Is it Time to Move?
Griffin Sendek
02/25/2022 |What Happens Next Blog
https://www.whnblog.com/post/is-it-time-to-move
In many creative industries (like film), your career can live or die by your location; there’s a little bit of work everywhere and a lot of work in a small handful of places. NYC, LA or Atlanta aren’t the only places to find film work in the US, but there are certain advantages to living in industry hubs.
Around this time last year, my graduation just around the corner, I was constantly asked, “Are you planning to stay in Pittsburgh”? I’d always answer with the somewhat indecisive, relatively safe, “ I’m not married to the city but could see myself here a few years.”
I’m sure many soon-to-be grads are beginning to question where they truly belong.
I’ve always known that to be successful and happy creating what I want, whether it’s in photography, video, filmmaking, or writing, I’d eventually have to move. But moving is scary and expensive, and for now, Pittsburgh, the place I’ve called home the past five years, has been the perfect place for me to get my start.
The prospect of being here over the next few years didn’t sound so bad until a chance string of events allowed me to see what life in Los Angeles could be. It was an eye-opening experience, a rare chance to glimpse at how my future could potentially look.
Several days in LA might not seem sufficient to start planning a whole new life — but this little slice is enough to get me to reevaluate what Pittsburgh will have to offer in the long run.
Only a year removed from school, I’m beginning to see how the grass might be greener elsewhere and considering how staying any longer than necessary will be doing myself a disservice.
I know now jumping the gun and moving to a bigger city before my grad cap even hit the floor would have likely been a huge mistake. I needed time to try new things, refine my craft, get a taste for being a freelancer and acclimate to this post-schooling environment. Being able to do so without the constant stress of barely scratching by on rent in an expensive city was a privilege. I’m happy I decided to stay for as long as have, Pittsburgh has been good to me, but I don’t think I have much more than another year left in this city.
The arts scene in Pittsburgh is only so big, but it’s large enough to get your start and make something of yourself before moving on to greater things. The last thing I want to encourage is moving when you’re woefully unprepared.
So much is uncertain in this world right now, there’s an awful lot of comfort in staying in the city you know, with relatively low rent, where there work, and the friends and connections made over the years. For some being within that place of comfort is where they can be happy, and we shouldn’t fault them for wanting that.
There’s no proof that elsewhere will be a better fit but you’ll never know if you don't give yourself the opportunity to try. Keep in mind, that remaining entirely within that comfort zone might never lead you to where you want to be.
None of us chose these creative industries because we wanted to play it safe. How often have we been told, “there’s no money in that,” and decided to keep going anyways?
Very rare that something great was accomplished without taking any risk, but that doesn’t mean the risks can be ignored.
Moving hundreds of miles away can change your life for the better or ruin it — nothing is ever guaranteed. Being alone in a big city with, with nothing lined up, little to no work in an apartment you can’t afford can be a recipe for disaster. It can make you hate the city you wanted to love for reasons that are all your own.
The “I’ll just go and figure everything out” mentality is a dangerous way of thinking. Just because New York or Los Angeles are filled with opportunities doesn’t mean job offers will just come out of the woodwork, and it still takes time and a lot of work to establish yourself in a new city. Furthermore, you’re diving into an incredibly competitive and oversaturated market full of people that are all striving for the same goals. Not everyone is going to make it.
Fortune favors the bold, but there’s always a chance for disaster. Know this going in and set yourself with some sense of necessary security. Don’t put your eggs in one basket and hitch a ride on the mechanical bull.
Keep in mind that moving can erase everything you’ve built in an instant — it can be like starting from scratch all over again, leaving behind all your connections, colleagues and friends that are here to help you along the way. Take note of how valuable each of these people are to you and where you’d be without them — if you’re unable to operate offer value to others without this network of assistance, moving is going to be a rude awakening.
If you’re willing to take the risk and leave your comfort zone, the next questions are when and where.
One of the most important things to recognize as a creator is room for you to grow. You haven’t exhausted every opportunity just out of school, but look at where you are and where the next few years could lead. What does that path look like? Does it align with where your career to be? If the answer is no, it doesn’t mean you need to pack your bags immediately, but it’s the first step in discovering what will be the best place for you.
I compare moving to buying a new camera. A fancy new camera with; all the bells and whistles does nothing to improve your skill; instead, it opens you up to the opportunity to get more out of what you already know and improve to a more professional level. Moving cities won’t make you a better cinematographer, writer, director, producer, etc. being in LA or NYC won’t magically put you on the fast track to fame and success. What it can do is put you in the right place to create what you want in a community of like-minded people with more chances of being noticed by or working with somebody that can help make your dreams a reality. Your location does not affect your skill but can set you up to learn more and adequately put those skills to use.
Perhaps that’s the naïve and dreamy-eyed way of looking at it. The reality is likely far more complicated, but that doesn’t mean I want it any less.
Take everything I have to say with a grain of salt; I’m no expert, far from it. I’m just a 22-year-old with a camera considering leaving everything behind and moving across the country because from a brief visit, I believe it could be the best place for me to grow, the place where I belong.
I’m attempting to aggregate my thoughts on why I feel the need to be somewhere new, trying to be smart about what, up to this point, will be the riskiest decision I’ll ever make. An opportunity that could change everything for the better is too big not to try.
Maybe I appear foolish — but this might be the only time in my life without anything tying me down that I’m able selfishly to act like a risky fool. Why be young and stupid still figuring out my life in Pittsburgh when I can try and do the same in Los Angeles?
After all, what if it all works out for the best? I’ll never know unless I try.