Keeping in check with how far you have come
In these trying times keeping your CV up to date is always a good idea. You never know when you might need it to hand. Being a designer you have to also be ready to not only show who you worked for and when, but also what you can actually do. This is where a portfolio or a showreel comes into play.
The issue I have is that I treat my CV and Portfolio as a means for recruitment, a reactionary process that only needs to be actioned when you need a job. I haven't updated my CV or Portfolio since I expatriated from London to Vienna 5 years ago. Like a photograph of the past it is a snapshot of who I was and what I could do.
Someone recently asked to see what it was that I do and I shamefully brought up my work from 5 years ago. I felt like someone who had been busted for Catfishing using a younger, more attractive photo of myself. But in this instance I had more experience and cooler things to show, but couldn’t.
I collected all the things that I have done since moving to Vienna and looked at it as a whole.
If you ever have moments of insecurity and doubts of self-worth I suggest giving it a try. It is like when loosing weight you don't really notice the day to day cumulative increments of weight loss. It is when someone you haven’t seen for a while looks you up and down and says “Holy Sh*t” you've lost a lot of weight, that you really appreciate the hard work you've put in and the journey you’ve taken.
I decided to put some key projects together into a show reel which shows some of the cool stuff I've been fortunate to work on since being in this beautiful country. I am proud of the work that I have done but also able to take note of where I can improve.
Next step is to update my archaic portfolio / website and then try and set up yearly or bi-yearly personal retrospectives to not only see how far I've come over a period of time, but where it is that I can improve.