Future of Web Design Conference in NYC

I'd like to attend the upcoming FOWD Conference in NYC, November 3-4. The absolute highlight for me is to hear Hillman Curtis speak about how he's continued to re-invent himself as an artist. Hillman Curtis was one of a few significant influences on my career as a graphic designer (others included Stephen Sagmeister and David Carson, although neither is currently scheduled to join Mr. Curtis as a speaker).

What stands between me and this conference, is funding. As the economy weakens, it is harder for my employer to approve expenses like this. In that case, I hope Louise at Carsonified can come through for me with a pass.

Why I'm In Advertising

It was the early 80's. Looking up in Times Square, I fixed my eyes on what must have been a Coca-Cola billboard. Amazed by the classic design, magnificent scale and masses of people exposed to it, it is my belief that at this moment I became mesmerized with the profession of advertising. Of course, at this prepubescent age I was also entertaining a few other careers: veterinarian, Disney animator or professional Corvette driver (the job description speaks for itself).

Looking back, it feels good to say that I've gone down one of my dream career paths. However, after zig-zagging a bit, and flexing my creative muscle, I'm not quite sure how I landed into this current role. I think it's a new found passion to make my clients wildly successful, in an all-new, quantifiable way.