Writing a Great “About Me”

Did you know that your “About Me” page is the most-visited page on your website? Check your stats and you’ll see that it’s true. After they see your images, it’s the natural next step for both clients and fans to want to know the person behind the work. People coming to your site want context on you, the intent of your work, your goals or services, and more. 

CVs and resumes can be a great thing to include on sites, but creative professionals just starting out might not have a lot of experience to report yet. In this case, try writing a great “about me” statement and then think about making a link to your cv/resume instead–put your best foot forward! 

Here are some steps to follow for a great “about me” page:

Introduce yourself 

Use the very first line of your “About Me” page to simply tell visitors who you are. Think about how you would introduce yourself to someone who’s asked what you do, and just go from there. Make sure you mention the city you’re based in.

Set the right tone based on the type of work you are looking for. 

Not all statements are created equal! The goals of a fine art site vs. a customer facing site can be very different–consider who your audience is. For example, if you are a wedding and portrait photographer marketing to private customers, your writing can be more conversational. However, if you are looking for a staff position, or sending your portfolio to galleries to consider for exhibition, the writing should be more formal in tone.

Consider listing awards and accolades 

If you’ve been recognized for your work through awards or scholarships, your about me page could be a great place to list these. Testimonials from clients can also be a great idea if it’s appropriate for your site.

If appropriate, add a few personal details

Are you a dog owner? Do you like to paint in your spare time? Do you volunteer? It may seem unprofessional to include little details like these, but a biography page that only lists work-related information about you isn’t offering a complete introduction. It’s easy to skim through someone’s professional experience and not feel as if you’ve learned anything personal about them. Briefly mentioning something interesting about who you are makes your “About Me” page more memorable.

Include a photo of yourself

Choose a photo that represents your personality. Depending on the tone of your online portfolio and what kind of work you do, you might choose an image that’s more professional (like a headshot) or something more personal (like a shot of you working in your studio). Either way, adding a photo will make your online portfolio stand out by letting visitors to your website put a face to your name.

Proofread and edit

It seems obvious, but it’s easy to forget about this crucial step—and typos, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors will make your About page seem sloppy and unprofessional. Carefully read over everything you’ve written before publishing your “About Me” page.

Lastly–look at the websites of other creative professionals you admire and see how they talk about their work and the type of experience they list. Use aspirational websites as a model to build your own page.