Deborah Camp is a Woodhaven-based freelance artist, writer, and art educator. She specializes in a medley of visual and written mediums, from short stories and poetry, to graphic design, illustrations, and hand painting murals for a variety of clients. She has self-published a collection of her art and poetry and released it on Amazon, Musings Diner Open 24/7, to motivate people to never give up on their dreams and to rise above all obstacles that they have encountered within their life. Her passion for visual art derives from her great-grandfather. He loved to paint the landscapes of his motherland and horses. Her passion for writing stems from her mother’s childhood story writing musings. She became inspired in this artistic environment starting at the age of 3 when she first picked up a paint brush to embark on her own artistic journey and followed it throughout her schooling from elementary school through Queens College, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.
Over the years she has shared her literary and visual works with her local community in art shows and open mic nights to channel her boundless passion for the arts to encourage everyone to follow their dreams. The themes of her past art shows and open mic performances were about the inner child in all of us and how important it is to nurture them and keep alive their sense of wonder of how they look at the world and find inspiration in everything around them. The other motifs and styles you will see coursing through her written and visual works are of surrealism, whimsy, peace, environmental awareness of nature, the psychedelic era, uplifting inspirational messages and celebrating and embracing one’s uniqueness. She has recently won an art contest to create a mural to represent the diversity of Queens that she titled “Queens the Fertile Garden of Unity” in Long Island City in Hunters Point South Park at Ottomanelli’s by the Water.
Deborah Camp’s work can be found on her social media platforms:
Instagram: @artbydebcamp
Facebook: Art by Deborah Camp
NB: Other than the amazing diversity, what do you love most about Queens? How has Queens changed over the years?
DC: I love the experience of Queens coming together to demonstrate a close-knit community unity bond that comes along with us having deep roots embedded within Queens’ creative and fertile soil bursting with excitement and a plethora of places to visit and experience. There is also a large support network for local businesses that are alive and thriving when all of the Queens community gathers together to patronize their businesses and show support for them. There is a proudness that exudes from Queens residents coming together and sharing experiences from dining together to taking pictures of the scenic views of sunsets at the local parks. The altruistic side of Queens shines through time and time again when people are struggling during their times of need, clothing and food drives are held to benefit them to help clothe and feed. The residents of Queens assist in the beautification of the neighborhood by cleaning and recycling on the streets and planting flowers because they have pride in their neighborhood and local businesses. Restaurants of Queens provide a tour of the world as a feast for breakfast, lunch, dinner. It is a family friendly place where neighbors say hello and catch up with a cup of coffee on the bench and share a meal. I will forever cherish my memories growing up in Queens. Queens has shifted over the years to celebrate and embrace the arts. It is now a mecca for artists to grow and thrive just as Brooklyn is known for and I am proud to see my borough celebrate the career path of the arts!
NB: How does Queens inspire you? What are some of your favorite places to be inspired in Queens?
DC: I admire Queens for its hustling and bustling hard-working individuals that make an impact on our community by following their heart and doing what they love! I have witnessed this resilient spirit shine from the youth to the elderly and families from all around the world that come together to create a community filled with adventure, innovation, excitement and support for each other. Witnessing them put their all into their work and community inspires me to keep going with my dream to turn it into a reality. Queens inspires me with the full spectrum of nature’s beauty all around from the robins and cardinals that delicately collect nesting materials in Forest Park to the pink array of floral displays of the cherry blossom trees at Hunter’s Point South Park. I love visiting the Queens Zoo for its variety of wildlife being a lifelong animal advocate. Hunter’s Point South Park exudes a tranquil energy that I have recently discovered tucked within the heart of Long Island City.
NB: What advice do you have for readers who are hoping to develop their writing practice or art? Is artistic talent innate and/or can it be taught/developed? How important is daily practice? Do you ever get stage fright or have advice about overcoming it?
DC: Explore all types of mediums and styles in order to grow and find out what you gravitate most to within your work in order to find your writing and visual style. Do you prefer creating charcoal black and white drawings or rainbow filled oil paintings? Try both and see what resonates with you. Do you like to paint animals, landscapes or people? Try all three subjects to see what excites you the most to create. Practice by sketching from observation to strengthen your hand and eye coordination and then challenge yourself by drawing from within your mind’s eye by creating a world that doesn’t exist in real life. Practice helps to refine your skill sets and challenge you to grow as an artist. Write a text prompt for a poem and expand upon it such as “Why do we need darkness to balance out the light?” and set a timer for five minutes to write down the first ideas that come to you and see how it has developed. You can always add to it later on to build upon the initial idea. This helps when having writer’s block. Keep a paper and pencil handy at all times near you at all times, because you never know when the next idea will strike and write/draw it out as soon as it comes into your consciousness. Sometimes, my ideas come just before I go to sleep and instead of committing it to memory, I immediately write and draw out the basis for it so that I can develop it later on in the day.
Draw and write what you are familiar with, subjects that resonate with you and then expand to explore other themes. What inspires you in the literary, music, theater, cinematic and visual art world? Try listening to an instrumental piece and writing and drawing out the feelings and visions that you associate with it. Artistic talent can be innate and developed.
The love to express oneself artistically can be explored in both paths. The innate desire to create can be there from a young age. It also needs to be cultivated and nurtured in an environment that promotes the arts in order to help the child discover their passion for the arts and to practice it and have positive encouragement to keep going. When a child is given a positive role model to look up to in the arts, the tools to create art and the welcoming environment they can soar with their creativity! I do not have the experience of stage fright because I have always looked forward to presenting my work ever since I was in elementary school. I felt at home upon the stage because it gave me a platform to express my thoughts, feelings and art that I have put a lot of effort in and would be positively acknowledged, seen, heard and respected by my teachers that I looked up to that reinforced my confidence upon the stage whether it was the front of my classroom or a theater stage. If you have stage fright, remind yourself of all of the hard work and dedication that you have put into your piece and that the audience is there to experience your work eagerly awaiting your arrival to celebrate and welcome you. Your words and art and bravery to take the stage can motivate another person that is shy to come out of their shell to share and express. Just by your one action of going up there you are helping others and making a positive impact.
NB: How important is personal connection and communication (networking?) in your industry?
DC: It is vital to network when one pursues the career path as an artist in order to share with each other career opportunities, advice and moral support (my latest mural that I won a contest for was sent to me by a friend that knows how much I want to make a positive mark in this world through the arts).
No person is an island I have learned while I was in my 20’s. I used to try and do it all on my own because I was shy and afraid to open up to people to share my dreams of becoming an artist for fear of being ridiculed and shamed for my decision since I have experienced this from toxic acquaintances and a distant family member. With life experience I was able to learn how to filter out low vibrational people that were there not to uplift but to snuff out my spirits and instead to allow the healthy types of relationships to flow into my life. Slowly I began to build trust with people in various open mic events that shared their vulnerability on the stage with their raw poetry coming from their hearts and life experiences and networked with other artists and writers that are working hard to achieve their dreams.
It is the goal-oriented people with a vision, passion, drive and dedication to the arts that inspire me to keep going and I love reciprocating and encouraging them to never give up on their dreams because when there is a will there is a way to get there even though it may be a zigzag path instead of a linear one. It is possible to achieve with the emotional support of friends, family and colleagues.
NB: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? What is something you wish you knew a decade or two ago?
DC: I was told to never give up on my dreams of pursuing a career path in the visual arts field and to equally believe in my writing abilities as well in order to pursue it in conjunction with visual art in order to leave a positive impact on this world by my late high school English teacher Dr. Mermelstein. He believed in my abilities as a writer when I only embraced my abilities as a visual artist and previously viewed my writing as an afterthought that I would add to my art after I would finish painting a piece. I now embrace both forms of artistic expression and feel that I can now reach my fullest potential to help people heal through both forms of artistic expression hand in hand.
Looking back in hindsight, I wish I had the keen ability to spot red flags in unhealthy friendships and to understand why I was severely bullied as a child. For years I have struggled carrying the emotional burden thinking that there was something inherently wrong with me. Now I realize that the bullies were just projecting all of their insecurities onto me. They called me ugly, poor, worthless and not deserving of love and success and made me feel very insecure for a long time into my adult years. I created written and visual art as a positive coping mechanism throughout my childhood to express my thoughts, feelings and ideas. It was my safe space.
NB: Who are some of your favorite artists and writers with a Queens connection?
DC: Cyndi Lauper grew up in Ozone Park. I adore her colorful and eccentric musical art and fashion style to celebrate women who want to pursue an artistic career path she was a positive role model that I looked up to while I was growing up in the neighboring town of Woodhaven. Brian Hyland spent his childhood in my neighborhood of Woodhaven and I admired his ability to get his music out there to the public starting out as a teenager because he knew that music was his passion and wanted to make that impact on the world with it as soon as he could find the right door of opportunity to open up for him. Betty Smith’s home can be seen in Woodhaven, where she wrote “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” and inspired one of my paintings that I titled “Writer’s Home Grows in Woodhaven.”
NB: What are your favorite restaurants, theaters, galleries, museums, open mics, book stores, and venues in Queens? Favorite places to write or paint?
DC: I love going to Neir’s Tavern not only to dine with my friends and family, but to partake in their creative events such as open mic night and karaoke. I also am inspired within the historic walls of Neir’s Tavern to write my poetry and recite it with the audience during their open mic nights. I love attending Kew and Willow Books and the Forest Hills Library’s open mic nights as well for their receptive atmosphere of encouragement and creativity. Ottomanelli’s by the Water, The Queensboro, Sofia’s Pizza, Taverna Kyclades, Park Side Restaurant and Paratha Wala are some of my favorite spots to dine, unwind and make memories with my friends and family. I love visiting the Museum of Moving Image to become immersed within their interactive exhibits that capture and freeze a moment in time in cinematic history. I frequent Forest Park to become immersed in nature’s beauty that inspires me to paint and write.
NB: What do you wish more people knew about being an artist and writer?
DC: I am advocating for the career path of the arts to be viewed by the societal lens as an equal to a career path in other studies such as science and law instead of just being a hobby that one can pursue on the side. I recently visited P.S 254Q the Rosa Parks School on June 3rd as a guest for career day to hold a discussion about my career as an artist and writer with a 3rd grade class to share with them my enthusiasm for this career choice and how if they have something that they are passionate about in life, they can pursue it as a career because the sky is the limit! When you are an artist and writer, you channel and pour every ounce of your energy into a piece.
There is a huge investment of time, energy and passion that goes into one’s work. From the hours spent upon multiple drafts of brainstorming the conceptualization of a theme to preparation of materials and refining the piece until its completion takes a lot of physical and mental stamina. Incorporate the weather elements if it is painted outdoors and then one has to deal with the extreme heat, cold or wind along with being able to stand and climb up and down a ladder for a period of what could be up to 8 to 10 hours with busy seasons of this type of day on repeat back-to-back 7 days a week. Also, being able to balance out one’s schedule to give equal attention and accommodate all of the clients is also a skill set that one needs to have in order to make their art career reach their fullest potential.
It is time for the pendulum to swing from cutting out music and art programs to not only restoring them but to find funds for them even more and acknowledge the hustle, hard work, dedication, joy and positive ripple effect that the arts bring to the public. One day the public will no longer talk down and ask an artist “what is your real job?” because there will be a respect that will be shown to artists that is long overdue. It is time to break the stigma of the “starving artist” and to shine the spotlight on the “thriving artist” because with a healthy mindset there is opportunity out there for all of us to shine!
NB: What were the challenges that you have faced growing up and how did you overcome it to become the artist that you are today?
DC: I evolved into the artist that I am today with the emotional support of my mother always being there for me to lend me a pen, a piece of paper and a box of crayons when she saw I was having a bad day at school. I was severely bullied as a child/teen for being the teacher’s pet and for being the odd one out that just did not share the same interests as my peers. I was more of an old soul that would rather listen to the records of The Carpenters while I made a sketch than go clubbing. When my peers were into the latest fashion, they would tease me about wearing the same pair of pants since my single mother at the time could not afford those types of clothing. I was ostracized for it and for being a sensitive child. I would cry easily and had a very small social circle that would be there for me and play with me when the other kids said I had “the cooties.” I remember watching a lot of my favorite cartoons and saying to my mom one day I want to create my own cartoons, particularly animals just like this! She believed in my abilities and has always been there for me.
Unfortunately for my mother her dreams of becoming an artist were crushed by a distant family member that told her when she was a kid to give it all up and she listened and stopped drawing when she became a teenager. This same family member tried to tear down my dreams, however I refused to listen. When it comes to the arts, my stance is strong I refuse to bend and fold when others try to knock down my dreams. She was the first person to try to talk down to me about my abilities and how it is unrealistic to become an artist and that it is “a waste of time” to quote her exact words.
I am a resilient being and am actually grateful for all of the negative experiences in my life because without them none of my writing or art pieces would have come to fruition in my book to help others heal. I can see through the lens of empathy and want to help others heal from the emotional trauma that they have experienced through the arts. It was my beacon of hope in a dark world and it will continue to light the way.
NB: Do you have any events or projects coming up?
DC: I will be participating as a freelance artist showcasing my work and having it available for the public to purchase alongside other local artists in the Woodhaven Art Market in an upcoming event at the Forest Park Bandshell in Woodhaven. It is a double centennial celebration of both the George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell and the Forest Park Carousel. Here is the breakdown and timeline of the events of the day:
Street Naming for Forest Park Carousel (11 AM)
Carousel Ribbon Cutting to open its Second Century! (12 Noon)
FREE Carousel Rides 12pm – 3:30pm
Flag Day Celebration
Bounce House, Inflatable Slide, Obstacle Course, 3-in-1 Sports Challenge
Rock Climbing Wall & FDNY Smokehouse
Glitter Tattoo Table
Craft Table Workshop with Michelle from Cook’s Crafts
Park Rangers with Horses giving Horse Workshop
Visit the Queens Greenhouse
WOODHAVEN ART MARKET – Courtesy of the Woodhaven Art Circle, dozens of talented local artists with artwork for sale
Bandshell Ceremony
School Performances on Bandshell Stage – PS 254 and PS 97
Queens Symphony Orchestra Live Patriotic Concert 5 PM
NB: If you could choose only a piece of writing or art to represent Queens, what would it be and why?
DC: I would choose my latest mural that I conceptualized and hand painted featured at Ottomanelli’s by the Water located at 52-10 Center Boulevard in Long Island City that I titled “Queens the Fertile Garden of Unity.” It features a thriving garden that grows with a dazzling array of vibrant flowers in the borough of Queens nourished by the sun, fresh air, respect, love, kindness and care. The flowers blossom to reveal each individual in the fertile garden of unity blossoming as they emerge from their petals to play, walk their dogs, dance, exercise, make and listen to music, read, meditate and unleash their creativity inspiring one another. The heartbeat pulse of Queens comes alive filled with positive and hopeful vibes! We all share the same DNA uniting us as the human race. Our roots in Queens run deep and are intertwined as we coexist and work together to create a plethora of cultures to experience on a culinary, visual, auditory and personal level. The cherry blossom curtains open to reveal a world where negativity is banished and the world is healed. The sun rises once more to beam upon the Queens community radiating beams of positivity.
NB: What is a typical day like for you?
DC: I get up in the morning and indulge in a small piece of dark chocolate for its heart healthy properties and a boost of energy instead of coffee. I have breakfast that usually consists of eggs for protein, fruit, nut butter that I have made in my food processor and water for hydration. I check my calendar filled with a rainbow of Post-it notes that serve as a reminder for the timeline of deadlines to meet and my hand written list. I proceed to work on my latest commission while searching for prospective clients on the horizon and reaching out to existing clients that are looking to have their windows updated for the latest season. I update my Redbubble online shop with a new design weekly that I have drawn and tailor it to each of the products.
I will write a new poem based on a life event that has influenced me. Once a client contacts me to confirm that they are interested in a mural, I will discuss the theme with them and then make a sketch of it to bring their vision to life and send it to them. Once it is approved, we set up a date and time and I proceed to mix my paints and get my supplies ready. I take inventory of my supplies to ensure that I am well stocked. I will make time in the day to grocery shop and cook a meal from scratch (my other artistic passion in life – the culinary arts). I set my alarm for the next day depending on when the project starts and keep a pen and paper handy near my bed for the next idea that pops into my head since my brain is like a 24/7 diner…it never closes since it serves ideas day and night hence the name of my book, “Musings Diner Open 24/7.”
NB: Can you tell us more about your theme of the “inner child in all of us and how important it is to nurture them and keep alive their sense of wonder of how they look at the world and find inspiration in everything around them”? Why is inner child work so important? How can readers engage in inner child work? Does your inner child work relate to being inspired by your family?
DC: My main focus of my body of visual art and poetry work is to create a whimsical world where anything is possible so that we can all celebrate the inner child in us and how important it is to nurture them and keep alive their sense of wonder of how they look at the world and find inspiration in everything around them. Childhood is a time when we are beginning to form our identity and discover our gifts in life. It can also be a turbulent time when bullying can occur.
My art and poetry encompass the entire spectrum of childhood from the vivid and limitless imagination that all children possess and simple joys of playing with friends to the draining experience and emotional turmoil that bullying can cast as a shadow over a sunny childhood. I intend for my work to help people dig deep down and find the inner strength and resiliency to overcome obstacles that were standing in the way of their dreams.
Inner child healing helps us to come to a resolution with struggles that we have faced. One way to do inner child healing is by writing a letter to your younger self and acknowledging your struggles and how you can overcome and achieve anything in this world. You can also make sketches of things that you once loved to do and rediscover it through retrograding back in time and recollecting your love of dance for example. By unlocking those core memories and figuring out what happened along the way that made your passion for a subject fizzle out you can reconnect and rediscover that passion and come to a resolution now in your adult years.
Children are the world’s innovators before society imposes their opinions upon them which is often a mixed bag of positive and negative messages. Inner child work is also directly related to family because our environment growing up has a huge impact on who we become as adults, since we spend the most time with them in our formative years. We are a mass of unshaped clay when we are brought into this world and each word can make a positive or negative indentation upon our mental health. If we can acknowledge both parts of our experience and move forward to develop, we can continue to grow and reach our fullest potential version of ourselves!
NB: What’s a wild story (PG-13) you have about NYC before the times of cell phones? If you weren’t in NYC then, what’s a story you have of NYC past?
DC: During the MTA transit strike of 2005, I was in my sophomore year of college. I did not find out until 3:00am via the radio of the morning that my finals were to be conducted that the strike became official because there were no cell phones with social media and instantaneous news. I have always commuted via public transit to attend Queens College. The strike occurred during finals week and my portfolio including my large 3’X 4’ painting of a nude model sitting next to a heater that I painted in my art class was due for grading. I did not have friends or family with a car that were available to drive me to class. I called the cab companies and they were price gouging taking full advantage of the situation and I could not afford to pay the high fees that they were demanding. I was determined to find a way to get to my classes on time by 1:00 pm somehow and realized that I subconsciously memorized the Q74’s bus route from Union Turnpike to Queens College. There were no exceptions that day to reschedule due to lack of transportation, or Zoom meetings to attend the finals so I had to find a way to get there.
It was a frigid late December morning so I dressed in multiple layers, wore my headphones of my Walkman to keep entertained by music and carried my bookbag and my large nude model painting from Woodhaven to Queens College starting my journey at 8:00am to give myself enough time to get there in time since I have never walked that far before. I got quite the inquisitive stares from the public carrying the portrait however I just knew that I had to make it on time. I had a 3.9 GPA and was not about to fail a class because I could not make it in time so I kept walking until I reached the campus. I was frozen and exhausted mentally and physically from the ordeal but I was glad to get there on time and to showcase my art to my professor and get an A on my final exams. My Mom, unaware of how my trip went waited until I got home and was relieved that I made it back safely after crossing multiple large streets with such a large painting. Cell phones really would have come in handy back then to update my Mom on my successful trip getting there safely, but I and my family could not afford them at the time. I soaked my blister and corn laden feet when I got home felt victorious that I was able to find a solution to get my work there on time and pass my classes. This resilient determined spirit has stayed with me and continues to channel through my choice of the arts as my career path because I never give up.