Path Unbound was a fantastic resource that came along right when I needed it most. I was early on in my career, had lost my job in 2020, and had spent almost a year looking for a new one. My portfolio was all over the place – a couple projects I thought would appease recruiters, some animations, lots of t-shirt graphics, and even some sound design projects. I applied to hundreds of jobs as a ‘jack of all trades’ – someone that knew a little bit about a lot of things, and could learn new skills quickly. As you could imagine, I was pretty unsuccessful.

The Portfolio School program really helped me step back and think about what I actually liked to do. I knew that above all else, I loved to draw. Stella suggested I focus my skills as an illustrator, and to look for remote work. Curating my body of work and putting it into a portfolio site had felt like a monstrous task. Path Unbound broke it up into easily digestible steps. I loved learning how to use Webflow and creating my website from scratch, which allowed me to make every part of my portfolio feel uniquely my own. Stella was a great instructor who was always responsive and open to feedback. At the end of her program, I was given tons of resources, and the program has remained accessible for me to review as many times as I want.

The response I got from recruiters after I updated my portfolio was night and day. I started receiving offers – yes, multiple! I just hit the year mark at South By Sea, where I work as an illustrator and custom apparel designer. Now I have a huge body of work that reflects my design sensibilities, illustration skills, and personal style. I plan to update my professional package for years to come using the format and structure that Portfolio School provided me. The best thing I learned from Path Unbound is a sense of confidence in my work – I don’t have to be a jack of all trades anymore. I can just be me!