About The Cryptid Mae
I am Mae, your friendly local deer cryptid! I am a lover of gothic horror, gore, metaphor, and fantasy. I embrace the things horror can say about life and the human experience, and adore the escape fantasy can provide. Growing up in the 90’s and 00’s, I listened to my cassette book-on-tape of The Boxcar Children until it broke, watched Phantom of the Opera until I knew it in its entirety in my sleep, and would watch any horror movie 12-year-old me could sneak.
I’ve been involved in the dance world since I was very young and have a deep love of Ballet. The dark, melancholy themes of the classical canon and the lyricism of movement within the disciplines I’ve studied inspire me to create dreamlike, melancholic illustrations that go beyond our world and into the surreal. Memento Mori and the Medieval concept of Death and the Maiden captivate me, combining beautifully with the themes of Classical Ballet. This idea of remembering how precious life is and how deeply impactful the loss of a loved one is threads through all my work, from my standalone illustrations to my comics.