Montreal makeup artist loses eyesight and adapts her craft

Maryam Ganni lost her vision as an adult, but continued to work as a makeup artist and inspire others.

Maryam Ganni began losing her vision 15 years ago when she was only 21 years old.

At first glance, you probably wouldn’t notice; she’s adapted and can do a lot, including texting and even making coffee like a barista.

A specialist diagnosed her with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a retinal disorder that causes progressive vision loss.

Usually, it is inherited, but Ganni says no one else in her family has it. She said she has about 15 per cent of her vision.

It’s a devastating diagnosis for anyone, but especially a makeup artist.

“I thought, well, what am I supposed to do? I’m supposed to be losing my sight, but I’m not fully blind. But I’m a makeup artist. I felt like a total fraud,” she says.

Refusing to give up on her passion, she created her own makeup method. She uses a triangle tool, like the ones used in math class.

“So where we put light is where we give a lift and where we put shadow, we create hollows, and it’s all an optical illusion,” she said. “If we put this triangle here, you see that this is where we need to apply light.”

Having learned Braille, Maryam uses that skill in makeup.

“I have a blush; I have one dot on it. It’s a light pink that I’m wearing today,” she said.

Ganni hopes to play a part in making the beauty industry more accessible to all.

“Being someone who is blind, and visually impaired and still being able to enjoy beauty, makeup, fashion colors, that’s ultimately, my goal.”

She has been so successful that she’s now a motivational speaker at various schools and organizations where she shares her story of resiliency and determination.

“You could lose your sight. You could lose money. You could lose material, you could lose friends, but one thing you’ll never lose is your character,” she said.

She cherishes the opportunity to share her story publicly and says she hopes to serve as an example that anything is possible.

“Connecting with people, allowing them to see beyond sight, to see beyond limitations, no matter what their limitations are.”