Fixed.: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving

by Amy E Herman

Overview

With Amy Herman’s Fixed., we now have access to what the FBI, NATO, the State Department, Interpol, Scotland Yard, and many more organizations and their leaders have been using to solve their most intractable problems.

Demonstrating a powerful paradigm shift for finding solutions, Herman teaches us to see things differently, using art to challenge our default thinking and open up possibilities otherwise overlooked. Her unexpected, insightful, and often delightful methodology is sought after by leaders and professionals for whom failure is catastrophic. Luckily for us, these tactics work— no matter the problem’s scale or complexity. And we don’t need an art degree or previous knowledge about art to benefit from her approach, only a willingness to open our eyes and our minds. Yes, things go wrong all the time. What matters most is what we do to fix them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063004849
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	294,157
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

AMY E. HERMAN is the founder and president of The Art of Perception, Inc., a New York–based organization that conducts professional development courses for leaders around the world, from Secret Service agents to prison wardens. Herman was the head of education at the Frick Collection for over ten years. An art historian and an attorney, Herman holds a BA in international affairs from Lafayette College, a JD from the National Law Center at George Washington University, and an MA in art history from Hunter College. A world-renowned speaker, Herman has been featured on the CBS Evening News, the BBC, and in countless print publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Telegraph, the New York Daily News, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Introduction 1

Prep 13

Step #1 Clean Your Lenses 15

Step #2 Change Your Shoes 63

Step #3 Define the Project 103

Draft 135

Step #4 Break It into Bite-Sized Pieces 145

Step #5 Recognize Relationships and Red Herrings 157

Step #6 Set a Deadline 185

Step #7 Just Do It 195

Exhibit 219

Step #3 Manage Contradictions 221

Step #9 Repair Mistakes with Gold 243

Acknowledgments 277

Notes 281

Credits and Permissions 301

Index 309

Editorial Reviews

10/11/2021

Art historian Herman (Visual Intelligence) suggests in this accessible survey that people can be better problem-solvers by following the examples of artists. Herman studies the way artists prepare, approach, and complete their works, starting with Théodore Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa, which depicts the aftermath of a shipwreck caused by terrible decision-making. She writes that the painting is the key to the “critical survival skill” that is problem-solving—which is often as simple as nurturing relationships with others and leaning on them when problems arise (“When in doubt, we must default to our humanity”). Herman presents a series of images and follow-up questions to help readers learn their tastes (which can “lead to better self-realization”), and offers a study in perspective intended to help one adopt different “vantage points.” Along the way, Herman analyzes various works and their creators—Artemisia Gentileschi (from which the author draws lessons on “shifting... how others people see us”), Ai Weiwei, who dealt with much adversity before triumphing—and provides a wealth of context and art history. Timely and passionate, this candid look at generating solutions will please the creatively inclined. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Looking at art through Amy Herman’s lens gives us a powerful new perspective to envision our problems and craft concrete solutions. — Col. Christopher Costa, USA, (Ret.), executive director of the International Spy Museum and former special assistant to the president for counterterrorism

From the Publisher

Looking at art through Amy Herman’s lens gives us a powerful new perspective to envision our problems and craft concrete solutions.

Col. Christopher Costa