Creating a Portfolio That Stands Out: Jacky Oliver’s Top Tips
Jacky’s making process
A strong portfolio is essential for showcasing your work, demonstrating your skills, and telling your craft journey. Whether you’re during your studies, applying for university, an apprenticeship, grants, or pursuing commissions, a well-curated portfolio can be your best tool for communicating your work. In this article, we asked Jacky Oliver, a 2024 QEST Bendicks Scholar and metalworker based at Cockpit Bloomsbury, to share her advice on building a portfolio that gets noticed.
Having co-founded the Design Crafts BA(Hons) course at De Montfort University and worked with numerous schools, Jacky is passionate about inspiring young makers. We asked her five questions about creating an effective portfolio. Her advice is invaluable for anyone looking to refresh their portfolio in a way that truly reflects their skills and aspirations.
Writing About Yourself: What advice would you give on writing about yourself and your craft in a way that feels natural but still professional?
When you begin writing about yourself, sit down with someone, it could be a friend or someone you don’t know that well, and record a conversation, talking about;
- Why you make.
- What you like about the materials and processes you work with.
- Any particular themes that you have looked at with your work.
- What you would like to do in the future, what would be your ideal project to work with.
Also listen to how other people talk about their work, podcasts like Material Matters with Grant Gibson is brilliant.
Listen to the Material Matters Podcast here:
Photography & Video: What are your top tips for capturing great photos or videos of your work to really show off your skills and process?
For photographing your work, try to get a clear clean space, I have a big roll of fabriana drawing paper that I use to photograph my work. Take lots of photos from the same position, but turn your work round slowly capturing it from different angles, then repeat this from higher and lower. Look through all the photos before you put everything away, ideally on a computer screen.
You only need 3-5 good photos of each piece, but make sure you get these before you send anything off to an exhibition, and carefully note the dimensions of the piece.
Always label your photos clearly First name_surname_title of the piece_material_dimensions_year it was made. When taking videos, look at how others record their process, and try from all angles and close ups.
Natural light can be easier, but you need a good light room, or get some lights that don’t cast too narrow a light (some spot lights will give you just an odd circle of light.
Formats & Layouts: What makes a good layout or format for a portfolio, and what makes a portfolio stand out?
If it’s a digital portfolio, (often these are powerpoint presentations) try to make sure everything is landscape, so it can be viewed easily on a computer.
Look at Stuart Haygarth, who is an artist working with found objects, who really clearly presents both final pieces but also the components that he finds before he assembles them to make the pieces.
Showing Project Processes: Why is it important to show process in a portfolio, and what are some of the most effective ways you’ve seen it done?
People love to see how projects develop. Try to record how you develop your work, from gathering research, drawings, test pieces / samples / models record you actually making the work as well as the final outcome.
I love the way Junko Mori talks about her work, especially her videos of her working and talking about her process below:
Selecting Projects: What advice would you give for selecting which projects to show in a portfolio?
Think about who you are presenting the portfolio to, make sure you select the appropriate work and images.
If it for studying, the portfolio should focus on the process as much as the final outcomes. The portfolio needs to show how your brain, and your hands work. Your thought process, how you research, develop ideas as well as how you refine everything to inform you final outcomes.
If you are showing work to a gallery / interior designer / applying for an exhibition. The focus here should be more on the final outcomes, make sure you are clearly showing the scale and describing the materials and processes, used to create the piece.
If it is to work for someone or a company, then make sure you choose images that demonstrate the range of skills you have to offer, or are keen to learn / develop.
Any other tips?
To make your portfolio stand out you might consider trying to take on some creative work. Working for others is a fantastic way to learn yourself, as a student I worked for a few jewellers and learnt a great deal about making, but also about how to run a business. I have also found working in a gallery was really useful, to see how people look at work and consider buying it. Working in any capacity within your field to get started is really useful.
This might be recorded in your portfolio with some images of you working or just listing the skills, process or tools you used when working for someone. Make sure you are keeping yourself up to date with what is happening in the world of making / craft / art. Look at how people are presenting themselves, why they are creating the work that they do, this can help you to work out the direction for your own practice.
Don’t wait for someone to discover you, if you are a motivated and committed craftsperson, try to make the most of any appropriate opportunities, and if you are having a difficult time finding the right opportunity, then just keep making, keep pushing and extending your skills, try to explore different ways of working or refining existing skills. Don’t be frightened to ask for help or advice, always be polite, patient and understand that not everyone can help, some people might not have the time. But there are many people out there, who love what they do and would be happy to help someone starting out in their creative career.
