Portfolio Themes

 

Give this some real consideration.  

 

The theme, superimposed after the fact on work you’ve constructed all year, is the glue that holds the portfolio together.  Maybe it is something that all the pieces have in common.  Maybe it is an image that you wrote in one piece that somehow conveys the center of what you are saying in them.  Maybe it is an idea or concept that just simple works for you.

 

One portfolio contained this line:

 

The churning tide crashed against her thoughts.

 

What a wonderful title could be made there!  Churning Tide or Crashing Against My Thoughts…either of these could be a strong theme for a portfolio that ultimately was called Emotional Epiphanies, a decent theme but certainly not a stirring one.

 

Try to pick a theme that helps the portfolio to find its center and perhaps even provides a link to how to present it.

 

Some Excellent Themes From the Past:

 

Transcending the Bubble

          (This portfolio focused on life in Lake Forest.)

Beggar at the Carnival

          (This portfolio concerned doubts about her strength as a writer.)

Handing Over the Safety Blanket

          (This portfolio concerned fears about growing up. It actually came wrapped in a hand-made quilt "safety blanket.".)

Welcome to the Jungle

          (This portfolio was about the struggles of growing up.)

Spring Storms: Jumping Into Puddles

          (This portfolio was about the joy of recapturing youthful pleasures.)

Still Playing in the Minor Leagues

          (A baseball player and fan, he focused on his doubts about his writing ability.)

Stuffed Crust Pizza

          (This portfolio focused on the “multiple ingredients” of the pieces.)

Lost: Have You Seen Me?

          (This portfolio was about figuring out who she is.)

To Walk Alone

          (This portfolio explored several expressions of loneliness.)

The Constant Morphine Drip

          (This portfolio explored the state of utter focus felt while writing.)

Onion

          (This portfolio, presented interestingly as layers, was about peeling layers back to reveal self.)

Scantily Clad

          (This portfolio was about feeling self-conscious while writing.)

 

 

Will your theme make this list?