Today we’d like to introduce you to Neelima.
Hi Neelima, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up as an only child, spending quiet evenings tracing shapes in the fading sunlight. What began as a simple pastime — stick figures and doodles copied from book covers — slowly turned into hours of pencil sketches and watercolors, my bedroom floor scattered with crayons, pencils, and scraps of paper.
The turning point came in upper middle school when our science magazine announced a cover art competition. I almost didn’t enter. There were already well-known artists in school, and I was the quiet, unknown one. But my mother, my constant cheerleader, urged me to try. I did, and to everyone’s surprise, including mine, I won. That small victory became the start of something much bigger, leading me to represent my school in district and state-level competitions, earning multiple state and national-level recognitions, and studying under a teacher who introduced me to the technical world of materials and mediums.
After school in the small town of Shornur, Kerala, I moved to Kochi for college. Art took a backseat for a while, but it found its way back to me when I joined Prussian Arts, a vibrant collective where I did multiple group exhibitions. Years later, after moving to Minnesota, I was fortunate to take online classes from renowned watercolor artist Sunil Linus De — an experience that reignited and deepened my love for watercolor.
In the United States, I also held a solo exhibition during a Boston winter, marking my re-entry into the art world. By 2025, I was hosting wine-and-paint nights and even creating live art during all four performances of 2 Suitcases, a South Asian theater production that combined dance and storytelling.
Dance, too, had its own winding path. As a child, I hid under the bed whenever my Kathakali guru arrived, painfully shy, with no desire to be on stage. Years later, I returned to it on my own terms, exploring Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Contemporary, and Bollywood. Training with Minnesota’s Sona Nair and performing with SAATH (South Asian Arts and Theater House) opened a whole new world. In the past three years, I have performed in over 20 shows across Minnesota. In 2023 and 2024, I co-wrote, directed, and acted in large-scale Malayalee Association productions featuring over 70 cast members. In 2025, I co-directed and played the lead role in SAATH’s 2 Suitcases, a major production with more than 60 cast and crew members.
My love for community grew alongside my creative journey. In 2017, I arrived in the U.S. with just two suitcases, moving between cities and longing for a sense of belonging. When I attended my first MMA picnic as a newbie who barely knew anyone in 2022, little did I know that just two years later, in 2024, I would become the President of the organization. Leading a non-profit dedicated to preserving Kerala’s culture, language, and traditions has been as fulfilling as any stage performance or art exhibition, because it allows me to create for others the same sense of home I once searched for.
Being part of both MMA and SAATH in the Twin Cities created a deep sense of belonging and fulfilment, the kind that only comes from being part of a community. They gave me a home away from home and allowed me to spread my wings into new avenues and opportunities I had never imagined for myself.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I was an introverted child who ran from the spotlight, quite literally from my dance classes. My Kathakali guru would arrive, and I would vanish under the bed as if disappearing could make the lesson go away. There were years when both art and dance faded quietly into the background. But somehow, I always found my way back to them. That, I think, is the beauty of it, no matter what life throws at you, you can rediscover yourself, dust yourself off, and take even the smallest step forward from the person you were yesterday.
Along the way, I learned that stepping into new spaces can be just as terrifying as it is rewarding. As an immigrant, I arrived in new cities knowing no one, and in those early years, “community” was just a word, not a feeling. Man is a social being, someone wise once said, but you only truly understand that when you don’t have one.
The irony? That introverted girl who once hid from her teacher now stands on stage in front of hundreds, co-directs theater productions, and leads a cultural nonprofit. Not having a support system taught me to cherish one when I found it, to serve it wholeheartedly, and to help build it for others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Neelima is a Minnesota-based creative and the President of the Minnesota Malayalee Association. She started her community work with the organization in 2022 as part of the Youth Forum, later serving as Marketing and Communications Director and Youth Director before becoming President in 2024.
An artist at heart, she works primarily in watercolor, her favorite medium, along with pencil color, acrylic, and oil painting. She enjoys hosting wine-and-paint nights, creating commissioned pieces, and bringing art to life through live painting.
In the performing arts, Neelima collaborates with SAATH in roles ranging from choreographer and dancer to actor and director. She is also a classical performer with Natyakala Dance Academy. Her work has spanned dance shows, theater productions, and fashion events in the Twin Cities. Trained in Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, she has also explored contemporary, Kathak, and Bollywood styles. As a theater artist, she has co-written and co-directed multiple plays, blending her love for storytelling with her passion for performance.
What matters most to you?
For me, art, performance, and community are not separate passions, they are threads of the same fabric. They have been my way of overcoming fears, finding joy, and connecting with people.
Moving forward, I want to spend more time creating — on canvas, on stage, and in service to community. If I can inspire one artist, one dancer, one actor at a time, and offer them the same warmth and belonging I’ve received, then that is enough.
From a quiet girl in Shornur tracing figures in the fading light to a leader, artist, and performer in Minnesota, my journey is proof that it’s never too late to begin, to return, or to grow.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: personal page – Neelima.r.krishnan and Arts page – Neelimakrishnan_art
- Facebook: Neelimarajan’s art page
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neelimakrishnan
