She spoke about the importance of professionalism in freelancing — from email etiquette and invoicing to client contracts and boundary-setting. She stressed that a successful freelance career demands more than creative skill; it requires consistency, clarity, and a strong mindset. A passage from the book, read aloud by Satyabama, struck a chord with the audience: “The higher the price, the higher your quality of leads and results will be.You need to break free from your mental prison and let your value shine.”
While the publishing industry and creative careers reel under the weight of artificial intelligence, Meenakshi offered a grounded perspective that cut through the hype. Addressing a question on AI’s influence in content creation, she said, “I believe AI is great at giving information, but the voice and the tone — that only you can bring in.” Her advice to freelancers: “AI is a tool. It should be used as a collaborator, not a competitor.”
She reframed AI from being a looming presence to a partner in process — capable of offering suggestions, but not stealing the soul of the work. “Let’s say I have writer’s block or I want a structure for something. If I key in a prompt into ChatGPT, I would get a couple of ideas. I might then pick and choose from that and craft it in my own way.”
In the closing remarks, Dr Jayalakshmi, head of the English Department, said, “It’s inspiring to see how she dealt with everything from ghosting clients to difficult conversations — and still kept at it.” She added with a smile, “Seeing the brave attitude and resilience in our students makes me think — maybe I should freelance too.”
Source: Codes and creeds in freelancing
