Second time around

My office is moving in a month. You all know how moves go with a 2-bedroom apartment, imagine a 10,000 square foot business. Messy mess all around.

I've been packing bits of my office this past week and lingered awhile with the 2 big boxes of portfolios sitting in a corner. Neglected since the popularity of electronic portfolios took over.

I'm really not sure what to do with them, some go back quite a few years. Their owners never reclaimed them and I occasionally poke through them when I'm stuck for a freelancer or candidate. It feels wrong to throw any of them away.

So I'm picking through the box and glancing at work and trying to decide if it's time to start chucking them. As I do this, I'm remembering sitting with some of these students and going over their books.

It's weird because I can recall not liking this or that particular campaign and trying to explain to the student why or how they could make it better. Though that's not the weird part. What's weird is that now that I re-look at some of this work a few years later, I'm liking it.

Now I'm questioning my old comments and thinking perhaps what I said or thought at the time isn't valid or has eased a bit. Is this just changing my mind? Is this what the passage of time does?

Really all I think it means is we –recruiters, creative directors, teachers– feel different things at different times about the work we are reviewing. You probably know this is true if you've participated in a portfolio review. One recruiter will say one thing and another will say exactly the opposite.

It's good to realize that the seeing work the second time around means I am opening the door to new talent. I'll reconsider people who weren't right at a particular time. You should know that's good news for you too. An agency who passed on you a few years ago may be calling you up for something now. Just as soon as they find your book at the bottom of the box.