“Imperfection is Beautiful” is the theme of Lisa MacDonald’s new book, which calls on readers to embrace everything about themselves, building self-esteem without succumbing to impossible standards.

“Painting the Path of My Life: Imperfection is Beautiful” (76 pages; Bright Communications; paperback $18.40; 2024; Spanish version available) tells her life story with photographs of her paintings. Each is accompanied by a page or so about its meaning and origin.

For example, she writes about “Feeling of Relief”: “In this painting, I wanted to capture feelings of relief from mental and physical sickness. As I embrace myself in nature, I see myself running in an open field filled with colorful flowers.”

The paintings deal with many themes, including kindness, anger, fear, recovery from pain, overcoming negative thoughts and happiness.

“I started on the book in 2018 and I found I had a lot to say. I went through a lot of struggles in my life. My art was telling me how I overcame my challenges,” MacDonald says during an interview at a restaurant in West Allentown.

With a Pennsylvania-German father and a Dominican mother, MacDonald grew up speaking two languages. Sometimes, fellow students made fun of her “Spanglish” mixture of words. She also faced bullying in high school and discrimination as a mixed-race person.

She calls herself an “Abstract Motivational Artist.” Her paintings are not strictly abstract, in that they are representational. When she draws a horse or a sunset, they are easily recognizable.

She uses that description for her work because “they do not use typical realism.” They are inspirational because “they are motivational, designed to motivate others.”

In the book she writes, “I design my artwork in an abstract form because I believe it gives my art pieces an imperfect yet beautiful view. The imperfection in my artwork symbolizes all of our own human imperfections. I want to include the true meaning of imperfections into my artwork to spread this awareness to others who are struggling to accept their own imperfections.”

She says, “We don’t talk about these imperfections. It is something that needs to be shown. It made me want to become a speaker.”

“Imperfection is Beautiful” is also the name of MacDonald’s business. Her website is www.imperfectionisbeautiful.life.

She presents life-improving programs using artwork with a number of themes. They are designed for groups, including women, youth, college students and veterans. She also does life-coaching and motivational speaking. She brings her artwork to her talks to give them a personal touch.

MacDonald, 29, understands the problems of younger people:

“They are trying to find out who they are and where they want to go. They need direction and guidance. There is stress in finding a balance between work and school.

“Social media can make you feel alone. You look at someone else and think, ‘I wish my life was like that.’ But people can overcome those emotions and realize that they are not alone.”

MacDonald uses social media in a positive way. She is on all the major platforms, displaying her art and posting many short motivational videos.

MacDonald was born in Perkasie, Bucks County. She attended Wescosville Elementary School, Lower Macungie Middle School and Emmaus High School. She graduated from Lehigh County Community College and received a BA in Art from Cedar Crest College.

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com