"Dysfunctional need to produce imagery." I guess that's as good a way to put it as any. I have been in love with the moving image since I was 12 years old. It was the only medium I could find that would allow me to tell stories, do photography (cinematography or videography, actually), write music, build models, all that. Technology has come a long way since the early '70's, and the advent of affordable 3D software and reliable computers to run that software on made me finally jump into the arena. My day job is video production for a couple different state agencies. Every possible chance I get, I work 3D into the mix. I don't get any extra pay for building a 3D logo or a 3D set for an instructional video, but I do get the experience. Now that I have a bit of a reel, I'm able to send it out to non-public-entity production houses in Arizona. I've pulled in a fair number of paying gigs; logos, sfx for short films, that sort of thing. As Mark said, it's a lot of networking, referral and active marketing. I've always felt strange about blowing my own horn, but it's something I have to do if I'm going to get any work away from the day job. It's really great, though, when someone calls me and says, "hey, I saw that title-sequence you did for so-and-so's movie, and I was wondering what it would take to get you to do something like that for mine...." It doesn't happen over night, but if you plug away at it, you can certainly start to bring in some jobs. Build up a good demo reel or portfolio (or both, if you're interested in both animation and print work). Do some pro-bono work for a non-profit agency. Do some no-budget or low-budget work for somebody's direct-to-internet movie. Make some killer images for your buddy's next rave. Do whatever it takes to get your images published, broadcast or projected. Having some "real" work under your belt will go a long way toward getting you more "real" work. And those three seconds of glory are worth all the work. Good luck! - Chip