We recently connected with Greg Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Greg, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Learning the many, many artistic and creative disciplines I partake in comes from a mixture of inspiration, the need for an outlet, opportunity and, at times, self-therapy. For example, I became a DJ in high school because I loved music so much, had seen DJs perform, and felt it was the missing element to my ability to deep dive and discover music. From DJng, I was afforded the opportunity to learn college radio at Southwest Texas State, which led to the networking and my eventual appointment as a frontman for .::liquidstereoproject. Once that band broke up, I took the onus to form a rap crew known as The Word Association, as well as venturing into a solo career, and this step taught me many of the current foundational elements I utilize daily : networking and management, graphic design, music production, show and tour booking, video editing, website building and so much more.

I honestly think the path I took was the perfect path for me in terms of learning and locking down many of the skill sets I use today. Of these skills learned, management and the technology-related disciplines have been the most essential and fruitful to me in both my personal and professional life. Outside of finances, there have not been many obstacles in the way of my learning.

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?

I am Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice, an Austin-based musician, DJ, blogger, actor, writer, director and much more. Having always been a fan of music and film, not to mention a native Austinite, it seemed inevitable that I would eventually cross over from fan to participant, as I’ve always had a personal drive to succeed and to see things through to completion.

As for aspects that set me apart from others, I can name several. Perhaps the most immediate impression I’ve left on people is that of a calm, collected and serious individual, character traits that are amplified by my height and size. My ability to speak casually, confidently and deeply about many aspects of art tends to be something that drives my connections with other creatives and lovers of art. This breadth of knowledge also transmits through the art, with the music being the most immediate and prominent example of this.

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

Support is the key to any artist feeling any modicum of success and/or validation. Ideally, supporting monetarily or as a spiritual supporter is the most palatable way to do so, but it is unfair of an artist to solely rely on friends as their foundational support. Therefore, one thing that society can do to support artists is to make an effort to share artists they like and spread the word about them both in-person and on social media. This may not seem like a big gesture, and it may not be tangible in terms of putting money directly into an artist’s hand, but the recommendation of a friend or confidant tends to go a long way in comparison to that of a website, magazine or radio/TV commercial, and organic growth is a gift to any artist seeking to grow their following.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In all honesty, and with as much humility as possible, my career stands as the story to illustrate my resilience. As a successful academic from elementary age through university age, I was often discouraged from seeking a career in the arts, but from my pre-teen years, I always knew that art would be a key part of my adulthood. This illustration of resilience comes from the way I found the ability to get a foot in the entertainment door in high school, and from this first step, have managed to elevate and transform myself over the years, from creative opportunity to creative opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chiefandthedoomsdaydevice.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiefdoomsday/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChiefDoomsday/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChiefDoomsday
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7J-4kSMZcLLkETSu2MRqQA
• Other: Twitch –> https://www.twitch.tv/chiefdoomsday Spotify Playlist –> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0fh4e4lL1pj6hCPnnbcHFT?si=2acefa6a43114e61 Linktree –> https://linktr.ee/ChiefDoomsday