Introduction in Portfolios - from a third person perspective?

Hi there,
I am currently working on my Illustration Portfolio and wanting to include a bit of information about myself I have stumbled upon two ways that other professionals seem to be doing this:
From a first-person perspective or a third-person perspective

I find it a bit weird to write about myself in third person so I wanted to ask the dots community on your opinions and about tips and suggestions on how to properly write the "About me" - maybe also what to definitely include and what to leave out.

To my person: I finished my MA Illustration studies in Oct 2021 and want to dive into the professional world and work as a freelance Illustrator now.

Thanks in advance for any advice and tips!
Patty

Replies5

  • First person. It's about you, not some abstract of you.

    Third person is great if you're pretending to be a company - which you shouldn't do anyway - but a really bad way to introduce yourself to employers and potential clients. Keep your brand personal, make people feel like you're there and not just hiring some copywriter to fill your site. Make them feel like if they contact you, they get you; they get the professional and not a representative.

    What I would also suggest is that you don't mention when you finished your MA. For employers, that'll be on your CV. For clients it might put them off or make them try to get you on the cheap. Know your worth. You're in professional practice now, so be secure in that. None of this "recent graduate" bullshit.

    Also, be very clear about what you are offering. Way too many folks try to be multi-hyphenates. Even those of us who have been around for a while and actually are multi-hyphenates are unwise to push that. It just makes you look pretentious or, frankly, a liar. Focus on what you're good at and make sure your portfolio reflects the work you want to take in. Covering too many bases is sure to spread you too thin and make you look unorganised.
  • Hey guys,
    first of all thank you for your thoughts and input - you really gave me some insight and more confidance to go with the way that is more comfortable for me :)
    Once I have my portfolio more or less in place I will post it here as well haha

    The Dots really is of great help, I appreciate every response :)
  • Definitely what you are most comfortable with, even if I prefer the first-person perspective. When I was working on my website I bookmarked a bunch of portfolios whose tone of voice I really liked, I tried to understand why and then I tried to replicate (not copy :)) it in mine
  • Great response @Marina F. W. - definitely what you are most comfortable with.

    I think the perspective is set by the tone of voice and target audience of the piece (I am definitely more in favour of first person as it sounds far more human). From various resumes and portfolios I've seen, it is always harder to stick to third person (especially when trying to explain a story behind a piece or the thought process that went into it).

    Don't be afraid to share your portfolio here too @Patrycja Loraj; you'll definitely get lots of great constructive feedback and direction. Good luck.
  • Hi Patrycja, I think you should write about yourself in first person if that's what you are most comfortable with!
    My personal info is written in third person but I've seen illustrators talking about themselves both in first and third person - I don't think it affects how professional you look (but maybe an AD or Senior Illustrator can share their opinion on this!). I think it also comes to how you approach your online presence (eg. there are artists who love to be more personal and share their day to day on IG or Twitter).
    I suggest having a look at illustrators you admire (and also at illustrators who are in a similar stage as you) and see how they present themselves.

You must sign up or log in before you 
add a comment.

Post reply