Mayara is a delightful tamarin the size of a tamarind seed. She’s often not drawn to scale and although her face is inspired by Emperor and Golden Tamarins, her body and bearing isn’t much like a tamarin  at all. I adore her and have often felt like I’ve under-used her, but I’ve comforted myself knowing she was a busy monkey and if I gave her enough encouragement and time, something would emerge.

I don’t like to force things on my characters and sometimes it takes a while to get to know my characters. Sometimes they are busy, sometimes they are private about things and think they’re none of my business. I’m not a creator who has to know every detail of a character, sometimes that can feel rude and imposing! And thinking you know everything about anyone can get in the way of properly listening to them.

I need to respect my characters and give them space to bring their whole selves forward. Creating can be more like bird watching than agriculture for me… a metaphor system I might unpack some other time.

In the meantime, I’m excited and a little intimidated about connecting Mayara’s world with mine and seeing how she enjoys a martial art I am very fond of.

Thanks to all my patrons and a special big extra thanks to Lisa Jenkins, Kate Webb, Matthew Noe, and Erik Owomoyela.