The Art of Imperfection : Simple Ways to Make Peace with Yourself

Rating:
Summary: Must Read for all those perfectionists out there...
Review: After years of trying to be the perfect daughter,girlfriend, freind, student, all around perfect person, I finally found a book that helped me not only accept, but love my imperfection. I now take extreme pleasure in not being perfect and have reduced my stress to an all time low. I gave the book to my mom as a Mother's Day present to take the pressure off of trying to be the perfect person and just enjoy who she is. Plus the book is such a wonderful display on my nightstand with its beautiful photography.

Rating:
Summary: A simple and elegant book.
Review: I found this book to be a delightful surprise. After a lifetime of frustration in search of perfection from myself and everything and everyone else around me I realized that could be much happier if I just listened to the philosophies of this writer and just let it go. This is a very pretty and comforting book and one that I intend to keep on the bedside table in case I need a gentle reminder. I would buy all Veronique Vienne's books.

Rating:
Summary: This book is ok but imperfect
Review: I got this book looking for some occasional inspiration on self acceptance. While there's some value in the essays, quite a bit of the text is rather inane. A fairly substantial portion of the essays are geared toward women, a fact not mentioned on the cover of the introduction. On the other hand, the photos are really quite interesting.

Retail selling price is a bit high for a 96-page book.

Still, it's perfectly acceptable as a coffee table book and worth purchasing if you can get it at a discount.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Gorgeous!
Review: I loved this book, like the other Veronique Vienne books! In a time and culture that makes you feel like you have to be everything to everyone, and look good in the process, this makes you want to be yourself and remember that people don't like perfect people anyway!! They like people who are like themselves!! Don't you love hearing from other people, "oh my gosh!! i do that too!! i thought i was the only one who does that!!" its about quirks (and how beautiful it makes us as an individual) how imperfections make you unique, and that we should have a sense of humor about it... cause no one is perfect, and the most interesting people to me are the most "imperfect." Now if you will excuse me, i have to go watch threes company on nick at nite.. (see? i watch it too!) :) PS... the pictures in the book are amazing as well and really adds something to it.

Rating:
Summary: a must have
Review: I received this book as a shower gift for the birth of my third child from an aunt who has 5 children herself. In it, she wrote: "Imperfection is the most you can strive for, Insanity is what you try to avoid." Having 2 little ones in diapers and cribs at the same time I now know what she means. I loved this book because it make me feel like it was okay to not only be myself, but to celebrate it and enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: a must have
Review: I received this book as a shower gift for the birth of my third child from an aunt who has 5 children herself. In it, she wrote: "Imperfection is the most you can strive for, Insanity is what you try to avoid." Having 2 little ones in diapers and cribs at the same time I now know what she means. I loved this book because it make me feel like it was okay to not only be myself, but to celebrate it and enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Blah, blah, blah....
Review: I was really disappointed with this book - I purchased it with the notion in my head that I would be receiving something enjoyable, relaxing, perhaps even inspirational. I received none of the aforementioned. Dull - perhaps a better word. At times, goofy and just plain boring. This book is a real dud.

Rating:
Summary: Loved both the writing and the photography
Review: In the second "Art" book by Véronique Vienne, the author again teams up with photographer Erica Lennard to produce a wonderfully worded and illustrated compilation of poignant views on style, mannerism and (im)perfection. It's not overly analytical, and there is much more here than the "I'm OK; you're OK" theme. I would recommend this book to anyone.

In just ten short chapters, Ms. Vienne employs great wit, clever mataphors, and strikingly up-to-date commentary about how we should be celebrating the gap between the ideal for which we are striving and the reality of our true selves. A great example of some witty incongruity comes from a chapter entitled "The Art of Having Nothing to Wear." "Think about it this way: Radiocarbon in fabric has a half-life of 5,730 years--give or take 40 years. The style of an outfit is subjective, elusive, and volatile, with a half-life of less than two months." I have to applaud a writer who can link science and fashion in such an ingenious manner.

Rather than being overly analytical, this book creates an ART (key word) out of what somebody, somewhere, thinks are our shortcomings. Among other topics, the chapters touch on the acceptability of being shy, disorganized, or silly (my specialty). The "un"-this, the "not"-that or the "dis"-whatever parts of ourselves really aren't so bad if we view life's contents from a less serious, more quirky perspective. Cultivate a weed, and sooner or later you'll get a flower out of it. A famous actress (Elizabeth Taylor, I think) once said that a face is not beautiful without flaws. Ms. Vienne is telling us that, given a lemon, we can make ... lemon soufflé!

As in the previous "The Art of Doing Nothing," Ms. Lennard's sepia duotone photos provide a tranquil beauty that offsets, yet complements, the spirited tone of this book. The "art" in this book will grow on you.

Rating:
Summary: Loved both the writing and the photography
Review: In the second "Art" book by Véronique Vienne, the author again teams up with photographer Erica Lennard to produce a wonderfully worded and illustrated compilation of poignant views on style, mannerism and (im)perfection. It's not overly analytical, and there is much more here than the "I'm OK; you're OK" theme. I would recommend this book to anyone.

In just ten short chapters, Ms. Vienne employs great wit, clever mataphors, and strikingly up-to-date commentary about how we should be celebrating the gap between the ideal for which we are striving and the reality of our true selves. A great example of some witty incongruity comes from a chapter entitled "The Art of Having Nothing to Wear." "Think about it this way: Radiocarbon in fabric has a half-life of 5,730 years--give or take 40 years. The style of an outfit is subjective, elusive, and volatile, with a half-life of less than two months." I have to applaud a writer who can link science and fashion in such an ingenious manner.

Rather than being overly analytical, this book creates an ART (key word) out of what somebody, somewhere, thinks are our shortcomings. Among other topics, the chapters touch on the acceptability of being shy, disorganized, or silly (my specialty). The "un"-this, the "not"-that or the "dis"-whatever parts of ourselves really aren't so bad if we view life's contents from a less serious, more quirky perspective. Cultivate a weed, and sooner or later you'll get a flower out of it. A famous actress (Elizabeth Taylor, I think) once said that a face is not beautiful without flaws. Ms. Vienne is telling us that, given a lemon, we can make ... lemon soufflé!

As in the previous "The Art of Doing Nothing," Ms. Lennard's sepia duotone photos provide a tranquil beauty that offsets, yet complements, the spirited tone of this book. The "art" in this book will grow on you.

Rating:
Summary: imperfections abound
Review: The Art of Imperfection is the sequel to The Art of Doing Nothing. For many people, it will make more sense to read The Art of Imperfection first. Without the permission to ease up the throttle on narrowing the imperfection gap, you'll never have the time to do nothing.

After a rocky beginning in describing the art of making mistakes (by mixing up the key concepts of complexity science and chaos theory), the book rights itself and provides many valuable insights into seeing imperfections are resources and opportunities.

The illustrations are even better than the text for powerfully engaging your mind with the truth of imperfection's appeal and strength. The sepia-based duotone photographs set an elegant and relaxed mood for the book. The subjects of these photographs are most often females, sculptures, geometric designs, and nature. In themselves, the coloration and the compositions create a zen-like atmosphere that are a good context for the written musings.

Although deliberately aimed at women and men, I think most will agree that this book will appeal much more strongly to most women than to most men due to the content of the advice and subjects of the illustrations. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book very much.

The book features ten essays on different aspects of benefiting from imperfections. Each essay, in turn, is elaborated on with further examples and observations. Each one could keep you happy day dreaming for days.

Here are the essay titles and a few key quotes from each:

(1) The art of making mistakes: "Though we all agree that to err is human, each of us individually believes that he or she is the exception." "Unfortunately, thinking that being right will save us from being wrong is a misapprehension." " . . . [T]he best time to learn from your mistakes is before they happen." I particularly liked the points about how artists and musicians use deliberate mistakes to heighten the audience reaction and enjoyment.

(2) The art of being shy: Our objective should be to create a "lack of self-importance." " . . . [M]ost of us grossly underestimate our physical appeal." "We are all shy." "Short of having a film crew to make a home movie, you and I will never meet our visible selves . . . ." "Exercise helps -- and so does closing your eyes and visualizing the Oneness of It All." There is also a vulgar suggestion for overcoming shyness that I will not repeat. There is a good list of how to handle a social situation that will help the most shy people.

(3) The art of looking like yourself: "The best beauty product is to have a life." Build your "inner beauty." ". . . [G]et up in the morning and say 'Wow.'" "The ideal of beauty is replaced today by an ideal of realness." " . . . [Y]ou must look like you never bother with mirrors, brushes, or combs." "Simplicity is key . . . ." Mentally, it helps to close your eyes, mute your mind's voice, become a little disoriented, and drift.

(4) The art of having nothing to wear: "The more style in clothes, the more buoyant the feeling." "The style of an outfit is subjective, elusive, and volatile, with a half-life of less than two months." You will never be dowdy "as long as you never stop feeling that you have absolutely nothing to wear."

(5) The art of not being right: "Why should your happiness depend on the exemplary behavior of others?" There is a great list of ways to make other people feel you support and like them.

(6) The art of being disorganized: "Making mistakes is part of getting organized." "Anytime you either slow down, resist a task, or invent some insane reason for getting behind schedule, pay special attention . . . ." Breakthroughs come when something tells us to slow down.

(7) The art of having taste -- not good taste: " . . . [A]cquire things slowly."

(8) The art of not knowing what to do: "To go, not knowing where. And to find answers, not knowing why."

(9) The art of being silly: "Honest and gullible, trusting yet reckless, playful but insecure . . . . " "You just relax, roll your eyes, and that's that."

(10) The art of being neither rich nor famous: "Sooner or later, we all get our 15 minutes of fame . . . It means nothing." "He who knows he has enough is rich." -- Lao-tzu

In conclusion, "Perfect moments happen to imperfect people at the most imperfect times." "Perfect moments happen every day."

As you can see, this book not only makes you feel better about errors, flaws, and other vulnerabilities, it encourages you to move towards embracing them as the path to progress. If you can achieve that mental switch, you will not only find your life filled with more relaxation, you will also enjoy and appreciate more. I heartily encourage you to take this trip.

After you have finished reading the book, I suggest that you take 15 minutes every night to seek out imperfections and flaws. Once you have them spotted, think about how they are the best things that could have happened to you. In this way, you will build the habit of seeing the good in the imperfect. Over time, you will become better at finding opportunities and comfort in these imperfections. Then you will be on the path towards a healthy wisdom.

Enjoy all aspects of your life . . . warts and all!