We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deonne Moore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Deonne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I knew I wanted to be a creative since the very first time I can remember picking up a paint brush at the age of 12. My childhood is almost a blur from experiencing so much trauma, many can’t imagine the troubles one face having a mother who had 3 children by the age of 18. We were so poor, living from place to place, no beds, rarely had food, clothes, soap, shoes, etc… I rarely asked for anything growing up but if I did I would try to ask for the cheapest item. I was in the dollar store one day and I saw a wooden tweety bird paint kit and my birthday was approaching so I asked my mother for that paint kit for my birthday. She bought that kit for me for my birthday and I enjoyed painting that tweety bird so much I asked if I could use the remaining paint to paint a tweety bird on my wall. She said yes and from that moment I knew I found a happiness like no other which free’d me from my hard surroundings taking me to a place of peace and joy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In my high school years I really excelled in art, I was a very smart child so I had all my credits to graduate one year prior to graduation which allowed me to take additional courses, in which I took many art courses. I used to read the funnies in the newspaper every Sunday and always had detailed dreams that I felt I could turn into movies, So, I figured I would be a cartoonist and direct my own films. At least, that is what I wrote in my high school yearbook! I wanted to attend Kansas City Art Institute but no one showed me how to apply for colleges so instead I enrolled in the community college and majored in Fine Arts. My mother always was adamant about no one living in her home after they graduated high school and surely 2 weeks before I graduated she had my things on the porch in a black trash bag. I went to stay with my aunt and end up eventually falling in the street crowd which led to me having children. My children re-grounded me, I worked 2 jobs at a time and returned to college. I even began drawing and entering local art shows and constructed a plan to start my own art business! But then one of my children was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer and I completely shut down. Everything I planned I threw in the trash and gave all my energy into being a full blown nurse for my child, so much so the job I had for years let me go. At that moment I prayed and God placed the plans I already had for myself back into my hands and I took every dime I had and put it all into my business. Every thing that the devil meant for bad God used for good. Now, I had learned discipline through working for others, patience through the long cancer battle, my dreams inspired my new business ventures and my past struggles helped me find a way to make my art work affordable for all. I’m grateful that I have not left a customer dissatisfied, I listen and give my all to delivering accordingly. The works that I do are mainly geared towards children and education because I was once the child that had nothing and my only escape was my art and books. The one thing that sets me apart from others is I don’t do what I do only for the money I do what I do because art gives me life.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
On your journey in life I always encourage everyone to have a overall goal for yourself. When you set a goal for yourself that gives you a mission. My goal has always been to be a educator of the arts, eventually I would love to open my own art institute that would be geared to all forms of arts, beginning at the age of 12. Most, children know the desires of their heart by age 12 and I want to inspire and encourage as soon as that desire hits. This mission I have set out on is slow but it is going in the right direction and I am learning so many valuable lessons along the way. So far I have went to school and majored in Teaching minoring in Fine Arts, I also mentor many artists of all ages. I have created many platforms for artists and all platforms allow all artists to participate at absolutely no cost. It’s a start but I always tell people its not only about where you start its about where you finish and how much you accomplish and learn along the journey and make sure to see the beauty in it all!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I had to unlearn being a artist is that everyone is not going to like what you create but there is somebody who will love it! So, many times you can go years with out selling a piece but never ever give up. I remember I created a piece that set in my home for 3 years before it sold to a film writer who lived completely across the nation. Every time you have a opportunity to show your work, show it, you never know who heart it will touch so much that they can’t live without it.