Reflections on emotional journeys: a new perspective for reading fashion students' PPD statements

Abstract

This paper introduces work in progress on the presence of the emotions in reflective Personal and Professional Development (PPD) statements at the London College of Fashion. From a basis combining elements of emotional and personal construct theories, it offers an emerging method of reading PPD reflective statements which differs from current preoccupations with employability in its focus on narratives of personal improvement and individual emotional journeys. The authors outline a perspective which may be adopted by staff and students alike to identify moments of revelation in learning experiences and the actions that have accompanied these. Furthermore, they invite consideration as to the way PPD and critical reflection in a fashion context may differ from other subjects, in the intensity of personal creative investment and subjectivity.