Mysticeti
I founded Mysticeti in 2020 as an online publishing platform dedicated to aspiring writers and storytellers. Initially launched to share short stories, it grew into a space attracting independent artists, aspiring and published writers alike. Mysticeti offers accessible editing and curating support, fostering a niche yet diverse community that celebrates fiction, journals, interviews, and impromptu storytelling.
Our contributor base is broad, ranging from renowned indie artists to emerging voices, and from seasoned writers to those just beginning their journey. Over time, Mysticeti also evolved to include a segment focused on arts and storytelling with children—more about which you can explore on Kauri's page and my work in primary education.
For me, Mysticeti represents a space where my passion for art, stories, and community comes to life. It has enabled me to connect with artists and writers from various backgrounds. For our contributors and readers, Mysticeti is a source of fresh, undiscovered stories, a safe space for creative expression, and a platform offering accessible editing and publishing support.
Looking ahead, my goal is to continue growing our community, welcoming more readers, stories, and contributors from diverse regions and backgrounds.
An overview of my role
Curator and Editor of Literary Arts & Storytelling
Creating an accessible and inclusive platform for publishing short stories from aspiring and established writers, while featuring a diverse range of independent art forms. The role includes designing and announcing open calls on various themes, selecting stories from submissions, and curating each story for publication on the website. It also involves editing and presenting the stories to Mysticeti's readers.
Social Media and Outreach
Led organic outreach efforts to grow a social media following of over 5,000 readers by meaningful connections and interactions. Managed collaborations with artist managers, independent magazines, contributing writers, artists, and the reader community. Developed and maintained a mailing list of 300 subscribers, ensuring consistent and targeted communication. This role focuses on building an engaged community around Mysticeti through immersive content creation and collaborative partnerships.
Community Engagement
Organised and facilitated community events, both online and offline, to bring readers together for reflection, writing, and sharing art. Each session featured a different theme, spotlighting a specific art form, book, or artist, with accessible registration. Designed online immersive writing prompts and products to inspire readers in different cities to engage with their surroundings and personal interests, encouraging them to share their stories. This role focuses on fostering a creative and inclusive environment that nurtures expression and community connection.
Conceptual Designer & Digital Experience
Created the concept for an innovative magazine, carving out a niche yet inclusive space in online publishing. Led the design and development of the website to ensure a warm and open user experience that aligns with Mysticeti's identity. Directed the art and visual identity, collaborating with a graphic designer to bring the concept to life. The role involved shaping Mysticeti's overall vision, ensuring a cohesive presence that resonates throughout the digital platform
Featured Projects
editing and curating
Mysticeti's Magazine
Mysticeti’s online magazine is a curated collection of short stories, journals, impromptu writings inspired by prompts, art stories, and artist interviews. It has a growing archive of over 50 carefully crafted stories by both emerging and established writers.
Each story is edited in collaboration with contributors and curated to ensure it visually reflects the story’s essence. My role at Mysticeti involves overseeing open calls for submissions, selecting stories for publication, and managing the editing and curation process on the website and across digital channels.
What makes Mysticeti Magazine stand out is its commitment to creative freedom—it does not impose fixed themes or a strict publishing schedule. This flexibility allows it to feature a wide variety of voices and artistic expressions, making it an open, accessible space where anyone with a story or artwork can connect with a broader audience.
community engagement
The Pod
Mysticeti's Pod is an online/offline group that gathers periodically, offering a space for readers, writers, and artists to connect and share their experiences. Initially active during the lockdown with weekly meetings, the Pod provided a supportive environment for participants to express their everyday challenges and joys through writing, music, and sketching.
Now, the Pod meets whenever we spotlight an artist or a book. For example, we've hosted a preview of an independent artist's album, and a zine is being created from the writings produced during our sessions. In another session, a sketch artist interpreted thoughts shared by participants. We've also held meetings in iconic locations like Lodhi Garden in Delhi and the ghats of Varanasi, where participants were inspired by their surroundings.
My role involves organising, facilitating, and designing these sessions, as well as curating the creations that emerge from them. This ensures that each gathering is a meaningful and creative experience, with the resulting work shared across Mysticeti's platforms.
immersive prompts
Maple
I conceptualised "Maple" in collaboration with the home decor and art studio, Armatuer. Each candle in this collection is paired with a story card, designed to match the candle's fragrance and evoke a sense of calmness. I wrote the stories and supported the design of the products.
"Maple" has garnered attention for its design-forward approach, being featured by Vogue, and for its immersive concept by The Hindu. This project reflects my interest in blending art, storytelling, and everyday objects into a calming experience.
social media and outreach
Mysticeti & Friends
One of the ways Mysticeti fosters community is by collaborating with artists and writers from all ages and backgrounds. Since 2021, Mysticeti has welcomed contributing writers, featured artists, and participated in various initiatives across different capacities. Mysticeti & Friends is one way of sharing these incredible creators with the public through a directory.
This directory, developed over time through collaborations, is not a one-time project. I continually reach out to share updates about Mysticeti and expand the network through these connections. My role in this initiative involves curating the directory, establishing and nurturing partnerships.
Features
A quote about a book from Mysticeti's library, featured in The New Yorker's family heirloom series.
The New Yorker, 2023
Join Mysticeti's community
Here are some ways you can become a part of our creative community:
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Feature Your Art: Share your artwork and be featured on Mysticeti.
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Contribute a Short Story: Submit your short stories for editing and publication support.
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Join the Pod: Participate in Mysticeti's online/offline reading and writing group and connect with artists and writers.
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Co-Host the Pod: Collaborate with Mysticeti to co-host the Pod or a small gathering for literary and art events, both online and offline.
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Curate with Mysticeti: Reach out to collaborate on curating publications such as printed works, online multimedia zines, or any other creative ideas you have.
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Storytelling for your products/initiatives: Collaborate with Mysticeti to create narratives for your products/initiatives that communicate their uniqueness while connecting with the intended audience.