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

In Fixed, Amy Herman's follow-up to The Art of Perception, she takes the reader on an even deeper dive into problem solving, by teaching them how to ask the right questions. Inquiry is the basis for Herman's work, and it is terribly underrated in our society. If we don't constantly question the world around us - including what we are told to see, and what we are told to ignore - aren't we in danger of losing self-efficacy? The use of Gericault's Raft of the Medusa painting as a connecting theme throughout the book is inspired. Digging into the tragedy portrayed by Gericault, reveals essential information not about not only the image, but also about the artist, the situation, the aftermath, and, most significantly, the society that enabled this horror to happen. Herman's teachings are essential for anyone wanting to better understand the world in which we live, and how to live their best lives within it.

A page turning read, Fixed delights the reader with a variety of works of art while imparting valuable tools for breaking down and resolving complex challenges. A novel approach to an age old challenge, how do we solve problems, large and small?. Can we learn to see what we don’t see, ask what we don’t ask and think in new ways about the world around us? Amy Herman’s ingenious book encourages her readers to sharpen problem solving skills by observing art in new ways. A step by step guide to intentionally questioning the biases , blind spots, preconceptions, individual styles, preferences and social constructs we bring to the table as we face the challenges in our personal and professional lives and the ever changing issues in our shared world.

One of my favorite books. Highly recommend

I typically judge a non-fiction book based on what I learn from it. I can say now, I didn't learn anything from this book.For example, the first 40% of the book was how to change your perceptions, I presume to help you solve some problem. However it was littered with how to view problems thru the lens of race and sex. A whole lotta words about how to negate western contributions to civilization. And somehow she equates great art with the liberal agenda.I found one chapter talking about the artistic process which was interesting for 5 minutes. But then it launched into race and other liberal topics. For example there is a chapter explaining how an American doctor got taxpayers to pay for the healthcare of illegal aliens thru "hardwork" and "persistence" and justified deception. A smart solution would be to get the country the illegal alien is from to foot the bill for their citizens health care and there are many ways to do that. But it never occurred once to this author. No, her solution seems to be American's pay international healthcare.And she supports reparations. No mention of reparations for the million white people who lost their lives freeing the slaves, the same slaves who were actually enslaved by African and foreign trading organizations and sold off to American farmers.I just stopped reading the book. It wasn't showing me anything. In fact I'm a little disturbed that she has seminar's for government institutions where she preaches how to view everything by race and sex and globalism. No wonder our government is failing the American people miserably.

I found a lot of value in this book with relating art to conflict management and getting people to have open discussions. I knocked off one star based on what one of the other reviewers discussed. The editing had some issues. Early on in the book I believe it references the Milwaukee PD responsible for the George Floyd murder instead of Minneapolis PD. Also, the paper used for this book seems duller than what they used for "Visual Intelligence." The photos are less vibrant making it harder to see the finer details discussed in the text. I also found one spot where it looks like a copy/paste went wrong. I still recommend the book for its content, but you may also want to have some of the art open on a computer screen to see better.

Problem solving is most certainly a lost art, and in "Fixed. How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving" Amy Herman reflects problem solving in our high speed society through a completely original lens. This book helps the reader to use art in order to see themselves and the problems they face every day more clearly. In a world where everything cannot be "fixed," kids today especially are not embracing uncertainty as "a cauldron of creativity." Instead, they are paralyzed by uncertainty, so they lack resilience. This book is a must read for parents, high school students, college students, and anyone who wants to enhance their problem solving skills.