Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Nilou Faram of San Francisco/Bay Area

We recently had the chance to connect with Nilou Faram and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nilou, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I like to start my day with some stretching, then a slow breakfast and tea. Afterwards, I usually share a thoughtful conversation with my husband, which really sets a positive tone for the day.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Niloufar Farzam, an artist who paints at the threshold where beauty and fragility meet.
My work is rooted in the nature, where both serenity and urgency rests. Each canvas is meditation on color and atmosphere, but also a quiet witness to the realities of climate change. Through my art, I seek not only to celebrate nature’s timeless radiance, but to remind us of its vulnerabilities-inviting viewers to pause, reflect and carry a deeper reverence for the world we are in danger of losing. As Thoreau once reflected, nature is beautiful only to those who resolve to live a beautiful life- and in my work, I hope to echo that truth.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I guess there have been several moments in my life that shaped how I see the world.
One moment that deeply shaped how I see the world was from childhood, watching the winds carrying the clouds across the horizon, It felt endless and alive, and I marvel that they can move across the blue sky so steady.
Another was reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, which awakened me to presence and deeper meaning of living life fully in each moment.
Both experiences continue to influence how I experience life and create my art.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Losing both my parents in the past three years brought a profound emptiness and grief unlike anything I had ever known. Both loved me deeply, and not being able to be with them in their final moments left the ache that lingers.
My mother, an amateur artist, nurtured my creativity from the start, while my father instilled in me and love for learning and the courage to question everything. In the midst of all this loss, I have found healing in my art – immersing myself in color, light and form, discovering sanctuary on the canvas. Through creating, I carry their memory, honor their guidance, and continue to grow. Letting both their love, and my grief shape the depth and sensitivity of my work.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I am committed to, no matter how long it takes, is confronting climate change.
It is not just a global crisis, but a deeply personal one- I feel it in the skies, the shifting colors of horizon and the fragile beauty of landscape I try to capture in my paintings.
My art has become both sanctuary and platform; through color, light, and form, I seek to honor nature‘s resilience while bearing witness to his vulnerability. This work requires patience and persistent, but I’m devoted to it because the natural will sustain us, and raising awareness through reflection and creativity is a way to make it lasting impact. Even small act of connection or understanding matter when it stakes are this high.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people remember me as someone who loved my family and the world deeply. That I saw beauty in fleeting moments and I tried to capture it my artwork. I hope they say I was curious, thoughtful, playful, well read, and unafraid to ask big questions about life, nature or ourselves.
And that, I had a deep empathy, and sense of responsibility toward the world we share. Ultimately, I hope they tell a story of someone who lived with intention and kindness, sought meaning and tried to leave the world felt and understood.

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