Abstract

If the question of finding one's calling, or one's most meaningful path in life is considered central in existential psychology, it seems particularly relevant for this segment of the population which developmental psychology calls emerging adults, who are faced with the challenging task of defining their priorities and making life decisions engaging their future. In our times of increased possibilities and decreased models to guide one's choices, new structures are needed to support emerging adults in this critical life transition and allow their search for their place in the world to be framed as a conscious and purposeful process, toward personal development. Art therapy has shown art-making to be a privileged avenue toward self-knowledge and meaning-making. In this study, I propose to lay the theoretical foundations for the implementation of a future art-based exploratory program designed to assist young people in their search for calling. Defining meaning as encounter, I draw on existential and archetypal literature to explore how the artistic process, as phenomenological and imaginal engagement with images, can facilitate the emergence and deepening of personal meaning, hence contributing to one's psychological unfolding. Emphasising the aesthetic dimension of the art experience, I examine how the creative process as aesthetic practice can allow emerging adults to develop aesthetic sensitivity and creative competences which can be used in their daily lives to help them find their way in the world. By trying to integrate the active ingredients of art therapy into an educational format of intervention, I hope to bring the benefits of our therapeutic practice beyond its traditional treatment mandate, to serve the more educative and cultural purpose of fostering young adults' development toward a more responsible participation in the world's unfolding