When I was younger I was obsessed with getting my work accepted into the Society of Illustrators, of course my work back then wasn't what would be accepted into SI, mostly spots, cartoonish, derivative. About five years ago my career tanked, or I should say my second career tanked, my first career was as a wandering jack of all trades designer in NY for ten or so years. My first go at illustration was a way out of my full time job, I wasn't happy with that illustration work, well not entirely, but it paid well and I liked being self employed. Anyway, that fell apart or at least work slowed to a point where I was comfortable setting it adrift. I wasn't sure of my future, whether I would return to NY and resume my career as a designer or what. What I did do was to begin to draw and see and solve problems in a new and I think more honest way. Didn't know if I would get work but I did, lots of work, and not the spots I was accustomed to but covers, full pagers, NYT op-ed work. What? wait a second this is the illustration career I dreamed of when I was a student, gave up on when I needed to make a living, gave up on again when I was rejected by the society again and again. Funny how life is, being in the Society shows pretty much every year of late is quite an honor, and even more so when it's your third time around. I do not take it for granted.