Has 'the portfolio' changed?

I graduated from art college in 2010.

To prepare for my job hunt, I printed behind-the-scenes photos and concept art from my stop-motion film on glossy 8x10s and carefully arranged them in a big, physical portfolio.

I'm probably part of the last cohort of students who graduated without social media handles.

Instagram introduced video posts in 2013.

These days, I've been reflecting on how portfolios have evolved since moving largely online. Physical portfolios were precious (the best of the best) and that mindset followed a lot of us onto social media. I'm still anxious about 'messing up my grid' on Instagram.

But while the general public has moved from curated vacation photos to raw, in-the-car storytimes, I get the sense that artists haven't made the same shift.

What I accidentally did right

When I went full time on social media in 2018, putting yourself online still meant shouting "Hey guys!" on YouTube and selling t-shirt merch. I did a bit of that but quickly realized it wasn't for me. Or should I say, it wasn't me.

What I accidentally did right was go my own way. I leaned into telling the story of one guy, alone in a basement, willing to dedicate superhuman amounts of patience to animated videos.

What started as an accident is now a core part of of everything I do. Half of my output is behind-the-scenes content and I sneak the effort of what I do into my polished work.

The new portfolio?

The artists I see succeeding on social media today are doing something similar.

They're not just posting their work, they're telling the story behind it. And no, that doesn't mean you have to shout "Hey guys!" into the camera. It can be as simple as filming a timelapse or a short clip of your process.

Just like the shift from picture-perfect vacation photos to imperfect, in-the-moment Instagram Stories, artists are now embracing the journey behind the work and not just the glossy 8x10.