There’s No Substitute for Practice. Here’s How Showing Up Pays Off.

The world is full of impressive job titles. But titles don’t build careers. “Creative Strategist,” “Creative Director,” “Brand Storyteller,” “Content Architect”, so many of these roles sound effortless on paper. But the real truth behind it is quiet, unglamorous and looks different: long hours spent refining an idea no one asked for, quiet mornings spent rewriting a single paragraph, or late nights spent making something that would never see the light of the day. Titles come later. First, you show up for your craft, again and again, even when no one is watching.

For Mandovi Menon, a multidisciplinary creative, this learning has been a steady guide. A creative director and writer known for platforms like The Dirty Magazine and The Minor Project, she’s made her mark by using innovative storytelling to spark conversations and change. Her journey began almost by accident when a friend gave her the chance to write a short piece for The Midday on underwater headphones. A story so odd she still laughs when she remembers it. “But it was the most fulfilling thing I had ever experienced.  From there it just has turned into reporting, editing, running media platforms, creative direction, and now, creative strategy!”

Today, Menon works at the intersection of storytelling and culture, which she says is her favourite part of the job because of the diverse talent she gets to collaborate with. Each collaboration in-turn reshapes her understanding of storytelling. She has worked alongside filmmakers, musicians, animators, and visual artists. Yet, at the core of everything she does is the written word. And none of it would have happened without practice.

At CultureCon 2024, we caught up with Mandovi Menon to talk about her journey and why consistency and adaptability are the true drivers of creative success. When asked whether one can make a good living in this field, she is clear-eyed but encouraging. “When you start out, you shouldn’t stick to just writing and reporting,” she says. “It’s not a sustainable field on its own. You should build out into strategy and consultancy, then sky is the limit. You can keep developing your craft as a writer and pursue your personal version of what that looks like.” Her advice to younger creatives is direct: “Adapt, and learn how to evolve your skillset in the direction the world is moving. Hone your skill, but don’t be afraid to move from being a hyper-specialist to becoming an expert-generalist. Use your craft as a foundation to grow from.”

She stresses the importance of building a tangible craft, something that you can return to and refine every day. It’s easy to feel stuck when work isn’t flowing or opportunities feel far off. But Mandovi Menon believes consistency and adaptability are far more important than instant results. “You have to put in the time and hone your craft. You can’t just show up and call yourself a creative director,” she says that this is a pet peeve of hers and follows it up with a beautiful metaphor. “Creative direction is like gardening. You are looking at a larger arena and seeing how to put things together and how to let it all grow.”

This philosophy applies not just to creative leadership, but to the journey of any artist or creative professional. The early stages are often isolating and filled with self-doubt, but that solitude can be powerful. That’s where you get to explore, experiment, and build a relationship with your work. “Think about your strengths and practice—even if you’re not getting the opportunity, make the time for it yourself. It will always pay off to have a strong, tangible skillset,” Menon says. “And try to remain as flexible as possible, and collaborate as much as possible outside your medium.”

She believes that the counter to isolation is connectedness. “All creative professions can be quite isolating in the making of something, and the counter to that is connectedness. It’s incredible how your thinking and your craft change when you cross-pollinate.”

So if you’re a young creative, wondering whether your efforts will ever add up, Menon’s story is proof that they do. Not all work has to be seen to be valuable. The drafts you don’t publish, the sketches you don’t show, the edits no one hears—all of it matters. Every step forward, no matter how small or invisible, adds to the momentum. In a world obsessed with overnight success, it’s easy to forget that mastery is slow. And that’s okay. Because the real reward isn’t just in the accolades or the titles, it’s in the daily ritual of returning to your work, refining it, and watching it grow.

So wherever you are in your journey; keep showing up. The practice is the reward.


Also read:
Your resume vs the machine: A survival guide
Freelancing has no map. Here’s how to chart your own path.

For more articles on festivals in India, check out our Read section of this website.