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You Can Now Etch-a-Sketch Your Way to Zen

Designer Jonathan Odom developed XYZen Garden to bring all the benefits of meditation, with none of the boredom.

What if you could combine the mindless joy of Etch-A-Sketch, with the mindfulness of meditation? Recently designer Jonathan Odom did just that with his new XYZen Garden, which fuses traditional sand-raking techniques with modern technology. “Anyone who has ever used an Etch-A-Sketch knows that it takes a lot of concentration, even a ‘flow’ state to make a picture,” says Odom. “While drawing with this device, it’s practically impossible to be distracted by the other agents in modern life that are constantly vying for your attention.”


The XYZen Garden was originally meant to be a Christmas present for Odom’s father, who always wanted an Etch-A-Sketch growing up but couldn’t afford one.

However, you can now buy your own kit, or a fully assembled XYZen Garden, on the designer’s website. To democratize, the designer also created an Instructable for making your own DIY mechanical zen garden. Namaste!

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