Maya Sera E. Petermann, born and raised in New Jersey, is known by her friends and her loved ones as a colorful, bubbly, and resilient person. Her journey as an artist has taken her through various mediums, adding more and more to her docket, but sewing and costuming are where her heart lies the most.

What started as a sweet activity that a grandmother and granddaughter bonded over turned into a passion, identity, and career. Ever since Maya could hold a paintbrush, her art has been her means of expression, communication, and storytelling.

Her work combines the psychological and the artistic, a result of her own life experiences and relationship with psychology and art. Her inspiration runs deep into the mind of the character and the story, with a desire to make the fictional world and characters real and human.

Maya’s philosophy is as such: Costume design tells a story in ways words can’t. Beyond the script, the garments hold smaller stories original to each character, understandable, and even relatable, to hundreds if they take the time to listen and observe. It’s a strong belief of hers that even the smallest stories should be told, the complexity of humanity, as she calls it, in any manner, no matter how insignificant. It’s a silent voice, only heard if one looks and listens long enough.