This is one of the most common concerns I hear from artists:

“Putting a portfolio together feels like a big deal. I can’t do it until my art is really polished and I have tons of work to show.”

In another post, I shared why you don’t actually need a huge body of work. Today, I want to talk about how to know if your art (no matter how much you have) is ready.

Here’s the thing: organizing your work into a portfolio is actually how you figure out if you're ready.

When I first tried this myself, I didn’t think I had a signature style, and I didn’t feel ready to pitch my work. But once I dropped everything into an InDesign document and started grouping pieces together, I had an epiphany.

Side by side, I could suddenly see that a few outlier pieces were diluting my style. Once I pulled those out, everything clicked. My signature style was right there, I just hadn’t recognized it until I saw all my work organized together.

And as an added bonus, this process gave me clarity on what I wanted to make more of moving forward. That was the turning point where I stopped doubting and started leaning into my style.

So if you’ve been asking yourself, “Is my art ready for a portfolio?”—consider this: putting your portfolio together might be exactly what gives you the clarity and confidence you’re waiting for.

Looking for a step-by-step blueprint for creating a professional portfolio in Adobe InDesign so you can confidently pitch to your dream clients?

I've made creating a portfolio easy and straightforward so you can do it effortlessly, and start getting your beautiful artwork out into the world! Learn more about InDesign Your Portfolio here.