1. You Don’t Need Paying Clients to Start
You don’t need clients to start a portfolio. You just need proof that you can create something — anything.
And that’s the whole point of a portfolio.
A portfolio isn’t just a collection of work; it’s your opportunity to showcase skills, creativity, and problem-solving ability. It’s also your ticket to getting your first real clients, collaborators, or even job opportunities.
Even small, personal projects can communicate your value. The key is to demonstrate what you can do and show that you can deliver results, even on a tiny scale.
2. How to Get Projects
(1) Start With Your Own Personal Project
The easiest way to start is by creating mini-projects on your own. These don’t need to be real client projects—fictional work is completely fine.
Examples include:
- Designing a landing page for a made-up brand
- Write a sample blog post about a topic you like
- Building a simple web app or tool
What matters most is showing your abilities, your thought process, and the results you can produce. Don’t worry about perfection—the focus is on learning, experimenting, and demonstrating your skills in a tangible way.
One thing to keep in mind: working solo can make it harder to get honest feedback. You might miss opportunities to learn what actually works or how others perceive your work.
(2) Collaborate With Friends or Your Community
Another effective way to build your portfolio is through collaboration. Reach out to friends, classmates, former coworkers, or online communities like Discord, Reddit, or Nextgemie.
Even small contributions count. Whether you:
- Help design a single page
- Write one blog post
- Fix some code or test an app
…these are all real experiences you can highlight in your portfolio.
3. Tips for Showing Your Projects
(1) Get Feedback and Iterate
Publishing your work is one thing; getting feedback is another. You can start by posting your projects on platforms like GitHub, Behance, Notion, or even a simple personal website.
Share your work on social media or relevant communities to gather constructive feedback.
Iterating based on that feedback and showing your improvement over time demonstrates that you’re learning continuously, which is exactly what potential clients, collaborators, and employers look for.
(2) Show Your Process, Not Just the Result
Even without real clients, you can demonstrate how you think and solve problems by showcasing your work process.
Some examples:
- Design projects: wireframes, mockups, early sketches
- Writing projects: draft vs final version
- Web/App projects: before-and-after improvements, code snippets, or screenshots
By showing how you tackle challenges and arrive at a solution, you convey more than just your final output—you convey your skills, approach, and professional mindset.
4. Additional Tips for a Stronger Portfolio
Keep It Focused
Rather than trying to show everything, focus on quality over quantity. A small portfolio of 3–5 well-presented projects is often more effective than 20 rushed ones.
Highlight What You Learned
Include lessons learned, challenges faced, or problems solved.
Clients and collaborators are impressed by people who can reflect and improve, not just execute tasks.
Optimize for Discovery
If you want your portfolio to be found online:
- Use clear titles and descriptions with relevant keywords
- Add tags or categories on Behance, GitHub, or your site
- Make your portfolio easy to navigate
Show Variety
Try to include different types of work—even small experiments. This shows versatility and helps potential collaborators see how you could fit into various projects.
5. Nextgemie: Start Collaborating Early
Finally, if you’re struggling to get real projects or collaborators, consider Nextgemie.
Nextgemie is designed for:
- Beginners looking to build experience
- Small, low-budget projects that need flexible contributors
- Collaborative environments where learning and experimentation are encouraged
Even if you don’t have paying clients yet, you can join a mini-project, contribute, and add meaningful experience to your portfolio.
Small projects, small contributions, real learning—this is how you start building a portfolio that opens doors.