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<p>The Critical and Creative Thinking synthesis course provided an opportunity for me to begin a process of self-transformation, using all that I had learned in the program about metacognition, reflective practice, and creativity to inspire goals for my personal growth. As part of my work in the synthesis course, I rediscovered a consistent practice of self-reflective journaling that I had abandoned some years ago and used my synthesis paper to document my process in hopes that others may learn from it and perhaps be inspired to take on a self-reflective journaling practice of their own. As my paper reveals through excerpts of my journal writing and creative writing, journaling has been a way for me to understand the source of my creative resistance, confront that source, and work through it to begin writing poetry again. I demonstrate how self-reflective writing allowed me to distance myself enough from my experiences to channel them into creative flow. I conclude my paper by exploring future pathways: as I move beyond the course, I will continue journaling as a lifelong practice and share the experience with others by facilitating a creative writing group in which members take on a self-reflective journaling practice alongside their creative work. My hope is that others may discover, as I have, the potential journaling holds as a tool for creative thriving and movement toward our ideal selves.</p> |
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