The Art of Meaningful Living is a beautiful coffee-table book that combines the modern art of John Palmer with discussions of what makes a meaningful life by psychotherapist Christopher Brown.This book is only 113 pages long, but it's not a quick read. This is much more of a nibble and ponder style book. It's also perfect for a January read (since I usually do lots of self-evaluation at the beginning of a new calendar year).
Christopher has designed this book to challenge his readers to move beyond trying to make it through the day and into a life where we pursue our passions and "act in ways that [we] value." He walks readers step-by-step through an analysis of how we are living our current life, what mental attitudes we may need to change, and how we define our passions and success. It's like a self-help book based on Christopher's training and experience in the field.
Interspersed in these challenging topics are 75 paintings by John that were inspired by the text. Some of these paintings are more abstract than I would normally choose, but I love his color combinations and am still thinking about the interplay between the designs and Christopher's challenges. My favorite of John's paintings in this books is the one he's titled as "A meaningful life along with traumatic experiences." The combination of the intense colors with the dark sections remind me of a sunset and underscores Christopher's discussions of how a meaningful life is not devoid of suffering or problems, but we can choose how to respond to these challenges.
Bottom Line: This book will be sitting on my coffee table for a long time while I think about Christopher's lessons and admire John's art.
(Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for my review copy of this book.)
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