A series that delves deeper into what shapes our people’s perspectives.
Originally from Mumbai, Nikita arrived on Aotearoa’s shores in 2016 and eventually settled in New Plymouth – joining BOON in early 2020. Art has been a constant in Nikita’s life since childhood. The city she grew up in is a bustling mix of arts and culture where your senses are almost always activated. Nikita turned to the practice of drawing and art to relax her senses and feel a deep sense of focus and flow.
Academically Nikita excelled at school and once graduating faced a common dilemma in India: choose a career in Engineering or Medicine. Nikita felt she needed to continue a path that allowed her creative expression, and in college studied both Psychology and Architecture. She had a fascination for philosophy and the human brain and one key project she enjoyed focused on the paradox of choice. A study of how more can result in less, and how the human brain can feel dissatisfied with choice when there is too much to choose from.
Nikita’s biggest inspiration and influence is her Grandmother. A widow with 4 young children, her grandmother would sell tea in the evenings to get by and always encouraged her children to take chances, face challenges with a positive outlook, and explore new things.
One of the most important things Nikita mentions she has learnt recently is the value of self care. With reference to a fast-paced world, where our senses are often overloaded by digital advances and great amounts of information presented to the brain, taking a step back helps gain focus on what is important. Whether it be in your professional or personal life, refreshing the mind and gaining perspective on what is significant and what is not, adds to our ability to fully show up to a task.