Nandi Howard's Got Next

“These titles aren't everything. This does not define who I am. This is a part of a chapter in my life, but this is not what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life.” -Nandi Howard

Bosses don't wait for someone to change the rules; they write them.” That's precisely how you could describe Essence Magazine's Associate Fashion Features editor, Nandi Howard, in one quote. I'm sure there are more words to describe Howard and her significant contributions to the world of media and journalism, but we won't have the time to unravel all of those layers.

The Houston native has rewritten what the journey to a highly esteemed position at one of the most notable black publications could be by working her way to the position before 25. The journalist's unprecedented positioning resulted from sowing the necessary seeds that ultimately landed her in the face of success. By the time Howard acquired her position at Essence Magazine, she had bylines Fader, Coveteur, and worked with BET. Howard took some time from her evening to go into what her experience has been during her climb in the industry and gave us a peek at what her future is looking like. 

Where did your interest in writing and journalism begin?

I always remember the first piece that I did, which was when I went to the Beyonce Formation tour. I did a recap of it in my school magazine called "14 East’. It was a new magazine they had just launched, and my teacher was over the magazine. I just randomly messaged her and was like, "Hey, can I cover this?" And so, that was my first article. And I think that's when I first was like, "Okay, I kind of like this.”

You did a lot of work before becoming a professional journalist. Where did that drive and passion come from?

Megan Thee Stallion was blowing up, and she maybe had like 20 K followers on Instagram. I reached out to her, and we got an interview. It was for the Houstonian. That was right before she dropped Tina Snow. And then she dropped Tina Snow, and it was like right around the time I was ending my time at Houstonian.

And so I was like, "Okay, she had given me an interview, and nobody was really talking about her yet." And I'm just kind of like, "This is really weird." She's debuting at number 11 on the iTunes charts, nobody's talking about her, and I had the interview. I just sat on it for a little bit, and then Fader randomly emailed me and was just like, "Hey, we saw your interview that you did with her at Houstonian. We know you're a Houston writer. Do you want to cover her for Fader, for print?” And that's just how everything started.

What is the importance of pretty much getting ready, so you don't have to get prepared?

Being in people's faces. I'm not afraid to ask for a job. If the internship is over, I'm at the door, like, "Hey, so y'all got any opening job opportunities in here." I'm going to always be in the editor-in-chief's face. The editor is going to know my name. The director is going to know my name. I'm not afraid to knock on people's doors."

So does that work? For someone who was a little bit coyer and a little bit shyer, how do you go about breaking that?

It's literally as simple as that. Like, "Hey, I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Nandi. Please let me know if you have any opportunities for me." It could be something so simple as that. We work ourselves up because we think we have to be like, oh my God. We have to have this cool conversation and impress these people who may be like our inspirations or editors that we work with or people. But all they want is somebody who's eager, who works and makes their deadlines, and has common sense. Do you know what I'm saying? I think a lot of us work ourselves up, so we get in a position, and we mess up that position because we may have anxiety about it or certain things.

What lessons did you learn about professional development and being a black woman before making your way to reputable companies?

I want to say like, be yourself, like don't fold. But I think that's really easier said than done for me, somebody who is palatable in the industry. Because if you have any disadvantages, whether you're curvy, or brown skin or you have 4C  hair, or whatever the case may be– your experience is definitely going to be different than mine.

I think number one is not to get discouraged by that, and to really understand and know that your work is essential, and your work matters, not to have imposter syndrome, because everybody's career is different in this industry. I think you just have to find a way and find something that works for you. Find certain lanes, have a personality. Don't let this industry swallow. Be you 100%.

You're the youngest editor at Essence Magazine making history. With a list of early successes, did you or do you have moments of imposter syndrome?

Yeah. I still deal with that. I always look on the internet, and I'm like, "Oh man, look at that editor. She's here working with this brand," or whatever the case may be. I think I deal with that still to this day. And I just have to remind myself, like I just say, my journey is my journey. I have to keep telling myself that. If I see something, I'm like, "I wish I was working for that brand or like 

“Oh, I know she's got a big check.". To me, it's just like, "Your time will come," and I think those opportunities don't come when you get discouraged by that imposter syndrome.

You are a very unafraid person when it comes to speaking up on the right side of social injustice and calling people out and calling it like it is when it comes to these more prominent brands that say they're for us, but they're really not. Where does that fearlessness come from because you are in such a forward position now?

I think it's just like if I get "blackballed," I'll be fine. If I ever was to get ostracized for speaking my mind and then like, this shit was never for me. It's that simple, like these titles aren't everything. This does not define who I am. This is a part of a chapter in my life, but this is not what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. I'm 25 years old.

What do you say to the young black girl who is learning to take up space in the same facet you have in your career?

Yeah, I would say it's going to happen, but you gotta put in the work. You can't sound like, "Oh, I want to do this. I want to do that” and then not put in the work.

You have to know the websites where they put out the job offerings. You got to know the editors and kind of get familiar with them. There are job opportunities out there. Let me just put that out there. 

There are job opportunities out there. Now, how fast you get them and how quickly they fall into your lap is something you cannot control.

 Where is Nandi in 5 years?

I just got added to this YouTube show, Kitty's World. It's  a digital animation and music fashion show. I'm a show writer and fashion editor for them. I'm working with Phaidon, which is  a publishing coffee book type of company. I'm partially writing, sharing some bylines with a couple of other writers, but I'm contributing to writing this book. 

I'm on some strict NDAs. I don't know how much I can say about that. 

So, in five years, I just want to be a multifaceted creative. Whether that's writing a book, or I want to come out with a book by the end of this year. 

I feel like us in our '20s, we always read books from women writing for girls in their '20s, but they're not in their twenties. Where's the book for the girl who's 20 writing it for the 20-year-olds, or writing it for the early 30-year-olds? Where is that girl who's in the position right now at Essence, like telling the girls who are in grad school, who are in their undergrad, like, "Yo, I was just in your position three years ago," type of shit? Like, "This is how it's going to happen." We don't read those stories.