Photoshoots are my canvas, to paint a picture through every medium available to me. To do that, I knew I needed to do it all, so I became a photographer, retoucher, makeup artist, hair stylist, kimono dresser, tsumami zaiku artist, seamstress, and crafter. That way, you can leave it all to me! Remember, the whole quote is: “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

I started KiraKira Artistry during my university years in Kyoto, when I saw a need to make traditional garments, dressing, and commemorative photoshoots more accessible to financially burdened college students preparing for Seijinshiki. But I thought, what’s a Seijinshiki celebration without hair, makeup, and kanzashi? I was already a photographer and kimono dresser, but hair and makeup were touch and go for a while. (I’ll never forget the time I made a friend look like an 80s glam rocker... and no, that wasn’t the look we were going for.) Still, I loved giving people this opportunity and seeing how happy they felt afterward. I knew I wanted to keep doing it, but I also wanted to offer the best experience I possibly could.

So when I returned to the US, I pursued a diverse creative education and earned professional certifications in hair, makeup, and tsumami zaiku. I wanted to do it all, and I wanted to do it to the best of my ability.

From there, KiraKira Artistry grew and evolved, shaped by my love of the ocean, the earth, the diversity of human heritage, and the realm of fantasy that shapes our world’s stories and drives our imaginations to look beyond the mundane. My work tends to walk the edge of whimsy, leaving you somewhere between this world and the fantastical. No matter what your vision is, no matter what you dream to be, no matter what you wish to celebrate, I’m here to make it magical.

here's my story

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