTSD for many years before Covid and had been looking for something beyond talk therapy that would help her. "I have found Zentangle to be meditative, therapeutic, creative, and relaxing," she says. Her art, some of which is shown here, incorporates the tangle patterns, but are entirely her creations. She has made greeting cards of her art and sends them to friends, family, and clients.

 

Laurie has been a certified ADHD, Academic and Life Coach here in Alexandria for over 20 years, working with hundreds of students and adults dealing with the challenges presented by ADHD and learning disabilities. "Many of them also struggle with mental health issues, and so I counsel them on time management, organization, planning and goal setting. I have incorporated Zentangle drawing into my coaching practice as a way to help her clients deal with the stresses of school and life," she added. Zentangle gives their minds focus and the opportunity to express both creativity and inner feelings.

 

The Zentangle Method celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, and Laurie is excited to share this drawing technique with others. Essential to its philosophy is the idea that mistakes are not errors but opportunity and possibility. She says "Zentangle gave me a way to channel my angst, manage my pain, and have fun creating art while doing so." She hopes other people will try it – and also find it relaxing, therapeutic and full of creative joy.