Maya

What can I say about Maya. There is almost too much for my brain to wrap itself around to formulate sentences through this keyboard, but, I will try to share with you as best I can.

Back in 1996 I had moved to Marin and didn’t have any girlfriends local to that area. I can remember going to bed many nights and saying the same prayer, over and over. I prayed for a friend. Someone that lived nearby and that liked most of the same stuff I did. I prayed for someone to show up that was for my highest good. I prayed for quite some time.

I had long curly hair. The hair was big. It defined a part of who I was. (I’ve always been amazed at how your hairstyle can be such an integral part of your self esteem, worth, perception.) In 1997 I decided to cut it off. My father had died in September of ’95 and I needed to shed. I found the best salon in town, Di Pietro Todd, and made an appointment. After many deep breaths and a slow walk up the salon stairs, I made it in. After I checked in I saw her. Walking toward me was Maya, the girl who was going to cut off such a deep part of myself.

It was literally right then and there that a friendship was born. I invited her to a concert that week and I honestly think it was only a couple of weeks later that I invited her to tag along on a trip to Mexico. It was as if she was waiting for me just as much as I was waiting for her.

Maya is a woman who gives to others. She is thoughtful and sincere. She expresses herself in kisses that sometimes are all over your face. She has tattoos. She rides a bike which is always attached to the back of her mini-van in case she has 30 minutes free and can just ride. She has a husband and a son who she loves to pieces. Most importantly, for me, Maya is the person who taught me how to open my heart and love in ways I didn’t know possible. She taught me tenderness and generosity. She showed me how to be soft and for that, I will be ever grateful. On top of all that, she’s the woman responsible for my stylish hair cuts over the past 12 years.

What feels like a gizillion years ago, I designed some calling cards for Maya. Just some cards with her name and number for when she met people and wanted to exchange information. We’ve been long overdue to update those cards but now was the time. I knew that I wanted my inspiration for her new cards to come straight from the source. I wanted to put Maya into her cards. I decided to use a piece or pieces from her tatoos as the artwork.

After photographing her tattoos, I used parts of the frames from her arms as the illustrations. Her left arm is different from her right so I’ve mimicked that on the front and back sides of the business card. We used the color pallet that was created for her by a colorist and she and I sat together to pick a font that she connected with.

I just love these cards because when I look at them, I just feel Maya. Magic, beauty and her unique spirit.