Last week, I received evidence suggesting I may not be as awesome as we thought. It arrived in the form of a written portfolio review.
The words “you don’t have a consistent visual voice” left me feeling like a deflated balloon. They did note my strong use of color and said my work has a joyful feel, which made the criticism a bit easier to swallow.
Feedback is like spinach.
If you give me a bunch of leaves, I will probably not eat them. But if you blend them with strawberries and oat milk, I’ll drink it down!
If you pay for a portfolio review:
Remember, it’s their job to tell you what (they think) needs work. If they said your art was perfect, they’d be doing you a disservice (and wasting your money)!
Take what you need and leave the rest. One person’s assessment doesn’t represent the entire industry, and it certainly doesn’t define your art. You get to decide what’s important in your portfolio. Here’s my list of what makes a strong portfolio piece in mine.
Talk through your feelings! Putting the video together forced me to revisit the review, conjuring up severe grumpiness. After I made the video, I felt lighter and ready to roll out some of the changes they suggested!
Are you thinking of submitting to agencies? Submit first, then get a review. It’ll likely be a while before agencies look at your online portfolio anyway!
More Portfolio links
I’d love to hear about your experience with portfolio reviews and critiques.
Where are you on your portfolio journey?
Have you paid for a review?
What takeaways from my feedback can you apply to your portfolio?
