While I have always drawn, sketched, and written ever since I can remember, it was not until recently that I decided to study art and writing more seriously. I took every writing workshop/course that I could from the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia, and read every book on writing that I could get my hands on. In 2012, I obtained a Certificate in Digital Media at NSCAD University and more recently, I completed a series of on-line courses studying the craft of Celtic art.

Check out my sister site, Knotted Words Celtic Art, where you can purchase prints, greeting cards, clothing, gifts, and more.

But even psychologists have a dark side and I, my friends, am no exception. My shadows, they creep into my creations like a ghostly fog on a full moon night. They creep out of my subconscious, slowly at first, and then in swarms and droves, peppering my prose with sprinkles of fear and delight. Like a slow gas leak, they seep into my stories and drawings, seemingly innoculous at first, and then BAM! - I realize I have created something dark and terrible.

You see, I never set out to write tales of literary horror and supernatural fantasy, but that's what I do, just the same.

As a child, I used to draw happy, cheerful things – butterflies, snails, and the like. And while I still draw these cute, little creatures, they have lost their childhood innocence, that's for sure.

Here, take a look. The Butterfly Boogies. See what I mean?

And check out the terrifying tale that goes with it... Not All Butterflies are Nice and Sweet. Not as cheerful as I had hoped, but it is what it is, just the same.

And so I've come to accept these shadows that lurk in the recesses of my mind, just waiting to pounce on an opportunity to be expressed. Better to come out in art and literature than in more harmful ways, or worse yet, never to be expressed at all.

So embrace your dark side. Pick up a pen, crayon, or marker. Let go of your ideas of what is okay to draw or write about and let your shadows out. Let them dance and play, for they will anyway, if not on the page, then on life's grand stage.

And so, my friends, I've embraced my dark side.

Now. . . Can you?

Angela MacKay, M.Sc.
Psychologist, Writer, and Celtic Artist
2459 Agricola Street, Suite #2
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 4C1
Phone: (902) 430-4022, Fax: 902 482-3469
Email: angemackay@yahoo.co.uk, Twitter: @AngelaDMac
www.knottedwordscelticart.com

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