You’re headed to your first portfolio review and you’re excited, nervous and anxious. You’ve never had your work reviewed by professionals working in the business, so you don’t know what to expect. Will they appreciate the concepts, art direction or headlines? As you walk into the venue and glance at your watch you realize that your time slot is quickly approaching. You fumble through your portfolio one last time making sure everything is in place when you hear your name called. Once you take your seat you hand your book over and watch patiently as the judges flip through it one at a time. After reviewing your work, the last judge tells you that while you have some interesting ideas, they’ve all been done before, and you need to start over. Today’s blog deals with rejection and how to handle it when it comes.
After seeing all the judges, your book got mixed reviews. Two of the three thought your book needed a lot of work. One of the judges saw the work and gave a lot of positive feedback. So now what? What do you do when you feel deflated? It’s hard when you put so much effort into something, but told you missed the mark. While you may be tempted to remove all the pieces from your book and start again, that may not necessarily be the best approach. After all, creativity is subjective – so everyone won’t have the same reaction. So, what should you do then?
One approach you could take is to connect with the judge that appreciated your work. Get their LinkedIn account and ask if they would be willing to let you know what they think is working and what isn’t. This approach could help you develop a mentorship-like relationship that allows you to learn from someone who can see the potential in your creative approach. If you’ve recently immigrated to Canada, with skills education and valuable marketing experience, the CMA offers the CMA Mentorship Program for Newcomers to Canada, which you may apply for if you meet the qualifications.
Your new connection agreed and now you can get real-time feedback on your portfolio from someone who works in the field. When you sit down to design your next piece, keep in mind that you have a professional who will be reviewing your work, so don’t take it lightly. Flush out your concepts, look for the simplest form of the idea, peel back the layers of the onion and dig deeper. Whatever metaphor you need to use to get the creative juices flowing make sure to do it – because now you have an inside track to get your work reviewed. As mentioned earlier, creativity is subjective, so don’t assume that everyone will see your concept clearly. You still must make sure that you are targeting the correct audience.
You feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, as if you were carrying your ambitions, hopes and dreams on your back, and now that you have someone who is pushing you to succeed and get better you can focus on putting in the work. As the weeks and months pass, you develop a stronger bond with your connection-turned-mentor and feel comfortable sharing your work and trying to surprise them with the thinking behind your latest pieces. You try to connect your headlines to your images and use insights as the driver behind all your work. There have been misses as you expected, but your hits have been something to be proud of on some occasions. You’re getting it. You understand how to tie everything together and make things come alive on the page.
Some of your colleagues reviewed your book, and while it isn’t where you want it to be, your mentor sees how your work has matured and how your perspectives have evolved. You can extract insights from research and use it to create pieces that connect with the target market. You have evolved as much as your creative process. Now that your new book is complete after countless nights and weekends, there’s a new portfolio review night and once again, you’re excited, nervous and anxious. This time, you’ve been working alongside a mentor, and you know what to expect.
You still don’t know if the judges will appreciate your approach, but your work was based on research – not just pretty pictures. Everyone’s creative process is different, so what works for your mentor may not necessarily work for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t try out a new process, it may shake things up and allow you to expand your perspectives. At the very least, now at least you know how to handle rejection – you don’t quit, you get to work.
Is a marketing mentor right for you? Sometimes it's not just what you know, but who you know. Discover 5 types of marketing mentors and learn how they can unlock opportunities you might not find on your own through CMA NXT programs and networking events.
The NXT Voice is your one-stop shop for tips, tricks and inside information about all things marketing, where Chartered Marketers share what they've learned with you. Today's topic is Life Lessons for Financial Success featuring Elizabeth Naumovski, CM, Vice President of Marketing at Caldwell Securities LTD., Host/Producer of Empowered.
If you’ve made it this far, you must see the value that the CMA NXT Fund can offer your post-secondary club, association or event. You can start applying for funding on Monday, September 8, 2025.
