Work in Progress…Always
the ups and downs (so far) of building my visual design portfolio
Creating a brand for yourself is hard. You are your toughest client. Creating a portfolio for yourself? Even harder.
I am my worst critic, imposter syndrome is real, and being a visual designer, creating a visually designed portfolio of my best visual designs is as tough to process as it is to type and comprehend this sentence.
However, there are some positives too. I am confident in my work and I am confident I’ll have a bright future; I just have to show it. The transition to get to that future is the toughest, and that’s where I’m currently living.
Tips & tricks…
and some things I’ve learned during this process so far:
1) Make yourself a schedule.
Whether you stick to it or not, creating some sort of plan or schedule to tackle the creation of a portfolio is so, so crucial. “I have a lot of projects I’d like to show off, but where to start?” In the beginning of this process I was very overwhelmed. Thoughts constantly going through my always-going brain:
“Where do I even start?” “How do I even start?” “Are any of these projects even worth putting in my book?”
The answer: make a tentative plan and just start. Your plan will change as your work progresses. Whether it’s a beautifully complete project with no revisions to make, or a project that you know you definitely need to fix-up, JUST. START.
For me, a step that seemed less intimidating than creating a project page was to start with the structure of my portfolio site. You won’t have a successful portfolio site if your viewer can’t even view your work. “How will someone navigate my site?” I categorized my work for myself, brainstormed on the size of each project, and drew out a brief site structure to help my thoughts come to life.
Next on the schedule, tackle each project one at a time. I knew I would feel so much more accomplished if I started to have complete pieces of work. So, I tackled a smaller project first, then another, and then another. Before I knew it, there were some pieces on my site that I felt like I could actually show someone. Baby steps.
2) Don’t sweat the small stuff.
If a pixel is out of place, that’s ok! Come back to it later. I’ve noticed that if I fixate too long on the same project, I get stuck in a rut of focusing on things that honestly don’t even matter. Take a step back, breathe, and come back to it later. Looking at a project with fresh eyes will do wonders for your work.
3) Keep pushing on.
By the first week of August, I’ll have completed my masters degree. That’s right, I’ll officially be a badass. Being mid June, I’m hitting a productivity wall. Procrastination is really real. To keep myself moving forward, I set “get shit done” times and “ok you can be distracted” times; to keep my sanity of course. I’ve noticed that by breaking up my work flow, and telling myself that it’s ok to take a break every once in a while, really helps my productivity. Overall, keeping in mind the “fresh eyes” thing from before.
Portfolios are tough, the world is tough, but I know things will be good. As Jonathan Harris once said,
“Everyday there would be something. Somehow things would work out.”
