 The story of Cuphead is well documented, and has proven to be one of the most beloved Cinderella stories in the recent history of gaming. Two brothers, big fans of old school animation, took it upon themselves to hand draw an entire 2D arcade shooter in tribute to their favourite cartoons. As popular as this tale may have become, it doesn't tell the whole story of Cuphead. In truth, almost no game is the work of a single developer, or even a pair of dedicated brothers. Working behind the scenes on Cuphead were many other artists, programmers and other team members who were often overlooked when the history of this game is told. As much as Chad and Jared Moldenhauer deserve praise for their creation, there is one woman without whom the game could never have been completed. Maya Moldenhauer, Chad's wife, single-handedly drew the inks for literally every frame of animation in the entire game. What's even more impressive is that Maya managed this while also devoting herself full-time to her family. Over the course of Cuphead's development, Maya inked animations while caring for her daughter, while pregnant with her son and even while recovering immediately postpartum. This is the story of how one stay-at-home mother managed to draw the entirety of a complex video game, all while juggling a pair of children. Maya Moldenhauer, much like her husband, has always been a fan of tough, old-school video games. Her first gaming memories involve playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System, along with her older brothers, and her childhood was filled with time spent jumping across platforms and solving puzzles in games like Donkey Kong, Contra, and one of her personal favourites, Adventures of Lolo. Gaming wasn't Maya's only interest. She had a keen love of water sports, particularly jet skiing, which was something she did whenever she could in the beautiful lakes of her native Canada. This was something that she shared with her husband, Chad, when the two met, fell in love, and were married. Maya had a lot of plates to spin. She had earned a degree in biomedical sciences and was working in the banking industry when she and Chad first got married. She was also passionate about health and fitness and as a creative outlet maintained an exercise and lifestyle blog. None of this, though, compared with the challenge and the joy that Maya experienced following the birth of her daughter. Her life changed entirely as she focused on providing the best possible upbringing for her child, giving her plenty of time and making sure that she was supported in a loving and fulfilling family environment. This meant sacrificing her current career, but it was important to Maya to spend as much time with her daughter as possible. Plus, Maya was soon to find herself taking a leap into a completely different field. For years, Chad and his brother Jared had contemplated making a video game, and with Maya on board, the family began making plans to finally create the game that the pair of brothers had been dreaming of for years. Maya was not a traditionally trained artist. She didn't have any qualifications or schooling in professional artwork, but she was happy and eager to get involved with Cuphead nonetheless, drawing all of the inks for the game. She worked closely with her husband on this project. Chad would draw the initial pencil sketch for each frame of animation in the game, and Maya would place a layer of clear plastic over the top to draw the ink lines that would appear in the final game. This proved to be a lot of work. Each static image needed to be inked multiple times in order to create what animators call the boil. Even when the game's characters, Cuphead or Mugman, were standing still, they still needed to show some signs of movement in order to emulate the style of old cartoons and make the game's artwork feel alive. Each frame of animation would take 20 minutes in total to create. First it needed to be sketched, then Maya would ink it, and then it had to be photographed in a makeshift studio before being coloured digitally and added into the game. There was a lot to do, and as scope for the game grew, so too did the amount of work that Maya had to do. Other artists were brought in over time, but Maya was alone in generating the final inks for each frame of animation, often drawing the same thing over and over to give the game plenty of personality and style. Initially there were to be around 15,000 frames for the full game, but before long the team found themselves working on 50,000 frames instead. This was going to take a lot of time to get absolutely perfect, but the whole team, Maya included, were adamant that they would not cut corners. All the while, Maya was balancing her duties as an artist with care for her daughter. Other activities, such as her blog, had to be put on hold as she focused on caring for her family and sneaking moments whenever they were available to ink frames for Cuphead. This pressure was alleviated when Maya and Chad's daughter first began attending preschool, but not for long. The young family was growing as a new arrival was on the way. Even while pregnant, and sometimes while feeling absolutely horrendous, Maya continued working on Cuphead whenever she had a spare second. She burned through pages at an incredible rate, managing over 120 frames on a good day as she continued to push to complete the entire game. Finally, after a lengthy period of discomfort, Maya gave birth to her second child, a beautiful baby boy. She was in awe of him, wrapping him close and making sure that he was provided with all the love and attention he needed. Nevertheless, there was a game to make. Two days after her son's birth, Maya was back at work on her drawing board, inking yet more frames of the game's animation while her baby slept. This would become a new staple in Maya's work balance going forward. While her children were awakened alert, she would do whatever she could to give them all the time and attention they deserved. While they slept, she would power through as many frames of animation as she could. This naturally meant sacrificing a lot of sleep, which was a precious commodity with a newborn, and even as her son got older. Maya absolutely loved the chance to spend so much time with her children, and every day she was so pleased to be able to see them grow. Maya's family was her greatest joy, and she loved enjoying their company more than anything. As for spending time as a married couple, Maya and Chad passed on having date nights in fancy restaurants. Instead, when their schedules allowed, they'd spend time together on the couch, playing video games, and simply enjoying one another's company. Their kids weren't quite old enough for video games yet, but Maya was eager for the point where she'd be able to introduce them to the kind of fun that they could all have together while playing. Maya did, however, let her son watch the E3 video presentations that shared Cuphead with the world. The nice thing about making a game with a cutesy, colourful art style was that it proved perfect for holding a small baby's attention. The Moldenhauer family grew, and as they did, their game drew closer to completion. These days were filled with a mix of creative activities. When not inking, Maya carved pumpkins with her children, or encouraged her daughter's own artistic pursuits through the medium of finger painting. As the game progressed, Maya got the joy of listening to the developing soundtrack for the game, and she'd often play it while inking for extra inspiration. Finally, Cuphead was released, and Maya breathed a sigh of relief. She'd done it. She'd managed to finish a truly challenging task, but more importantly, she'd done so while also doing her best as a mother. She'd had to sacrifice a lot to find a work-life balance that felt right, but she'd been able to work from home. She'd given her daughter and her son all the attention they needed, and her little family was stronger than ever. Cuphead went on to become an international bestseller, picking up numerous awards. After so many years, Maya wasn't interested in resting on her laurels, but she quickly threw herself back into work as the team continued to build beautiful hand-drawn animations for future projects. The moral of the story is that it is possible to have a good balance of all the things you want in life. The world of games development, or of any creative medium, can be gruelling. You can be required to put in a lot of time, effort, and resources in order to succeed. You can feel the need to sacrifice the things that are most precious to you. Maya Moldenhauer proves that it's possible to succeed in creative endeavours while still making time for other important things in life. Just as Maya made sure to always make time for her family while drawing for Cuphead, you too should always make sure that you don't neglect what matters most while you strive to achieve your goals. Spend time with your loved ones. Give them the attention they deserve. Make sure that you focus on your own personal mental, physical, and emotional health so that you don't find yourself becoming overworked and stressed. Yes, you may need to give up some things and organise your time so that you can achieve a balance between all of your competing priorities. Take courage from Maya Moldenhauer's example. If you're careful, and if you focus on what really matters, you can live a balanced, fulfilling life while still throwing everything into creative artwork that you can be proud of. It can be difficult, just like playing Cuphead, but it is possible to succeed if you really try and if you're willing to not let a few setbacks get in the way of your eventual happiness.