Art is an icebreaker. It can help spark a conversation and introduce us to new ways of thinking. An Arlington woman is doing that temporary art with her clients wherever they go. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker explains.
Art is an icebreaker. It can help spark a conversation and introduce us to new ways of thinking. An Arlington woman is doing that with temporary art with her clients to share a cultural tradition they love.
Roshni Lakhiani's home studio is filled with drawings and henna supplies.
"It's a way to decorate yourself," Lakhiani said getting ready to give this reporter a henna tattoo. "I just always loved art."
Lakhiani and her cousin started a side business called Dallas Henna Chicks. She said she didn't always embrace the parts of her heritage that stood out growing up in Texas.
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"In my family, my mom wanted to keep that alive, our traditions alive, and it was a struggle with being an American and being Indian, especially since I wasn't born in India," Lakhiani said.
Now she celebrates those traditions.
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"I don't want it to die," Lakhiani said. "I think it would open our minds a little more to understand each other a little more."
Her henna art often sparks conversations about different cultures and religions.
"Different is not bad. Different is actually exciting and fun," Lakhiani said. "That's what I took a long time to realize. That my difference is not something that's, that's bad. It's something that's exciting to be proud of."
For Lakhiani, the art of henna tattooing is a labor of love.
"Now it feels like I'm free just to be who I am. Show my culture. Have my friends over for a Diwali celebration," Lakhiani said. "And they're excited!"
