Why you need a creative brag file
And how to start one!
You’re reading Soft Hobbies, a weekly newsletter for creatives in all mediums, with a special focus on writers. I’m Auzin, a Seattle-based writer in the fiction, poetry, and tech spheres. Feel free to visit my author website or check out my socials.
Greetings to the 701 softies who subscribe to this newsletter! Thank you for being here.
Of all the places to find inspiration for my creative life, LinkedIn is not usually at the top of the list. It’s been great for me professionally, and I’ve even made a couple IRL friends from my network on there. But scrolling through endless arguments about the impact of AI on various industries and posts about “how McDonald’s lost its soul” is not my idea of a fun, inspirational time.
However! LinkedIn was the first place I heard about a brag sheet for one’s accomplishments. I don’t remember who made the post, but this isn’t a new idea and I’m sure it’s common advice for jobseekers. A brag sheet or brag file is a document you use to list all your accomplishments, awards, positive reviews, successfully-met goals, and client testimonials. With this document, you can have ready-made answers for interview questions like “What projects are you most proud of?” and “What are your strengths?”
A professional brag file is great if you’re unemployed or freshly laid off, to help build up your confidence and remind yourself at a glance why you’re a valuable hire. It’s a digital file folder purely for you; you don’t need to share it with anybody or make it look presentable. And it’s amazing for creative people in all mediums.
If you’re prone to perfectionism, self-criticism, and feeling insecure about your work—first of all, same here. Second, you need a creative brag file. My own brag file is a messy Google Doc, nobody will ever see it except me, and it instantly makes me feel more confident, appreciated, and valuable to my community when I open it.
“But Auzin, I haven’t done or achieved anything worth putting in a brag file!” I don’t believe you. I don’t think you believe that either. Here are some worthy additions you might have:
A sweet text from a friend about your newest painting
A receipt or Venmo screenshot from someone who bought your zine
A kind email or report card from your favorite English teacher
A picture of you and your friends at a paint & sip or pottery night
A happy testimonial from one of your clients or coworkers
A supportive voicemail from a family member
A thoughtful rejection letter from a literary magazine you submitted work to1
Something you got an excellent grade on
Any degree or certificate you worked hard for
That time you got nominated for an award or contest you didn’t win
Your word counts or morning pages tally
Literally anything else you’re proud of
Where to create your brag file
Anywhere you want! Google Docs, Milanote, Miro, and even Pinterest are all great options. Maybe make a slide deck on Canva or keep it in a Word doc. Whatever is easiest and most accessible for you to open, skim through, and add to! All you need is for your brag file to inspire you, without a clunky user interface getting in the way. It’s also helpful to have it easily available on your phone and other mobile devices.
If you want to get extra hands-on and crafty with it, try making a literal file with your selections in a manila folder. Print stuff out, cut out your reviews from books or magazines, make a collage. Scrapbookers and visual artists, this is your moment.
What to put in it
Again, pretty much whatever you want. See the bulleted list above for some easy ideas, but I’m sure you can come up with even more. Here’s a sampling of what’s in mine:
Sweet comments from my subscribers
A “generation-breaking brag sheet” where I list all the “firsts” I have done in my family — shoutout to Arianna Dela Rosa for this idea
Supportive texts from friends and my boyfriend
Acceptance letters from editors
The acceptance letter from the writers residency I got in 2023
How to get more additions
Start intentionally documenting your submissions, successes, and publications. Use Awesome Screenshot liberally (it’s free! I use it all the time). Keep your websites updated. Keep making incremental progress towards your goals, when you can.
You can also just ask your loved ones, editors, or art world contacts for more validation. I’m sure they’d love to help make that brag file a beefier document!
Want an email/text template for that?
“Hi ______! I’m creating a document to keep me inspired while I work on my writing/art/films/creative stuff. I really appreciate your support of my work in the past. I was wondering if you can share what you like specifically about my writing/paintings/ceramics? How did my most recent short story/gallery show/newsletter post make you feel? I’d love to know, and nobody will see your response except me. Thanks again for being such a great friend/cousin/editor!”
How to keep it updated
Make accessing and updating your brag file as easy to do as possible. Set aside an hour per month to add all the new screenshots you took. Keep documenting as you go along, and don’t forget to soak it all in occasionally :)
Even rejection letters can be inspirational and affirming! But if it doesn’t make you feel good, leave it out.
I recently wrote myself a "Creative Wins" page on my Notion. It's all the positive reviews I've gotten on my Etsy shop (which is like... three, but still), all the positive comments & DMs from my Instagram, all the lovely comments on my Substack.... it was really powerful to have it all in one place and see that my art is, in fact, connecting. It can feel really lonely as a creative posting things in The Void of the internet, so it was helpful to remind myself that people do actually like my stuff.
To fill in the "Literally anything else you're proud of" bullet point, may I recommend that you share your cross stitch progress?