Procrastinators of the World, Start Your Portfolios.
You know what a lot of creative college students are world-class at? Procrastination.
Not the lazy kind. The productive kind. The kind that sounds noble because you’re “waiting until your work feels ready.” Or “until you’ve got that one perfect project.”
Here’s the secret: it’ll never feel ready. The perfect time is a myth, especially to the creative brain.
The people who keep waiting for that moment? They’re still waiting.
The ones who start—messy, unfinished, a little terrified—they’re the ones already building their future.
Because your portfolio isn’t the reward for being ready.
It’s the reason you become ready.
Your Portfolio Is Not a Scrapbook
Think of your portfolio less like a scrapbook of your greatest hits, and more like a story about who you are as a creative thinker.
It’s not just a folder of projects. It’s your fingerprint. It tells people what excites you, how you solve problems, and what kind of energy you bring into a room.
The best portfolios don’t just say, “Here’s what I’ve done.”
They say, “Here’s how I think.”
They connect dots. They show range. They’ve got flow. (The creative kind. Not the rapper kind. Though a little swagger never hurts.)
Spec Is Better Than “Meh.”
If your book only includes school assignments, don’t panic. But also don’t stop there. At Truth Collective, we tell young creatives this all the time: Better fake and great than real and “meh.” Meaning, it’s perfectly fine to create work for brands that never hired you if it best displays your creative talents.
Want to help Patagonia reimagine recycling? Do it.
Think there’s a better way for Spotify to connect lonely playlists? Go for it.
Got a local pizza joint that deserves a rebrand worthy of its crust? Make it happen.
Spec work isn’t a shortcut—it’s a showcase of potential. It says, “This is the kind of thinking you’ll get when you hire me.” And if your ideas are strong, no one cares if the client project was real. The idea was.
Your Craft Is Your Credibility
Here’s a truth Creative Directors whisper over coffee or judges argue about in competition deliberation rooms: sloppiness can kill good ideas.
Your type alignment, image quality, and writing tone—all of it tells people how seriously you take your work.
Typos, lazy mockups, or half-finished case studies whisper, “I ran out of time.”
(Or worse, “I don’t care.”)
But a tight, well-crafted presentation says, “I care. And I’ll care about your brand and business, too.”
You don’t need fancy. You need clarity. You need ideas that look like they belong in a real campaign. Every ad-like object, every design system, every line of copy should quietly say, “I get it.”
You’re Never Done. (And That’s the Point.)
If your portfolio feels unfinished—good. It should.
Creative careers are in permanent beta. Every new project, internship, or side hustle is a chance to replace something old with something stronger. The best creatives treat their portfolios like living organisms always shedding skin, growing new limbs, and occasionally reinventing themselves completely.
You’re not just building a portfolio; you’re building momentum. And momentum beats perfection every single time.
Start Where You Are
You don’t need permission to start. Just start.
Open a Cargo or Squarespace site. Try new tools like Framer. Grab your name as a domain. Pick a few projects that show your range and start shaping your story.
Make it clean. Make it personal. Make it yours. Because one day, someone’s going to look at your portfolio and say,
“We need that kind of thinking on our team.”
And you’ll smile, knowing you didn’t wait for that moment. You built toward it.