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I’ve been a freelance illustrator for a few years, but I’m starting to feel like my portfolio is just a collection of random client work that doesn’t point anywhere specific. How do you decide what to leave out when you’re trying to attract a more focused type of project, like editorial or book covers, without making it look like you have no experience?

I did an audit last year. I pulled out anything that wasn’t clearly editorial or cover adjacent and built a small, cohesive trio around those genres. Then I tucked the rest into a secondary gallery. It felt scary to drop stuff I liked, but the front page started to feel intentional.

I kept a log of who asked for what and which pieces actually led to paid work. The edits that got editor inquiries stuck around; the rest got archived. It was hard to delete, but it helped focus the message.

I’m not sure I did it right. I still keep a couple stray client shots because they’re pretty, and I worry editors will think I’m not serious about a lane.

Do you think you’re chasing a vibe or actually guiding the client journey?

One time I drifted into a tangent piece that didn’t fit, and a client asked about my approach. I realized I’d buried my process in captions and bios, so I tightened the storytelling in the project notes instead of the images.

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