Portfolios are Dumb

In my many years’ experience as a creative weirdo, here’s a truth that was as true on day one of my journey as it is now, after 20+ years of experience:

Portfolios are Dumb

Creative friends are probably thinking, “Well yeah, obviously.”

For my friends hiring and placing creatives, this might seem like a contentious way to start, but hear me out.

I don’t want to try to herd cats by making generalizations about the least general folks in the workforce, so I’m going to use examples from my own life that will probably resonate with some of you:

I Grow and Change Obsessively

The nature of creative work means that I live a curious life and am constantly learning new things. I have a dozen or more experiments and pet projects going at any one time. The me that I am right now is different from the me I was a few weeks ago, much less ten years ago. Showing my work from years ago, even when I’m proud of it, is difficult because I don’t identify with who I was then or the work I did.

I obsess over the quality of my creative process, constantly tinkering to improve it. And by extension, I obsess over my physical and mental health, my habits, my routines, my environment, what art and media I’m willing to consume, my leadership and communication skills, my wardrobe, my tools, etc.

My identity is constantly in flux. I reinvent whenever I need to freshen up my work. Hm… I definitely need to write an article about identity.

Physiologically speaking, all the cells in our bodies have regenerated within seven years. We are literally different people than we were.

Portfolios Showcasing Professional Projects

The problem with these is that we’re showcasing our leadership abilities, but not (necessarily) our creativity.

For example, the video I have on my profile showcases my teams’ work from the beginning of a seasonal collection through to the final edit of a series of campaign videos. The website and social media account reflect my influence and, to an extent, the quality of my work.

I worked with the clothing design team. I worked with the styling team. I worked with the campaign shoot team. I worked with the marketing teams. Every step of the way, it was a team effort. Ideas came from everywhere. Brilliant designers, stylists, photographers, a brilliant videographer/editor, hair & makeup people, models, marketing people, social media people, etc., all contributed to the final outcome.

This video and the website & socials show some of my abilities as a leader and as a consultant. But do they show my creative abilities?

There are tiny aspects of everything that I disagreed with and was overruled by the founder, sometimes to the result’s benefit (I’m not infallible) and sometimes to the result’s detriment (nobody else is infallible, either). Which things? Does this make me seem more competent or less?

In the context of a portfolio, it is impossible to tell. Is my boss/client a genius or a doofus (or like everyone, a little of each in varying degrees)? Is the person reviewing this portfolio really able to discern my genius? Or will they focus on the flaws (that they will assume I’m not responsible for if they like me and blame me for if they do not)?

No creative project is flawless. No success is blameless. With a portfolio showing a team effort, how can you be sure what you’re looking at?

You can’t.

Portfolios Showcasing Spec Work

These suffer from some different problems. With on-spec portfolio work, you can get a sense of some of the prospect’s ability to generate ideas, but it gives no hints as to whether this person can lead or communicate well.

Because it was done without a team (or if it’s fake and made by someone else), it tends to show mediocre work. If I’m applying for a mid- or senior-level job, there’s a guarantee that my Photoshop skills will be unimportant. Aside from a few mockups or touchups, I won’t need it. But if my spec portfolio work looks janky because I did it myself, it could cost me a job—a job where I would not be doing it myself.

Spec portfolio pieces also don’t show what working in a team environment really requires from a senior-level creative: most importantly, collaborating and delegating correctly. That’s half the job, but spec portfolio work cannot showcase that. The ability to work with client specs (or what they think the specs might be), deadlines, and the unique contributions of a creative team (and contributions from elsewhere, like sales) isn’t really reflected at all.

Another Problem

NYC rent is outrageous. The benefit does not merit the cost in any meaningful way. I’m paying this much so I can walk to my favorite coffee shops and comedy clubs. I want to leave and definitely will at some point.

But for now, I still have to pay the rent.

In doing so, I have done “ghost” work (i.e., significant creative stuff that I’m contractually not allowed to disclose or put in my portfolio). Some of these would elicit “Holy $#!+ that was you?!” from friends and colleagues alike. The pro of doing this kind of work is that I can pay my outrageous rent. The con is that my portfolio doesn’t improve, and I cannot use these employers as references.

I also do low-level contract work from time to time, often under a pseudonym because the nature of the beast is that some months are lean. Usually, I can’t use this stuff for portfolios or job searches, either. Sometimes, I will take these gigs in order to learn or improve skills I’m interested in. Sometimes, it’s just for the money.

If Portfolios are Dumb, What Do I Suggest We Do Instead?

I think we can replace the traditional portfolio with one or two examples of recent work and supplement that with an explanation of relevant skills and idea generation & implementation.

So… you propose replacing a portfolio with… a portfolio? ??

I think, in this digital age, most of us can replace our portfolios with a one-sheet that has a few links and a paragraph or two outlining some of the key processes involved with some of the tangible benefits listed.

From that, it should be pretty obvious if we have the stuff they’re looking for or not.