Good-Old-Brooklyn

So, the other day, I met a man that could only possibly be described as a “flea market, wild west shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy.” He took the words right out of my mouth. His name was Howard Greenberg, a self-made, motivated beyond belief good-old-Brooklyn guy who simply realized what it was worth to follow his passion.

One thing he said jumped out at me, because it was absolutely relevant to something I’ve been worried about lately: “If you mean it, you can make a living out of something you love, instead of something you are supposed to.” Speaking to a group of business school students, I’m surprised that idea wasn’t totally lost upon us all.

It wasn’t. I was captivated from the second he opened his mouth. His friendly, almost neighborly attitude and clear appreciation for his work make his already interesting anecdotes a delight to listen to. I have a habit of taking very special interest in certain people, and have a mental collection of fascinating individuals – and Howard just became one of them. He has so much to offer, and is willing to do so; he has stories that are just waiting to be told, some released through his prints, and others by pure interaction.

I was chock-full of questions to ask. I want to know his story. Of course we caught a glimpse, a summary of his achievements with a few quirky anecdotes in between.

But I still wonder what his photography is like, and what each picture means to him, and how this print and that saturation and this enlargement change the dynamic of this and this and so on. I hope to see him at the gallery soon – after class, I ignored all my friends playfully whispering “loser” and making signs of an L on their foreheads and walked up to meet Mr. Greenberg.

I had a great chat with him, and found out how truly friendly he was. I told him how I was more than eager to intern for him just to be around such an environment as the one he has created for himself and over 100 other artists that he represents. I think it’s going to be one of the greatest choices I will ever make. Regardless, this is not the last I will see of Howard Greenberg.