Seeking the Wisdom of Age!?

If you look up "lifestyle" in the dictionary, it's defined as "a way of life or living; or an individual's way of life including their outlook on life, values, and habits." My work is precisely about proposing such things. (It feels like, "Wow, that's a pretty big claim!"). But when I think about it, for a long time now, the interviews and lectures I've been asked to do haven't just been about beauty and makeup, my main profession; they've been half about these "lifestyle"-related topics. "What kind of diet do you follow?" "What habits should one cultivate at each age?" "What do you value in life?" and so on.

Come to think of it, the books I've published in the past often discuss ways of living and life itself, and most of my current magazine and online serializations are about life advice. Perhaps, with age, this is what's expected of me. This OPENERS series, too, allows me to write monthly about whatever interests me at the time, in my own way. Perhaps that's been my "lifestyle designer" activity all along!

The "Vessel" of a Room Permeates One's Inner Self

Still, I feel I've always been deeply interested in lifestyle—from everyday living to one's philosophy of life—since I was young (and I imagine you all are too). For example, even when I had little money in my youth, I always spent the most on rent and interior design. This was because I unconsciously felt that the state of one's room subtly influences one's inner self, and eventually reflects on one's outward appearance. So, I've moved into rooms that, at different times, gave me the impression of the person I wanted to become. In that sense, what I want to absorb into myself from my room, this "vessel," right now is a sense of "cheerful naturalness."

Also, when I was younger, I noticed that when I felt unsettled, my room would become messy. It meant that when I was confused about what I wanted to do, or what was important or what I liked, my room would be in a similar state of chaos. Of course, life isn't always neat and tidy, but from those experiences, keeping my room organized became a habit, not just for my mind but for my surroundings too.

Naturally, the ideal state of a room varies from person to person, but I find I'm most at ease with a feeling of 70% tidiness and 30% openness. I aspire to a life that's "70% stoic, 30% worldly," and perhaps that's reflected in my living space.

A Profession Where Understanding Transcends Words

Ever since I realized the importance of my inner self in a profession that involves touching people's skin and hair (as a hair and makeup artist), I've been reading a lot of books on psychology and spirituality. This is because whatever is within me, good or bad, is transmitted to the person I touch through my hands. For instance, if I'm feeling down, irritable, or overly competitive at a given moment, even without speaking, the client might sense it as "sadness," "prickliness," or "discomfort," making them feel uneasy. So, I wanted to become someone who could transmit positive energy (though I've often gone wildly in the opposite direction!).

This isn't unique to the "hair and makeup" profession; people in any field that involves physical touch seem to feel the same. Even in other professions, when you sense something feels "insincere," it's not based on logic but on human instinct. However, sometimes we're unconsciously made to feel that way because someone *wants* us to believe it, which shows how complex humans are.

Practicing "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality"

So, what do I do when I have to do makeup for someone I find difficult? This feeling of dislike is also transmitted. But trying to force myself to like them would also feel unnatural and be perceived as such. What I practice is to find the difficult aspects amusing! Generally, the narrower your tolerance, the more likes and dislikes you have, right? But as it broadens, dislikes decrease. When I shift my mindset to find interest in aspects that differ from my own, my aversion towards that person fades, and I become curious about them. This, in turn, expands my own capacity. The old saying, "Change your thoughts, and your reality will change," might refer to this very phenomenon.

Recently, a thought suddenly came to mind: "People live to become happier." When one is young, one might struggle and worry a lot because they don't yet know these solutions. But as one accumulates life experiences, they discover their own ways of resolving issues. Consequently, worries decrease, and the sense of happiness increases. This doesn't mean that life becomes free of hardships or unpleasant events; rather, one develops the ability to "transform them into happiness" through their accumulated coping mechanisms and ways of changing their thought patterns.

What Does "Sense of Happiness" Feel Like?

When the word "happiness" came to mind, I felt a voice, perhaps my own, urging me, "If not now, when will you age in a way that increases your happiness!?" But let's set that aside (laughs). At each moment, within my current circumstances, I try to creatively direct my consciousness towards happiness. By doing so, the amount of happiness increases. I've come to realize lately that this might be what accumulating happiness, rather than fleeting moments, is all about. My goal is to reach a state of contentment, where I can be happy without needing anything or doing anything specific. However, becoming such a detached individual is still a "long road ahead," so I'm consciously trying to increase the fragments of happiness around me, both tangibly and mentally.

As I pondered this "sense of happiness," I realized that the makeup I had always aimed for was already there. In my late twenties, when I asked myself what kind of woman I wanted to create as a hair and makeup artist, I discovered it was a woman with "transparency, elegance, and a gentle sense of bliss." Then, through trial and error, I developed the techniques that would create such an impression, which became my fundamental skills. In essence, I've recently rediscovered that since my twenties, I've wanted to express a "sense of happiness" through makeup, using models as my medium.

I Discovered Instagram!

For some reason, I've recently been having these realizations one after another. So, I decided, "If that's the case!" I've started calling myself a "Lifestyle Designer" to propose aiming for a "sense of happiness" in all aspects of life.

And around the time I was contemplating these things, my old iPad started malfunctioning. I decided to buy a new one, and on impulse, switched my mobile phone from a feature phone to an iPhone. While exploring the various apps available on the iPhone, I discovered that Instagram could also be used for creating videos (a bit late, I know!). I found the editing process incredibly fun! And I thought, "I might be able to express something as a 'Lifestyle Designer' on Instagram!" I decided to post videos and photos that enhance one's sense of happiness—covering makeup, beauty, food, exercise, interior design, gardening, travel, relaxation, mindset, and more! In a way, it's like a video and photo version of this OPENERS series.

However, since I'd never used any social media platforms before, I'm currently struggling daily to make posts. But my daily effort is driven by the desire to create content that makes people feel a little happier, motivated, or provides them with some hint or usefulness.

My username is " michiko.life". Please take a look if you'd like!
*My passion got the better of me this time, resulting in a lengthy piece. Thank you for reading to the end!