The Elasticity of Perspective: Mr.Deonta Head on Defying Boundaries and Building The Unseen Grid
- DEONTA ELITE
- Dec 17, 2025
- 5 min read
Interview with DEONTA ELITE
1. Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.
My background is actually quite non-traditional. I spent years working in a highly analytical, corporate environment, a world of strict data and predictable outcomes. It was mentally stimulating, but creatively draining. My art journey truly began as an urgent need for an escape, a space where intuition and ambiguity were celebrated. I started dedicating serious time to painting and mixed media in my late twenties, viewing it as a parallel universe. The biggest leap came around 2021 when I started showing my work publicly, which included being featured in outlets like Artist Talk and Vibe Magazine. The shift from "corporate analyst" to "artist" was less of a career change and more of a spiritual recalibration. It’s been a journey of accepting vulnerability and letting go of the need for perfect control.
2. Describe what a normal day looks like as an artist.
A normal day is a deliberate balance between the business and the creation. I wake up early, around 6:00 AM, and spend the first hour praying in a quiet place reflecting no phone. Next I just sketch or journal out ideas. The late morning, from 8:00 AM to noon, is dedicated to the administrative side: responding to emails, organizing inventory, updating my website, and reaching out to galleries or potential collaborators. My creative block is always in the afternoon. From 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, I’m in the studio. This is non-negotiable focused time. Sometimes it's highly productive, sometimes I'm just staring at a canvas, but consistency is key. Evenings are reserved for family, reading, and getting away from the work, often ending with a visit to a museum or a late-night walk to observe the city.
3. Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?
My central theme is The Elasticity of Perspective. I’m fascinated by how conventional boundaries and accepted realities shape our lives, and my work, like my piece "Thinking Outside the Box," explores the tension involved in challenging those limits. I use abstract forms, bold color fields, and often structural elements to create visual dilemmas pieces that look different depending on the viewer's distance or emotional state.
My inspiration is deeply rooted in human philosophy and psychology. I’m inspired by the quiet moments of realization when a belief breaks, when a routine is shattered, or when a person chooses a new path. Musically, I often listen to ambient or post-rock soundscapes that encourage a state of suspended thought while I work.
4. How does your art life impact other parts of your life?
Art has been the single greatest engine for personal development in my life. It forces me to confront failure daily, which has translated into greater resilience in other areas. The discipline required to maintain a studio practice grounds me. Moreover, it has completely shifted how I observe the world. I don't just see a building; I see composition, light, and texture. It turns the mundane into an endless source of conceptual input. The main impact is that I now operate from a place of authenticity, which has improved the quality of all my relationships and my overall peace of mind.
5. Could you share any difficulties and hardships you had to face in life and how or if you managed/overcame them?
The most significant hardship was overcoming the fear of judgment and the crushing weight of financial uncertainty. Leaving a stable career to pursue art was terrifying. For a long time, the internal dialogue was a toxic voice constantly questioning my talent and telling me I was procrastinating and being irresponsible.
I managed it by reframing my relationship with failure. I stopped viewing a rejected piece or a low-selling show as a personal judgment, and started seeing it as pure data feedback on what didn't work. I also built a small, trusted circle of artists and mentors who offered honest critiques and emotional support. The biggest step was finding a way to stabilize my finances through teaching workshops, which allowed me the mental freedom to keep creating without the immediate pressure of sales.
6. Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far.
My best experience was definitely seeing my work projected onto the Times Square billboard in New York City in 2025. The piece itself was minimalist, but seeing my name and my creation occupy that immense, chaotic, and commercial space was a surreal validation of the conceptual power of art. It was a physical representation of my philosophy taking something from a small, internal space (the studio) and projecting it onto the grandest, most public stage.
7. Share your worst experience in the art world.
The worst experience was early in my career, dealing with a gallery owner who was incredibly dismissive and unethical. They took a large consignment of my work and then ghosted me for months, failing to provide sales reports or return calls. It was a harsh lesson in the "business" aspect of the art world. It felt exploitative and deeply discouraging. I eventually got the work back, but it taught me the necessity of having clear contracts and only working with people whose integrity is beyond question.
8. What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?
Treat your art like a practice, and your practice like a business.
1. Show Up: Be in your studio every day, even if you only have thirty minutes. Consistency breeds inspiration far more than waiting for a muse.
2. Document Everything: Photograph your work immediately, track every material cost, and maintain an accurate inventory list. Being professional in your administration frees you to be chaotic in your creation.
3. Build Your Own Table: Don't wait for invitations. Start a collective, host your own pop-up show, or launch a project. Agency is the greatest asset an independent artist has.
9. Is the artist life lonely? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
Yes, the artist's life is inherently lonely, but not necessarily in a negative way. The process of deep creation demands a prolonged period of solitude and introspection. You have to willingly isolate yourself to listen to that quiet, inner voice where the original ideas reside.
The challenge is balancing this necessary solitude with the need for community. If you isolate too much, you lose perspective and motivation. I mitigate the loneliness by being hyper-intentional about engaging with other artists. We need a community for critique, emotional support, and shared experience. So, it’s a life of finding a fragile, necessary balance between deep, productive solitude and meaningful collaboration.
10. What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events?
I’m currently developing a new conceptual series tentatively titled The Unseen Grid. It focuses on using non-traditional materials primarily recycled copper and concrete to represent the invisible societal structures that influence our decisions. It's a continuation of the "outside the box" idea, but more focused on deconstruction.
As for upcoming events, I'm participating in an exhibition show this December at the 407 Lincoln Art Gallery in Miami FL, focused on emerging voices in abstract sculpture. I'm also planning an open-studio event in the spring to give collectors and fellow artists a chance to see the new pieces in their raw state before they're finalized. Stay tuned to my website for specific dates!
Hey, join me at "DeontaElite" on the Spaces by Wix app to easily stay updated and more on the go.
Use the invite code: EJBRTY
