We are not seeking an aesthetic quality in the final artwork, but rather an expression of emotions and inner experiences.
This collage exercise, carried out between a father and his adolescent son, aimed to take stock of what is no longer working, particularly in the father’s professional life, at the initiative and with the encouragement of his son. After a moment of disconnection and relaxation, they leafed through magazines in search of images and words reflecting their state of mind at the time, while exchanging, discussing, and advising one another.
The father focused on his professional situation as it is lived and felt by his son through the emotions it generates. The adolescent, for his part, worked on his perception of himself in a changing world.
For the father, the exercise led to a strong awareness: omnipresent stress and fatigue, a sense of misalignment with his deeper identity, and the presence of a critical and discouraging inner voice. His energy appears scattered, torn between the will to keep going and exhaustion, revealing inner tension and a stark contrast between his current situation and his deeper aspirations.
The son’s collage, by contrast, falls within a dynamic of positive projection: the desire to stay connected to what drives him, the need to preserve his identity, and self-confidence as levers to seize future opportunities. Doing what he loves, continuing to have fun, and finding pleasure in his work appear to him as an obvious path, especially as he observes his father facing a burnout situation.