We were lucky to catch up with Greg Howard Jr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Greg, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Creatives have always been misunderstood and mischaracterized. That’s where the whole “starving artist” stereotype comes from. As a society, it’s become widely accepted that you have to lock yourself into a “real job” to put food on the table, and anyone who doesn’t do that deserves to be “starving.” Van Gough was notoriously shunned by his community, the Kardashians are looked down on because they’re famous for being famous, and there are countless indie musicians out there that no one will ever hear because mainstream radio won’t play their songs.

Mary Tyler Moore once said, “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” As creatives, we are the bravest people on Earth because we live our lives taking chances, we risk everything every time we put new work out into the world, and if something doesn’t work out we keep going. The naysayers and the critics continue to push the “starving artist” trope because they never took the chance to follow their dreams.

Greg, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Comedian, Podcaster, Author, Actor, Entrepreneur, and Political Commentator Greg Howard Jr is best known as the creator and host of the hit podcasts: Don’t Make This Weird, This is Not An Endorsement, 30 Questions With…, Your Life: The Mixtape, Headliners, & Bonus Tracks. He is also a co-host on the internationally charting It’s Like This: A Pop Culture Podcast.

Greg is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Your Life: The Mixtape Media LLC. Greg co-produces the smash hit podcasts Voice Memos and Unapologetically She for Rodwarton Productions. He is the executive editor of the free digital magazines Your Life: The Mixtape Magazine and In The Mix Weekly.

In addition to this, Greg is a bestselling author. Having released the Amazon Bestsellers Hi, I’m the Ugly Friend (And Other Tales of Not Living Up to My Potential), Don’t Make This Weird (A Year in the Life), Life, Liberty, and Something Like Happiness, Not So Self-Evident, and If We’re Being Honest: Essays, Observations, and Words of Wisdom From a Life Well-Lived.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There was a time when storytellers were the most revered members of society. They kept the history of their people from being forgotten. Somewhere along the way we’ve forgotten that. No matter the medium, creatives are in the most basic of terms storytellers. That’s not to say that we should all be put on a pedestal, but it starts with everyone remembering that imagination and creativity aren’t just good for creatives, it’s good for everyone.

For society to better support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem, we would first have to look at all the inequities in our society and break down the systems that uphold them. One of the first things you realize when you start your creative journey is that you’re not alone. There is and will always be a community of like-minded people to surround yourself with. When society becomes more equitable for all people then creatives will thrive.

On a less broad scale, sharing a social media post from a creative person in your orbit is completely free. That’s the easiest thing that can be done to support creatives. Stop expecting artists and creatives to work for “exposure.”

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

There’s a joke that says “NFTs are Pokemon cards for people with too much money,” and I think that’s absolutely true. I don’t want to “yuck” anybody’s “yum” but there are better ways to spend your money.

That being said, and there will be many who disagree, I think NFTs are an interesting avenue that the art world could explore. We should figure out a way to make the the tools for creation and exhibition of NFTs accessible to anyone interested. It all goes back to equity, art in all its forms and the ability to create art in all its forms should be accessible to all not just those with privilege and wealth.

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