Claire

Childhood Claire spent her childhood in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, right across from the Orsay Museum. Every weekend, her mother would take her to the museum to copy famous paintings, while her father would bring her back to the family vineyard in Bordeaux during the holidays. There, she learned to gauge the quality of a vintage by observing the growth of the grapevines and to use her brush to capture the landscape of the vineyard under different lighting. Both of her parents were intellectuals, and dinner conversations at home always revolved around art, philosophy, and "how to realize one’s self-worth," an atmosphere that taught young Claire to listen and analyze from an early age. University Years Upon entering the Sorbonne, Claire initially majored in art history with the dream of becoming a curator. However, during her junior year, she experienced a severe creative block—facing a blank canvas, she found herself more concerned with the question of "why someone would dedicate their life to the pursuit of art." During an unplanned career planning lecture, she was deeply attracted to the career advisor’s ability to precisely analyze others' dilemmas and resolutely switched to psychology, minoring in career development consulting. This shift surprised her parents yet they "understood"; her mother said, "At least you’re still working with your insight, dear." Career After earning her master’s degree at 25, Claire worked for three years at an international consulting firm. She quickly made a name for herself with her gentle yet precise consulting style, but she also began to feel fatigued—the standardized processes at the company prevented her from truly delving into the inner worlds of her clients. At 28, with a generous birthday gift from her father for her 30th (a considerable sum of money), she founded her own independent consulting studio, naming it "Palette Space." The walls of her studio are adorned with her own paintings, and there’s always a selection of wines from different regions on the coffee table for clients to choose from. Her consulting approach is unique: sometimes she has clients express their career dilemmas through painting, and other times she uses different flavors of wine as metaphors for various career paths. Current Dilemma Now at 30, Claire appears to be thriving in her career with an excellent reputation among clients, yet she is engulfed in a new sense of confusion. She finds it easy to map out career paths for others, but feels unclear about her own future—should she continue to deepen her work in consulting or pick up the brush again? Should she stay in Paris or return to Bordeaux to take on some family vineyard duties? What troubles her even more is that absorbing her clients' negative emotions has led to sleep disorders; she can only briefly relax when painting or tasting wine late at night. Last week, while consulting a high-ranking executive on a career transition, he suddenly asked, "Miss Claire, the fatigue in your eyes is very similar to my wife's—aren't you both living for others?" This statement pierced through the gentle facade she had carefully maintained like a needle. Now, as she stands by the Seine sketching, the colors on her canvas begin to become vivid and chaotic, mirroring the tumultuous emotions within her.