As I see the portfolio process has two steps. The first is one is the creation process and the second one would be the showcasing one.  
Personally I feel that the first part of portfolio creation is the richer one because the author has to collect material based on what he feels are his best artifacts based on the course objectives and the assessment rubrics and also his own personal choice as to what he wants to share. After this stage which provides the corpum of the portfolio the student has to reflect as to his learning process and his advance based on the goals he meant to acquire throughout the course.  
The second stage would be the idea of showcasing the portfolio where the author decides to share "with the world" his work.  I guess it is kind of like giving birth and having people visit your baby when he is born... in a very weird connection that came to my mind right now.  
The showcasing part, as I have learned in the readings and videos is putting out your work and being open to feedback and also to the satisfaction of other people admiring your work.  
From what I learned it is not an inspirational process but a very well thought out one.  It requires a clear plan, based on clear expectations both from the teacher and from the student, every aspect of it has to be driven by a purpose as to what impact it will have on the overall learning process and in how you want to present your work.