Being a Buddhist monk and a makeup artist may also seem like exclusive careers, but no longer for Kodo Nishimura.
Nishimura splits his time between doing makeup for celebrities in New York and being a monk in a Buddhist temple in Tokyo.
Growing up in Japan, Nishimura felt he couldn’t be open about his gender identification or sexuality.
“I didn’t need humans to find out that I become attracted to guys,” he informed PinkNews.
“I didn’t want to admit I liked Sailor Moon or Disney Princesses, but the fact I couldn’t share this with people meant I couldn’t hook up with each person or make any pals, which remoted me.”
Watch the video below to look at Nishimura’s rework from religious wear into makeup:
Nishimura fell into the makeup artist world even after studying abroad in Boston in 2007.
He was unbound by the conventional constraints of gender and started experimenting with makeup—something that had not been possible while living in his father’s temple.
“Being special can make a difference within the international community, so don’t be afraid to be who you are.”
He commenced giving his buddies makeovers, and after seeing the high-quality effect it had on their shallowness, he was encouraged to begin a career in the enterprise.
He now identifies as “gender proficient” and has become an established superstar makeup artist, operating behind the curtain at Miss Universe.
Becoming a Buddhist Monk
Despite finding his ardor in makeup, after eight years in the US, he felt as though something was lacking.
“I wanted to be disciplined again as a Japanese individual, and I desired to undertake, question, and apprehend Buddhism higher,” he explained.
While Nishimura never thought it’d be impossible to pursue each career, he did enjoy a length of doubt, even encountering homophobia within the monastery.
“Before I turned into living to satisfy the expectancies of other humans, however, there may be not anything incorrect being who I am; my identity is not anything inferior.”
But, with the encouragement of his master and the popularity of his own family, he learned that the most crucial issue became not how he dressed or appeared but how well he carried the message of Buddhism.
“Before, I was living to satisfy the expectations of different humans, but there may be nothing wrong with being who I am; my identity is not anything inferior.
“As long as I am supporting people, validating them, and doing what I suppose is correct, it doesn’t remember.”
Since graduating from his monastery in 2015, Kodo has continued to unfold the message of Buddhism throughout his paintings and has proposed LGBT+ rights in addition to providing unfastened makeup workshops for transgender women.
Not so extraordinary: Makeup and Buddhism
While his two roles can also seem very special, Kodo keeps finding similarities.
“I’m operating from the same vicinity; I want to make people feel higher approximately themselves; I need to show them their splendor, so to me, these two matters are almost equal,” he said.
He hopes his tale will encourage extra human beings to embody their proper identification.
“Being one-of-a-kind could make a difference within the world, so don’t be afraid to be who you are.”
