Creative writing practices and autobiographical process enabling professional identity work

This chapter provides the learning materials used in the professional autobiographical process. The case study and example come from the Arts Academy of the Turku University of Applied Sciences, the implementation of professional autobiographical processes in Contemporary Contexts of Arts Programme studies. The learning material benefits lecturers and tutors in higher education institutes in the learning design of courses that aim to support students’ reflective skills. The theoretical justifications are pointed out alongside describing the professional autobiographical process and including practices, study month by study month, although a closer examination of the theoretical basis, transformative learning theory, creative life writing, freewriting and journaling can be found in another chapter in this publication, Professional autobiographical process including identity work in creative writing practices. The process includes art-based and creative methods such as journaling, the digital career story, and design thinking. Journaling practices are described in this chapter, but learning materials and practices based on digital career story and design thinking methods are presented in other chapters in this publication. This chapter covers the stages of the process and main practices. The targets, pre-assignments, content and contact class activities and assignments of each of ten phases are gathered in table 1. In implementing the professional autobiographical process integration into other courses on the study plan is recommended as well as (short) art-based activities, which fit the needs of the current study group – for example at the start of contact classes. Every professional autobiographical process course is individual – although the learning targets and the core of the process remain the same – as is each students learning process.