Review of Becoming a Visually Reflective Practitioner: An Integrated Self-Study Model for Professional Practice

Abstract

A few years ago, I facilitated a book club meeting for the Pennsylvania Art Education Association on psychologist Mary Pipher’s (2019) book, Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age. The author argued that navigating life’s “currents and flourishing” can be challenging, and she shared stories and wisdom illuminating how women, at different life and developmental stages, can grow and develop amid life’s challenges. Reading the stories on how people navigated difficult times in their lives provided universality and connection. One retired art educator in the reading group shared how she wished she had taken time earlier to explore and reflect on her professional identity and related issues. She noted that “reflection yields growth and growth feeds longevity... self-inquiry and self-discovery are catalysts for growth in all aspects of life, especially as a visual practitioner (L. Bucci, personal communication, April 18, 2020). This is one reason why Becoming a Visually Reflective Practitioner is such a valuable tool. This book offers the reader concrete examples of how they approach “self-study” and document how they evolve in their next stage of growth and development, using self-study as an ongoing method of inquiry and discovery. In this process, new questions can arise about issues related to professional practice, allowing for additional professional goals.