How as art educators and researchers can we nurture our personal and professional growth? In this article, I revisit an autoethnographic pilot study that used visual-verbal journaling as a reflexive and contemplative arts-based method to challenge traditional professional development experiences. Focusing on conference attendance as a place to develop personally and professionally, this practice-led research sought to explore researcher reflexivity and identity development and contribute to slow scholarship. Through narrative writing, alongside journal entries, this article shares my experience attending the 2023 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute , an interdisciplinary and immersive conference for contemplative researchers, educators, practitioners and the like. Findings suggest that the act of journaling can enhance an embodied engagement with conference materials, supporting stronger connections to self, to artistic practice and to professional growth. The implications of the study open possibilities for art educators/researchers, as well as conference organizers, to (re)consider how we can more artfully engage with professional development events that supports our whole, developing selves.
Jenna S. Green (Sun,) studied this question.
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