Meet Niusha Karkehabadi | Multi-disciplinary performance artist, author, creator, yoga instructor, pleasure activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Niusha Karkehabadi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niusha, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think we all use creativity in our everyday lives. Systems and structures utilize creativity to become something in themselves. For any idea to become a reality, it requires some sort of creativity. Nature naturally exemplifies creativity, and we learn about nature in science, in patterns, in spirituality, in history. Creativity builds connection.

For me, this is an answer that will be ever evolving just as I shift and learn. I choose to pursue creativity every day. The reason I choose to is because I know myself enough to know that I need to. Without consistent creative endeavors my life becomes seemingly unnecessarily more difficult and I tend to give into something other than self-energy. There will always be difficulties in life so I feel it is best to do something you truly love because even the things you love will be difficult to face and pursue at times. I think the Love is also where the fear creeps in sometimes too. The world exists in paradox and polarity so the idea of fearing something I also love so much and understanding that there is space for multiple experiences makes sense to me. “If I pursue something I love, what if I don’t love it anymore? Or, what if people don’t love me anymore?” And this is also why I find it important to always come back to my “why.” I believe that following your own true desires despite patriarchal standards and capitalism will also help to build confidence for who you are despite the layers you may have accumulated overtime from the outside.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Persian American artist with lots of varied experiences and environments I have grown up with and been a part of, I explore feelings and sensations through multi-disciplinary art forms. I utilize streams of consciousness out loud, in voice notes, and on paper as a way to recognize what I am truly noticing in my experience. Movement and dance will always be one of my healing practices as emotions move through the body. Somatics and understanding the mind/body/spirit connection is also how other forms of expression I participate in are created. In addition to dance–my writing, drawing, and video designs are forms of embodiment that portray my Being into a closer realm of understanding. Connection, understanding, and Love are concepts which drive my art. I am a published author of my first ever book, Lick My Rainbow which is as of this week now available on my website, niushak.com! Lick My Rainbow is an erotic (in the sense of vulnerability as well as sensuality) hybrid poetry book. At the beginning of each chapter the book contains experiential fantasies I created from my own playful desires to connect with others in hopes that people will experience sensuality and their connection to pleasure in deeper ways. I have also curated performance art shows such as Chaos in Color which was performed in Brooklyn, 2020. My next live performance will be a burlesque act at House of Yes in late October.

It is definitely not easy. The path continually asks of me to sit with parts of myself that are extremely uncomfortable. Doubt creeps in to protect my wounded inner child from humiliation or failure, but I remind the little person that I’m taking care of us. For me, taking care often looks like trusting myself. Trusting myself to do something differently, to create the thing, and then another thing, or nothing. Taking care sometimes looks like just letting the fear be there and doing it anyway. Giving myself the space to dynamically change into different versions of myself despite what other people might think of me has been an important reminder for living in my truth as well.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Haha I actually have lists in my phone based off of my various friends who will potentially visit me and what places/parts of NYC I would take them to and explore with them. Some of the places are things I have not experienced yet either that I would want to do with someone I loved and it would be an opportunity feel like we are both on a vacation.

I would take them to have a picnic in Sunset Park, we’d pick up Taco Zone vegan burritos, watch the view/chat, maybe grab a drink a Judy’s.
Go to The Edge
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to Chinatown and grab vegan Dim Sum at Buddha Bodai… and maybe some bubble tea on the way 😉

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to the unconditional love from the people and powers in nature who have made it possible for me to be here today. Andrea Cook and Solveig Santillano definitely valued my reflection and empowerment as a whole being through my young adult years. I think nurturing the whole person takes a lot of energy and I am grateful for the people who have and continuously done that and been there for me in supporting who I am and not who they want me to be. We need strong mentors to be our brightest selves in the world. They remind us of our potential and that we are not alone in what we go through. This is for the people who have encouraged and constantly showed up for me because they believe in and love me in the ways that are important to me. Love is vague and specific. Shoutout to love. And shoutout to therapy.

Website: https://niushak.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niush.k/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@niush.k

Image Credits
Mark Santillano Sara Pizzi Rachel Rhodanz