We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deborah D.E.E.P. below.

Deborah D.E.E.P., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Back in 2008, I decided wanted to be a full-time artist. i had just tied for first place at the Women of the World Poetry Slam and I was watching spoken word artists weave together national tours and star on shows like Def Poetry Jam. It was the first time my desire to be my own artist and the path to do it were materializing. I left my job and ae myself three months. I made an agreement with myself that I would try to make it n my own through national bookings and my community connects. i even had a manager, or at least someone interested in being attached to my brand. I set out to prove myself.

Three months later, all of the winds had been knocked out of my sails. From safety concerns performing at seedy bars at all hours of the night to almost being assaulted while staying on a “friend’s couch” out of state to running through my money when my “manager” let me stranded 1000 miles from home because he forgot to book my flight back, my attempt was a failure. I want back to work believing that I had attempted an impossible feat.

Today, I am celebrating my third year as a full-time artist. So what changed in between, you might ask. I learned that one path is never the answer as an artist. I had to diversify my talents and have multiple streams of income. i had to build a team that I trusted, and more than that, work with community to know who should be trusted. I came home, licking my wounds , but I never stopped making art, I think that kind of steadfastness is why I can be the artist I am today. I was willing to fail and ty again. I was willing to set clear boundaries for who I am and how I work. Now, I make time for rest and I honor safety. I know that I am not a product but a limited resource that this world gets to treasure. And while I still work too long and probably too hard, I look back on those early attempts as moments that taught me what I want and what I wouldn’t settle for.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton and I am a Multi-hyphenate artist, writer, performer, critic, director and first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. I have authored three books, Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt & Co, 2023), and Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books, 2025). I write operas and stageplays, most notably, Plumshuga: The rise of Lauren Anderson which was featured in the New York Times. As a performer, I have opened for John Legend, MC Lyte, and Talib Kweli among others. believe that my art write Black people back into the narrative of a country who is constantly trying to erase our existence.

I am most proud of my memoir, Black Chameleon who’s paperback will drop in March 2024. It was a huge feat to weave lyricism, myth, and storytelling into a cohesive and entertaining look at Black American women. That book, which made Cosmopolitan’s summer book pick list, validated so much n me as an artist and writer. I learned that I didn’t have to live in anyone’s lane, but I could make a new one that I could run in by myself.

I often mentor up and coming writers, as well as provide creative writing workshops, editing services, and stellar performances around the world. I work hard to prove that no artist has to be limited by genre,

My upcoming events include the opening of an opera “On My Mind” composed by Jasmine Barnes with Opera Theater St. Louis’ New Works Collective (Mar 14-16, 2024) and the premier of “Future of Dreams” with the Kennedy Center and Washington National opera, an opera which I wrote with composer Jaylin Vinson and will also perform in.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

GIVE US MONEY! But seriously, our society has to remember that the arts are crucial to our existence. What got us through the pandemic was binging hours of creatives ideas and hard work. In our darkest times, it is the artists that save us. Yet, when programs are cut from schools or we need to find more time for something else, the arts are constantly left on the cutting room floor. I think investing in local artists is the key. We have to elevate the people who make our stories more visible, They help us become more compassionate people and more tolerant to each other, And in a political climate like ours, we need ore compassion and empathy.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artists is standing in a room and watching an audience member resonate with the work. It’s almost like a glow. I often see people break into tears and I think people need that release. We are so often told to hold in our emotion, so when someone is moved to any emotion, when they have a moment they feel seen- that is the best part.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lvelifedeep.com
• Instagram: @livelifedeep
• Facebook: /livinglifedeep
• Linkedin: Deborah Deep Mouton
• Twitter: @livelifedeep
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/livelifedeep

Image Credits
Headshot- Pin Lim Shot with my hand extended up- Chris Diaz