Preparing an Art School Portfolio During the Christmas Break

They may not be the right people to advise on your portfolio (leave that to experts), but the people around you can still be useful.

If you’re spending time with friends or family over the holidays, use them to find clarity.

Explain your ideas and your work to non-professionals.
Be clear that their role is not to give advice (people love doing this), but to listen — and ask questions that help you go deeper.

This kind of explaining helps you:
→ clarify what really matters in your work
→ identify threads in your practice
→ notice patterns you’re often too close to see yourself

That clarity is what art schools are looking for.

Portfolio preparation is like climbing a mountain.
The closer you get to the deadline, the more tired you become.

Ask yourself:
Is someone looking out for you during this time?

An accountability partner doesn’t need to understand art school portfolios in detail —
but they do need to understand what you’re going through.

Be clear about what you need from them:
not advice
…but steady support.

It’s a good idea to take breaks (more on that later),
but don’t leave the crappy jobs until the last minute —
that’s when you’re most tired and least objective.

A good accountability partner can ask one simple, powerful question:
“What are you avoiding doing?”

Their role is to help keep you on the right path.

You’ve worked hard.
Really hard.

Rest is not a reward you earn after the deadline —
it’s part of how you stay sharp before it.

Let yourself enjoy the season.
Good food, familiar places, small rituals, time with people who know you outside your work.

This isn’t wasted time.
It’s how you refill the energy you’ll need to finish well.

The holidays disrupt everything.

Routines disappear.
Schedules shift.
Time gets broken into odd, unproductive fragments.

Instead of fighting this, document it.

Keep a Christmas journal or sketchbook.
Write. Draw. Collect fragments.

Your experiences are unique.
Whatever is happening around you is interesting to others — especially across cultures.

Share:
– what your holidays look like
– what feels familiar or strange
– what you notice when you slow down

Make this week part of your sketchbook story.

That way, even interrupted time becomes part of your practice —
not something that pulls you away from it.

Christmas breaks your normal routine — use that.

Do something completely different.
Go ice skating.
Go bowling.
Take a long walk.
Move your body in a way that has nothing to do with your portfolio.

Exercising one skill feeds into others.
Balance, coordination, timing, attention — they all translate back into creative work.

More importantly, changing your rhythm reduces stress.
It gives your brain space.
That’s where clarity comes from.

You don’t lose momentum by stepping away.
Often, you find it.

Let the holidays reset your rhythm —
and return with a steadier head and better focus.