Build Your Portfolio: Rediscover Who You Are

“Supposing is good, but finding out is better.” — Mark Twain

For decades, I’ve been both a creative and an educator, often believing I was overestimating my accomplishments. Recently, I realized I was actually underestimating myself — by a lot.

Championing others has always been easy for me — whether that's students, clients, colleagues, or loved ones. But I neglected to extend that same support to myself, an issue for many people. We work hard to keep things together, but in doing so, we can lose sight of our own value.

Over the past 20 years at Emory and SMU, I’ve taught thousands of students from diverse backgrounds. A common thread among them when returning to the classroom is a lack of confidence. Education, in all its forms, is nourishment for this. It’s not just about learning; it’s about self-discovery. Building your portfolio is a practical step for career or business development, but it’s also a journey of self-awareness. It might be the perfect opportunity to reconnect with who you truly are.

Join us for our next FREE INFO SESSION online: this Thursday, August 15, 2024, 12pm ET. We'll talk about the Emory Digital Marketing Certificate program so you can learn more about us and ask your questions.

A Portfolio Update Can Change Everything

Updating my portfolio after a long time echoed this experience for me, and it was a revelation. I had let my achievements slip through my fingers as if they were mist, but they weren’t — hundreds of designs and authored works; courses, workshops, and programs; records I'd broken in the film industry. Without revisiting my portfolio, much of me might have faded into obscurity.

I challenge you to update your portfolio or create one, whether you’re a digital marketer, photographer, architect, writer, designer, or accountant. Isn’t it time you gave yourself the same care you give so freely to others? This guide is for anyone who needs a portfolio, an update, a visual resume, or simply the nourishment of remembering who you truly are.

What is a Portfolio?

My first portfolio was a cranberry-colored plush tweed case that held my 16x20 photos. I recall always feeling overdressed like I was a child carrying around my parent’s portfolio. But, I grew into it, and it inspired me to take on my career.

Whether you have years of experience or are a fresh-faced student, a portfolio is a strategic collection of work samples that showcase your skills and accomplishments. It’s essential for advancing your creative career, often more so than your educational credentials. It validates your experience or promises your potential.

How is it Different Now Online?

Today’s portfolios are digital, accessible across devices, but we still operate in a clicks-and-mortar world. A hybrid approach is best — consider what blend of online channels and physical pieces works for your field.

How to Choose the Publishing Platform Right for You

Because I am an Adobe Creative Cloud subscriber, I have access to loads more than just Adobe's suite of apps, including a bank of fonts, the Behance network, and other resources like Adobe Portfolio. However, there are other quality, affordable options like Squarespace, Siter.io, Pixpa, and Format, which are also popular platforms in 2024. These offer templates and ideas to get you started.

"A solid, well-designed portfolio can lead to job opportunities with some of the most exciting companies in the world. It can also connect designers with high-quality clients and give them pricing power when taking on new work." — Jon Sorrentino, The Design Guy

Who Needs a Portfolio and Why?

Portfolios aren’t just for artists anymore. They’re essential for anyone looking to advance their career. Focus your portfolio on where you want to go, not just where you’ve been. Include work that reflects your present career direction; don’t hesitate to leave out pieces that don’t.

That said, thumbing through the history of your work gives you insight into rediscovering yourself, so do enjoy that journey.

Your portfolio should reflect both your work and who you are as a personal or professional brand. It’s a delicate balance — don’t overshadow your work, but don’t fade into the background either.

Students and Career-changers

I have had many students come to my classroom with little or no practical experience in their new field of choice, but that’s okay. In my classes, students create theoretical and real-world projects that serve as excellent portfolio starters. Even if you don’t have coursework to include, create something to show your potential, just indicate it’s a sample of your kind of work. Anyone reviewing your portfolio just wants to see what you can do.?

A recent graduate of mine struggled with his job hunt until we tweaked his portfolio to better reflect his career goals. Shortly after, he landed his dream job.

Your portfolio should reflect you and the life you are shaping or reshaping for yourself. When developing your first portfolio of the work on your new career path, consider a gentle entry with either a summative or formative format.

Summative vs. Formative Portfolios

A summative portfolio is a summary of your accomplishments, carefully curated to reflect your career direction. A formative portfolio, on the other hand, showcases your developing process, including drafts and edits. This adds depth and insight, especially for those still building their body of work. Arts PROPEL at Project Zero developed the 'processfolio,' which captures a work in progress.

Even though the following video is aimed at teachers guiding students, these five tips are exciting ideas for creating your formative portfolio.?

Creatives

Writers:?Writers have traditionally referred to their work as ‘clippings,’ but the term ‘writing portfolio’ is gaining traction. Platforms like Clippings.me offer a modern way to showcase their work. Here’s an example from Kristie Hayden, an Australian general writer.

Graphic Designers:?Navigating an ever-evolving field, graphic designers should reflect the work in their portfolio they want to pursue while keenly visually representing their unique brand. Minimalist? Keep it clean. Motion designer? Incorporate movement. Tom Parkes’ portfolio is a great example.

Photographers:?In taking advantage of ways to distinguish themselves in a glutted market, photographers are finding strategies to deal even with how AI itself has become a competitor. They are effectively utilizing social media content apps like Instagram and TikTok to build their brand and gain attention for their unique work through the lens. But hiring managers want to see a website that features a strong photography presentation portfolio. They have to present clearly the kind of work they intend to do. Director and photographer Calvin Pausania’s portfolio is a sleek, exciting example of how to showcase the work effectively.

Digital and Traditional Marketers:?Marketers need strategic online portfolios that demonstrate their ability to execute a campaign across multiple channels (digital and traditional). They have to be sure to include details about their projects in well defined case studies, which is quite usual and even expected for the field. Edward Wood, CMO of CareerFoundry, offers tips on creating an effective digital marketing portfolio.

Architects:?Architects should also present their work as case studies, showcasing designs, research, and project variety. This video reviews five inspiring architecture portfolios. Watch how they have converted the printed architect’s PDF portfolio to flipbooks for interactive use online (using Issuu). This is a superb example of a hybrid solution that best suits an industry practice.

Fine Artists:?Fine artists face the challenge of translating physical work into a digital format without losing the essence of their work. Many artists are using platforms like YouTube as a video studio journal to share their techniques with potential art students. Wherever they execute their art, like photographers, their work in a glutted field is also being redefined and certainly challenged by AI. Lena Kolb’s textile art portfolio is a strong example of how to effectively respond to these pressures with confidence and grace.

Make-Up Artists:?In fashion and filmmaking, seeing is believing. Hair and makeup artists need an online portfolio to showcase their unique abilities to get hired in their industry. Video is particularly useful, as are before-and-after slider apps like Common Ninja. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are ideal for showcasing their skills. Andra R. Petrea’s portfolio is a great example.

Fashion Designers:?Wix, another portfolio publishing platform, writes about “9 Steps to Making a Fashion Portfolio,” with inspirational examples for fashion designers. Another highly visual and glutted market, fashion designers can effectively use a site blend of e-commerce and portfolio to stand out against competition. The fashion designer's story should be clear to reflect their design journey and direction and what differentiates them, including using high-quality visuals, credentials, and testimonials. Here is a great example.

Interior Designers:?Interior design portfolios should showcase the best work they intend to continue to create in the industry. There should be powerful visuals with a range of angles and setups, including before-and-after shots and renderings. Case studies about project details is a great way to illustrate how they take a project from concept to successful completion. Here is an example of an interior design portfolio that hits all the marks.

Non-Creative Fields

Trainer and coach Jo Gobbo in her awesome article “Portfolios Aren’t Just for Creatives,” maps out a strategy for the non-creative practitioner to develop their online visual presentation that is sure to help them stand out in their field.

Her main points include:

• Why you should have your own portfolio and how to use it
• How to define your own personal brand: the YOU factor
• Looking back at at your own CV
• Setting a structure
• Content: words or visuals?

The Case Study

Add depth and meaning to your portfolio project collection with case studies. Visuals are not enough to truly reflect your accomplishments and how you made that all happen. Building a case study is important to ensure you have illustrated how effective you have performed in your field. Keep it brief but meaningful and complete — summarize it in the portfolio project, then link to a longer PDF version (you can store in a location like Google Drive), for instance.

What to include in a case study:

Introduction: Include a clear headline that hooks, follow with a brief overview of the project.?

Challenge: State the challenge the customer faced.

Solution: Describe the solution you performed and how you made the difference.

Outcomes: Use metrics and statistics to support your results. Include any limitations or challenges but also reveal new findings and strategies that surfaced. End with a call-to-action (CTA) or summarize the overall impact of the solution.?

"Case studies should focus on the customer's experience before and after working with the company, and let their story speak for itself." — Kristen McCormick, Head of Marketing at Hatch

Here is my portfolio, by the way.

Please reach out to me if I can help you. Building your portfolio is a necessary tool in your career. But it may very well be exactly what you need to remember who you are and how much a difference you have made in the world. We forget that for many reasons. It’s time for you to remember.

Thank you for your time and interest. I hope this inspires you to build or rebuild your portfolio, but mainly to rediscover any part of you that needs your attention. Please share your thoughts on your portfolio, examples you love, or your own career journey. Leave a comment here to kick-off the conversation.

This is my 20th year teaching for Emory University Continuing Education. I've loved every minute. Please consider how an Emory education might be just the nourishment you need today. FYI, in the digital marketing program below, I include a mini-course on how to develop a digital marketing portfolio in the capstone:

→ Join us for our next FREE INFO SESSION online: Thursday, August 15, 2024, 12pm ET. We'll talk about the Emory Digital Marketing Certificate program so you can learn more about us and have a chance to ask your questions.

→ Read more about the Emory Digital Marketing Certificate. Register for the certificate - fall session begins October 2, 2024.

→ Click here to contact our fabulous program advisor Marilia Perottoni to discuss your educational pathway.

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