Meet William Greiner

We were lucky to catch up with William Greiner recently and have shared our conversation below.

William , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I guess like most teenagers, I did not have a lot of confidence because I had not achieved anything. I did have a love of photography, having watched my grandfather snap a million pictures on holidays. I was also a huge sports fan and I would pour over every edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer, were my heroes and the guys at the time who made the most compelling and dramatic sports pictures. In high school, I photographed for the school newspaper and I was not very good. I was also not a very good student and dropped out of school my senior year. My father was pretty concerned about my future and he grilled me about what were my plans? Impulsively, I told him I was going to be a photographer for the National Football League (the NFL), which also happened to be my favorite sport. He pressed as to how I was going to make that happen and I told him I would figure out a way. And this moment was a blessing because I had talked my way into a situation I had to find a solution. I put together a portfolio of the best sports photographs I had made. My next step was to find someone who knew the director of photography for the New Orleans Saints (I was born and raised in New Orleans). This was many years before the internet, so there was no Googling or searching for connections. I asked and kept asking people, until I found a guy who knew a guy, who knew the guy, who was Erby Aucoin. I wrote him a letter explaining who I was and what I wanted to do and to my surprise he called me for an interview. Unbeknownst to me, Erby’s son was also having issues with his education. The son was going back to school for a few years, which meant there was a spot on the staff open for a photographer. The interview went well, we hit it off and he could tell I was anxious, motivated and willing to learn. And I will be the first to admit, there is always a bit of luck in all things good which happen. So, I got the job and I worked for the Saints for two seasons, until his son returned. This episode in my life taught me that if you have the will, there is a way. And that most things are about problem solving and that there are many ways to solve a problem. This experience gave me the confidence to go on to do whatever I wanted. I was the youngest photographer working in the NFL at the age of 19, something I am still proud of.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

After I finished my stint with the New Orleans Saints, I went back to night school and earned my general education diploma (GED). The program was a night, so I went to school with people from all walks of life and age. I was now motivated for getting an education. I was conditionally accepted into the University of New Orleans, where I did well for two semesters. I then transferred to a small New England college, again accepted conditionally, were I also thrived earning a two year Associates degree. At Bradford College, I had two classmates from Memphis TN, they introduced me to the work of photographer William Eggleston and on Spring break they brought me to meet Eggleston. That moment caused a seismic shift in my interest from sports photography to art photography. I then applied to Tufts University which had a joint degree program with the Museum School in Boston. I earned a BFA and then went on to earn a MBA degree from Suffolk University. I then moved back to New Orleans, splitting my time between the corporate world and making art. A few years later, I had the great good fortune to having my work collected and exhibited by The Museum of Modern Art in New York. In later years, I expanded my practice to include painting, collage and mixed media. I have had two monographs published , with a third in production now in production with UNO Press titled NEUTRAL GROUND (New Orleans 1990-2005). My work is held in more the 60 public collections, and I have participated in 100s of group and solo exhibitions.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think being passionate about something is important, in my case it was photography, then other mediums as well. Second, I think determination and a mind set of problem solving is important. And I think failing can be the motivation to continue forward to keeping trying iterations of ones efforts towards a goal to make or do things. Lastly, timing is everything which is why it is important to continue to push.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

While studying at the University of New Orleans, in the bookstore one day, I stumbled on to the Gordon Park’s biography “A Choice of Weapons”. I was astounded by what Gordon was able to overcome, growing up in abject poverty, being a black man in a racist America. I was so in awe of him, so I started to write him letters and years later while living in Boston, I went to hear him lecture. Afterwards, I approached him and he somehow realized who I was…the kid writing him letter after letter. He became my mentor and we became friends. And I realized he was a problem solver, like me, but on to a magnitude of x100.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.williamgreinerart.com
• Instagram: Williamstuff
• Facebook: William Greiner Art
• Other: https://fotoarttoo.blogspot.com/

Image Credits

Artist portrait by Kerry Kehoe
other images by William Greiner