He wants to be nothing except what he is.That is home.That is happiness. Herman Hesse, pp.53  This essay is inspired by my own uneasy road to be more authentic, and my encounters with my clients and with people who are longing to be who they are. More inspiration comes from often seen basic tension between perfection and authenticity when I make compositions(1) with my clients. This tension sometimes divides the self, and is visible as a pattern in these composition. In my practice and privately I wish to encourage people to be more who they are (self-realization) and discover the beauty of being authentic despite not necessarily being perfect. Imperfection is a part of the self, there can be no authenticity without imperfection. The beauty of imperfection has been celebrated by Japanese value of Wabi. On the road to becoming authentic we can be inspired by celebrating imperfection.   To must and to want ‘Ought’ or ‘must-self’ and ‘authentic self’ can be seen as two forces sometimes pulling us into different directions in life, work and relations. The first force is often connected with the position (2) “I as perfectionist”, the other force with “I as authentic” or “deep down…

Composition work belongs to the dialogical self approach and is inspired by art and a scientific model of the self (Dialogical Self Theory). The client is invited to take the position of an artist and to compose his own self-landscape. This method is relevant for coaching, training, counseling and education. Landscape of the mind The Dialogical Self has been described as dynamic multiplicity of I-positions in the landscape of mind (Hermans, Kempen, & Van Loon, 1992). I-positions are understood as different sides one‟s personality, characters belonging to one person (e.g. I as anxious, I as strong, I as happy, I as demanding). I-positions are not only internal but also external ones, like significant others or external aspects of one‟s self (e.g. my friend, nature, my father). We ask a person to make a composition which represents a variety of I–positions and emotions. The relations between them are explored and a unique pattern becomes visible. This relational landscape of the mind can be expressed, like any landscape in an artistic composition. We use stones as nonverbal material in composition work. We provide clients with a variety of stones, from which they choose those which represent their I-positions and emotions. They place…