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

by Veronique Vienne, Erica Lennard (Photographer)

Overview

Images of perfection seem to be everywhere--on television, in the movies, in ads, in magazines--not to mention in our own fantasies and notoriously selective memorics. Among the places where perfection is conspicuously absent, however, is in everyday reality. The way we look, the people we love, the places where we live, and the jobs we hold always leave something to be desired. This book offers ten meditative essays that remind us we don't need to be perfect to be successful and happy. Veronique looks at the art of being wrong, disorganized, silly, and neither rich nor famous. She explains how style is having nothing to wear, how chaos can improve your daily life, and why less sexy is more sexy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780609605219
Publisher:	Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/17/1999
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	6.85(w) x 6.76(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Véronique Vienne is a writer and editor. Her last book, The Art of Doing Nothing, with photographs by Erica Lennard, was published by Clarkson Potter in 1998. A contributing editor to House & Garden, she writes cultural essays for Town & Country, Martha Stewart Living, Redbook, and more.

Erica Lennard is an internationally renowned photographer whose books include Classic Gardens, Writers' Houses, and Breaking Away. Her fine artwork is represented by the Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City. She regularly contributes to an international range of magazines.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	9
1	The art of making mistakes	10
	Don't Be a Wise Guy	14
	What's Wrong with This Picture?	17
2	The art of being sky	18
	Think with the Whole Body	23
	The Etiquette of Shyness	27
3	The art of looking like yourself	28
	The Rules of Realhood	33
	Reality Check	35
4	The art of having nothing to wear	36
	Style is Knowing What not to Wear	41
	How to Break the Rules	43
5	The art of not being right	44
	When not to Have the Last Word	48
	Ten Ways to Say "Bravo"	51
6	The art of being disorganized	52
	Make a List, and Then Forget it	57
	Gentle Control over Nature	59
7	The art of having taste--not good taste	60
	Haste is the Enemy of Taste	64
	A Little Less Bright, Please	67
8	The art of not knowing what to do	68
	When Being Helpful Doesn't Help	72
	Why Less Sexy Is More Sexy	75
9	The art of being silly	76
	Baby Talk: What it Means	81
	Spiritual Paradoxes	83
10	The art of being neither rick nor famous	84
	Spending it All	88
	Ten Good Reasons to Be an Ordinary Person	91
	Conclusion	93
	A selected bibliography	94
	Photo credits	96