London’s not where it’s all at, and it shouldn’t be. Now, literally more than ever before, it’s looking like our industry has the chance to become truly accessible and so much better for it.
Hi Ameena, thanks for sharing. I left London in 2016 for the countryside but I was working in a full time Communications role. Now I am trying to develop a side hustle as a writer while in full time work to eventually have a portfolio career and I have been starting to wonder whether being where I am now will limit my opportunities. I do think, and I hope that our world will change in terms of remote working and flexibility. I intend to move closer to Bristol as I know it’s got a real start up / entrepreneurial hub and I do crave a bit of city stimulation just not on the scale of London anymore. Fingers crossed!
Wow, Ameena this article really had a ‘hit a nail on the head’ moment for me. I resonated and hung on to every word. Let me break it down...I’m not a freelance photographer. I have quite early on learned and accepted (albeit to mounting pressure from my peers even to this day) that the work i make, i need the kind of head space and a steady income from elsewhere (so i don’t have to take on the pressure of worrying about surviving financially) to allow me the time to create work that I am truly happy with. For my work, I choose to travel to places that cost a lot of money and that kind of money, for me, is made possible by having a 'regular' job or a side-hustle (as Tanya Houghton in convo with WorkShowGrow put it) if you will. And for this purpose, I have realised I do not need to be living in London to achieve that (I don't live in LDN btw) - in fact the complete opposite. I, to this day, constantly get questioned from the same people I have answered the same question to several times before, 'don't you want to move to london for photo opportunities?', 'surely there are better opportunities in london for you?'
The more I hear these questions, the more it is made clear to me that I DO NOT want to move to London to pursue 'better opportunities' because I shouldn't HAVE to move to London to pursue them. They should be widely accessible and far-reaching to every single corner of this country (world tbh). Because, this is what I think, when I am creating art, AM I moving to London every time to do that? It is a privilege to be able to create art in the first place, and even more a privilege that I can create that art from ANYWHERE in the world BECAUSE this world is so big and full of opportunities waiting to be explored. Then, WHY should I constraint myself to one tiny dot of a place on a map?
I'm not sure if I made any points here (LOL). I simply wanted to express my experiences and thoughts in relation to your article. Thank you for sharing them with the world with so much honesty <3
Hi Ameena, thanks for sharing. I left London in 2016 for the countryside but I was working in a full time Communications role. Now I am trying to develop a side hustle as a writer while in full time work to eventually have a portfolio career and I have been starting to wonder whether being where I am now will limit my opportunities. I do think, and I hope that our world will change in terms of remote working and flexibility. I intend to move closer to Bristol as I know it’s got a real start up / entrepreneurial hub and I do crave a bit of city stimulation just not on the scale of London anymore. Fingers crossed!
Wow, Ameena this article really had a ‘hit a nail on the head’ moment for me. I resonated and hung on to every word. Let me break it down...I’m not a freelance photographer. I have quite early on learned and accepted (albeit to mounting pressure from my peers even to this day) that the work i make, i need the kind of head space and a steady income from elsewhere (so i don’t have to take on the pressure of worrying about surviving financially) to allow me the time to create work that I am truly happy with. For my work, I choose to travel to places that cost a lot of money and that kind of money, for me, is made possible by having a 'regular' job or a side-hustle (as Tanya Houghton in convo with WorkShowGrow put it) if you will. And for this purpose, I have realised I do not need to be living in London to achieve that (I don't live in LDN btw) - in fact the complete opposite. I, to this day, constantly get questioned from the same people I have answered the same question to several times before, 'don't you want to move to london for photo opportunities?', 'surely there are better opportunities in london for you?'
The more I hear these questions, the more it is made clear to me that I DO NOT want to move to London to pursue 'better opportunities' because I shouldn't HAVE to move to London to pursue them. They should be widely accessible and far-reaching to every single corner of this country (world tbh). Because, this is what I think, when I am creating art, AM I moving to London every time to do that? It is a privilege to be able to create art in the first place, and even more a privilege that I can create that art from ANYWHERE in the world BECAUSE this world is so big and full of opportunities waiting to be explored. Then, WHY should I constraint myself to one tiny dot of a place on a map?
I'm not sure if I made any points here (LOL). I simply wanted to express my experiences and thoughts in relation to your article. Thank you for sharing them with the world with so much honesty <3