Meet the Buddhist monk leading a double lifestyles as a makeup artist

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Being a Buddhist monk and a makeup artist may additionally seem like two at the same time exceptional careers, however not for Kodo Nishimura. Nishimura splits his time doing make-up for celebrities in New York and being a monk in a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Growing up in Japan, Nishimura felt that he couldn’t be open about his gender identification or sexuality.

I didn’t need people to find out that I was drawn to guys,” he advised PinkNews. I didn’t need to confess I preferred Sailor Moon or Disney Princesses; however, the reality I couldn’t share this with humans meant I couldn’t connect to anyone or make any friends, which isolated me. Watch the video underneath to look at Nishimura’s remodel from spiritual put on into makeup: Nishimura fell into the make-up artist global at the same time as analyzing abroad in Boston in 2007. He determined he became unbound by way of the traditional constraints of gender and started experimenting with makeup—something that had now not been possible even as living in his father’s temple.

lifestyles as a makeup artist

He started giving his friends makeovers, and after seeing the high-quality effect it had on their vanity, he became advocated to start a profession in the industry. He now identifies as “gender proficient” and has ended up a longtime superstar makeup artist, running behind Miss Universe’s curtain.

Becoming a Buddhist Monk

Despite finding his passion for makeup, he felt as though something was missing after eight years in the US. I wanted to be disciplined again as a Japanese man or woman, and I wanted to undertake, query, and apprehend Buddhism better,” he explained. Whilst Nishimura never idea it’d be not possible to pursue each career, he did enjoy a length of doubt, even encountering homophobia inside the monastery.