• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

PRS 100Professional Identity and Online Presence

The Complete Creative Professional

The school's flagship introduction: turn 'I make things' into a professional practice that people can find, understand and trust, with a clear identity, an honest ten-piece portfolio, a deliberate online presence and a plan to sustain it.

AvailableContent pending instructor review

About this course

Most artists can say what they make; fewer can say who it's for, how someone finds it and why they should trust it. This course closes that gap in six modules: foundations and goals; identity (statement, name, title, three bios, headshot or mark); portfolio (selecting ten pieces, sequencing, case studies, and rights, permissions, confidentiality, fan art, AI disclosure and honest credit); presence (website planning, deliberate platform choices, a consistent profile kit, search and image discoverability, and profile audits); working with people (networking without spam, client communication, proposals and pricing basics, resumes and CVs); and sustaining it (Canadian copyright basics, files and backups, a maintenance routine and a development plan). Lessons are practical readings with worked examples across illustration, painting, graphic design, photography and film/TV graphics, step-by-step 'do this now' tasks, printable worksheets and short quizzes. Each module connects to a campus tool (Identity Kit, Platform Directory, Recommendations, Artwork readiness, Consistency audit, Maintenance, Development Plan and Portfolio Studio), so you finish with real, usable assets rather than notes.

Who it’s for: Visual artists and designers at any stage, from beginners to working professionals, whose work is better than their presence. Mostly written for students in Ontario and Canada, and useful internationally. No prior business knowledge or paid software is needed; you'll need some finished or in-progress work to select from.

You will be able to

  • Write a one-sentence statement and accurate short, medium and long biographies
  • Select, sequence and caption a focused ten-piece portfolio, including one case study
  • Check work for rights, confidentiality, consent, AI disclosure and credit accuracy before showing it
  • Plan a website and choose platforms deliberately, using a consistent profile kit
  • Audit public profiles and apply search and image discoverability basics
  • Write a client proposal and a career development plan with a maintenance routine

Studio project

A professional presence package: identity guide and bios, a cleared and captioned ten-piece portfolio with a case study, a consistent profile kit with live profiles checked signed out, and a career development plan with a maintenance routine. The optional final practical reviews the package as a whole.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Write an artist biography” accepted by an instructor.
  • Have the assignment “Select ten portfolio pieces” accepted by an instructor.
  • Have the assignment “Prepare a case study” accepted by an instructor.
  • Have the assignment “Create a consistent profile kit” accepted by an instructor.
  • Have the assignment “Complete a career development plan” accepted by an instructor.
  • Pass “Module 1 quiz: Foundations” (70% or more).
  • Pass “Module 2 quiz: Identity” (70% or more).
  • Pass “Module 3 quiz: Portfolio, rights and credit” (70% or more).
  • Pass “Module 4 quiz: Presence and discoverability” (70% or more).
  • Pass “Module 5 quiz: Working with people” (70% or more).
  • Pass “Module 6 quiz: Sustaining your practice” (70% or more).
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Modules and lessons in this course.

  1. Module 1: Foundations: from 'I make things' to a practice

    What a professional creative practice is, an honest map of yours today, and goals you can actually check off.

    1. 1.1What being a professional creative meansReading · 25 min
    2. 1.2Your practice mapExercise · 40 min
    3. 1.3Setting goals you can checkExercise · 35 min

  2. Module 2: Identity: who you are, in words and images

    A one-sentence statement, a consistent name, handle and title, biographies in three lengths, a headshot or personal mark, and an identity guide that holds it all.

    1. 2.1The one-sentence statementExercise · 35 min
    2. 2.2Your name, handle and professional titleReading · 30 min
    3. 2.3Writing short, medium and long biographiesExercise · 50 min
    4. 2.4Headshot, personal mark and your identity guideStudio · 60 min

  3. Module 3: Portfolio: selecting, presenting and showing work honestly

    Choose ten pieces, sequence and caption them, write case studies, and handle rights, permissions, confidentiality, derivative work, AI disclosure and credit claims responsibly.

    1. 3.1Choosing ten piecesStudio · 60 min
    2. 3.2Sequencing and presenting your workReading · 35 min
    3. 3.3Writing project case studiesExercise · 50 min
    4. 3.4Rights, permissions and honest creditReading · 45 min

  4. Module 4: Presence: website, platforms and discoverability

    Plan a website and sitemap, choose platforms deliberately, build a consistent profile kit, make work discoverable in search, and audit what the public actually sees.

    1. 4.1Planning your website and sitemapExercise · 45 min
    2. 4.2Choosing platforms deliberatelyReading · 35 min
    3. 4.3Building a consistent profile kitStudio · 50 min
    4. 4.4Search and image discoverability basicsReading · 45 min
    5. 4.5Verifying and auditing your profilesExercise · 45 min

  5. Module 5: Working with people: networks, clients and proposals

    Network without spam, communicate professionally with clients, write proposals and reason about pricing (educational), and build a resume or artist CV.

    1. 5.1Networking without spamReading · 35 min
    2. 5.2Professional client communicationReading · 40 min
    3. 5.3Proposals and pricing basicsExercise · 50 min
    4. 5.4A resume for creativesReading · 35 min

  6. Module 6: Sustaining it: rights, files, routines and a plan

    Copyright basics in Canada (educational), file organization and backups, a maintenance routine you can keep, and a career development plan.

    1. 6.1Copyright basics in CanadaReading · 45 min
    2. 6.2File organization and backupsStudio · 45 min
    3. 6.3A maintenance routineReading · 30 min
    4. 6.4Your career development planExercise · 60 min

Copyright, contracts, pricing, tax and anti-spam content is educational information about Canadian and international practice, not legal, tax or financial advice. For decisions about your situation, consult a qualified professional.

Sources

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

Related courses

  1. PRS 101

    Building Your Artist Identity

    Decide what you make, for whom and why, then turn it into a one-line headline, a working name and a handle you can use everywhere.Professional Identity and Online Presence    Foundation11 lessons · ~6 hIn development
  2. PRS 102

    Becoming a Professional Creative

    The habits that make people want to work with you again: reliability, file hygiene, feedback, deadlines, ethics and responsible tool use.Professional Identity and Online Presence    Foundation13 lessons · ~8 hPlanned
  3. PRS 110

    Writing Your Professional Biography

    Write short, medium and long bios plus an artist statement that sound like you, stay factual and fit every place they will appear.Professional Identity and Online Presence    Foundation11 lessons · ~6 hIn development
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