An overseas adventure, a great job opportunity, a sea change or a move to the big smoke: there are lots of good reasons to pick up shop and try to set yourself up in a new location.
In a world where you can telecommute, Skype with your far-flung contacts and Dropbox your shared documents, it has never been easier to make the move.
But leaving behind your local knowledge and reliable contacts for the attractions of a different setting can leave you marooned. Out of town isn’t always appreciated and having to prove yourself all over again can take a toll on your confidence.
Here are some tips from those in the arts sector who have successfully moved their centre of operations – sometimes more than once.
Regional opportunity
Kieran Mangan is a freelance illustrator, scriptwriter and a founding member of the Silent Army Comic Art Collective. In 2011, Mangan moved from Brunswick to Castlemaine and now lives in Mildura.
‘I liked the idea of living in quieter surrounds,’ he said. ‘I imagined it might inspire me to work more and become more focused. There are less people knocking on your door to drag you to the pub – though that still happens’.
In Mildura, Mangan discovered a thriving arts culture without the barriers that he experienced in Melbourne. ‘There’s a great arts scene here that has the feeling of really going places and building a real name for itself. The Art Vault, for example, has world class stuff going on and yet they don’t have the upper-class mentality that some of the ‘high end’ galleries might have in Melbourne’.
There are financial incentives as well. ‘The rent is very cheap here for great big houses, so now I have two studios – one for painting, one for computer and illustration.’
‘My main concerns were meeting people through social situations that would lead to further work – you know, networking. Finding clients is still the challenge, but I think it always has been.’
A good internet connection is invaluable. ‘Once we got good internet going it felt easier to keep in touch and do serious work over the net – as in large image file sending. One thing I learnt was that motivation can be more forthcoming if somebody else is the monkey on your back. So you really have to push yourself to get going, especially if you need to look for paid work.’
Mangan advises lots of research, then a Zen attitude to letting it work. ‘You have to trust your instinct.’
A different world
Elijah Varrto (aka Leitmotiv Limbo) is a South Australian sound artist who went travelling and ended up hosting nearly 40 events, running two music festivals and a small gallery in Talinn, Estonia at the other end of the earth from his Adelaide home.
Varrto was attracted by the diversity and quality of the underground music sub-cultures in the Baltics, Russia and Finland.
But the reality of doing business in a very different culture was a different matter. Problems with licensing and zoning laws compromised commercial activity. He found supporters for his festivals but was forced to close the gallery after a year.
He does not consider the shut-down a failure. ‘If I think of success in terms of economic the festival was a success because I didn’t end up in debt and I earned enough to get a flight back to Australia.’
Back home in Adelaide, Varrto faced different problems converting his experience into capital which has recognition by Australian arts institutions.
‘I had a notion that the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Adelaide Festival could use my organisational, financial budgeting and curatorial skills for their operations. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t get my foot in the door. I guess it is a very competitive area of employment and I have had to revise some illusions and expectations.’
Working holiday
Nicola Dracoulis is a Australian photographer who followed a well-trodden route among Australian artists, starting with a working holiday visa to the UK, getting residency status and spending a decade in Britain then returning to Australia with overseas experience under her belt.
As a newcomer in London, she was propelled to action by the strength and diversity of cultural life, particularly in the black music scene. ‘I think there’s value in being an outsider with no preconceived ideas from growing up in a place. You find there’s so much going on. A guy I know, who’s a spoken word artist and DJ, once told me that I was the only person he saw at all the different events he performed at – the art galleries, the book clubs, the libraries, the jazz scene, the clubs and the raves.’
At first, Dracoulis took contract work in design, programming and project management. After earning residency status, she completed a Masters in Documentary Photography at London College of Communication. Dracoulis fulfilled her major project in Rio, where she shot a street dance video, The Corcovado, and teamed up with Brazilian social art collective, AfroReggae. Back in London, this led to work with the Hackney Learning Trust, who run programs to improve lives for kids at risk of exclusion, The Barbican Museum and Futerversity.
‘Jobs are not advertised in photography. You have to find the right people and get known by them so that when a job pops up, they’ll call you. It’s a constant outreach program, which is tough’.
The same was true when she returned to Melbourne. ‘Coming “back home” has been more like moving here as a foreigner for me and I didn’t expect that culture shock at all. It takes it out of you. Unless you’re a networking machine – I’m only half a one – it takes a long time for people to get to know you exist.
She is also a strong advocate of rigorous research. ‘Research as much as you can and make contact with people before you go somewhere, set up potential meetings. But always understand that no matter how much research you do, things are always different in the flesh, so be ready for all your expectations to be altered. In fact, it’s probably best if you invite that.
‘Be an adventurer because you really don’t know what experience will bring – the worst thing to do is isolate yourself at home because no one is going to come find you.
‘Definitely try to find groups and organisations to join, throw yourself about and try to find a few people in the same boat as you – or who have done it before – made the transition – that can be very helpful for your sanity in tough times.’
