Why portfolios make the perfect low-pressure creative project and how to start one.

Portfolios are often seen as a professional necessity—something you put together when you’re applying for a job, trying to get gallery representation, or pitching clients. But in our recent Create with Me: Portfolios workshop, Blurb’s creative ambassador Dan Milnor reframed the concept entirely.

“This is one of my favorite aspects of being a photographer,” he shared. “Making a portfolio and the trials and tribulations that come with it—that’s the fun part!”

Thinking of making your own creative portfolio? You can download BookWright for free and get started today.

Here are five takeaways from the workshop that’ll help you get started—or even just inspired.

1. A creative portfolio is for you, not just your audience

You don’t need a commercial reason to make a portfolio. In fact, Dan recommends treating it as a personal artifact—a curated selection of work that reflects where you are creatively, right now.

“Making a portfolio is a smart move,” Dan explains, “because it forces you to apply critical thought to your photography. It forces you to say what is the absolute best—and only the absolute best.”

That shift can take a lot of pressure off. Portfolios don’t have to be polished, public-facing, or tied to a job search. They can simply be a way to see your own work more clearly so you can make connections, recognize patterns, and explore ideas. It’s not about selling your work, it’s about staying in conversation with it.

2. Your edit can make or break your book

Throughout the workshop, Dan emphasized that editing holds more power than many creators realize. It not only shapes what your creative portfolio includes, but (often more importantly) how your work unfolds across the page and how the viewer experiences it.

“Editing is an art form. It can make you—or it can break you.”

That’s why Dan recommends printing thumbnails and laying them out physically to get a full view of your narrative arc before committing to a final flow. Seeing your work all at once, rather than one image at a time on a screen, often reveals what belongs and what doesn’t.

3. Structure helps, even if you’re not a planner

If you’re feeling overwhelmed about how to organize your work, start with a simple theme. During the session, Dan walked through several portfolio structures that work for just about any kind of creator.

• Series-based: Create a collection of smaller books, each focused on a different subject or project, but designed to feel like a cohesive set.
• Audience-specific: Tailor your portfolio to the person you’re sharing it with. A book for an art buyer might look different from one for a photo editor.
• Design-inspired: Let the visual language lead. Dan showed one portfolio modeled after Life magazine, using its iconic style as a design foundation.

Each of these approaches can offer clarity, not just for your viewer, but for you. When you organize your work into a sequence, you begin to see how your images speak to each other and what kind of narrative they form. Structure doesn’t limit creativity—it supports it.

Having a theme gives your book cohesion, even if the content spans different times or styles. It helps your portfolio feel intentional rather than scattered, and can make the editing process more focused from the start.

4. Print changes everything

It wouldn’t be a Dan Milnor workshop without a plug for the power of print. But this isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about seeing your work differently and, often, more honestly.

When your images live only on screens, it’s easy to scroll past inconsistencies or miss how photos relate to one another in context. Print slows you down. It makes decisions feel more permanent. It invites you to spend time with your work, not just review it, but really experience it.

Dan shared examples of how printed portfolios have helped him secure creative opportunities, simply because they left a stronger impression. Whether you print a layflat photo book for in-person meetings or a small trade book to keep in your bag, the act of printing transforms your work into a physical artifact, and that carries weight.

Even printing a single copy can reveal things you didn’t notice before. How pages flow. Where rhythm falters. What images feel essential. It’s a shift in perspective that’s hard to replicate digitally.

5. You evolve every time you make one

The portfolio isn’t just a product. It’s a process. And that process, Dan believes, is what makes it so valuable.

When you take the time to gather, edit, and organize your work into a book, patterns start to emerge. You might notice recurring themes, see a change in tone or approach, or identify gaps you want to fill. It becomes a way to reflect—not just on what you’ve made, but on where you’re headed.

Dan encourages creators to make portfolio-building a regular part of their practice. It doesn’t have to be a major project. Even once a year is enough to track your evolution and shape your next creative chapter.

Final thoughts: Just start

There is no one right way to create a portfolio. But starting with intention, curiosity, and the work you already have is always a good move.

If you’re unsure where to begin, take stock of your work over the last few months. What images are still on your mind? What stories are starting to form? Use those as your foundation. The specifics will follow.

To close the session, Dan walked through the process of building a portfolio in real time using photos from a recent trip to Berlin. He discussed sequencing, layout, and the type of decision-making that transforms a loose collection of images into a cohesive book.

You can watch the full session below, and follow along as you begin building your own creative portfolio.

Watch the full workshop

***

Dan Milnor is Blurb’s longtime creative ambassador—a documentary photographer, educator, and publishing expert who helps creators tell meaningful stories. Blurb is a self-publishing platform trusted by photographers, designers, and storytellers around the world. Ready to start your own portfolio? Download BookWright for free and bring your work to life in print. For more inspiration, subscribe to Blurb’s YouTube channel.