domenica 22 febbraio 2009
domenica 25 gennaio 2009
RYAN
I just graduated and am searching for a job in an art related field. I do plan on moving to Europe within the year just because I think there is a lot more freedom in the art world... I think that the new york art scene has become very restricted and personally, I feel more connected to the free and more subversive and daring work that is coming out of Europe. I have always known that I wanted to move to Europe just because I feel more connected to the environment there...I feel like people are more interested in a person's accomplishments rather than how much money they make. New york and the U.S.A in general seems much more concerned with making money than enjoying life. I know we talked about this Davide and you put it best that New York is about LIVING TO WORK and in Europe you WORK TO LIVE. There is an appreciation for life and individuality. It is ironic because the U.S.A is supposed to be a place for individuals to express themselves but we seem to be a very restrictive nation. There is something about European culture and about the history and age of these countries that America lacks as well. Stylistically, I am VERY inspired by old architecture and traditions that are very prominent in European countries. I think it is really important for me as an artist to move to Europe for a time of maybe 5 years(who knows really)...but atleast very several years to really immerse myself in a new culture. I am interested in languages and cultures and find it very important for people to experience in depth a culture different from their own...
I wish it wasn't as hard to get a job abroad though. European countries(and I am sure many others around the world) make it really hard for us to move there and experience life there for an extended period of time. I am hoping for a miracle to be able to move abroad.
I wish it wasn't as hard to get a job abroad though. European countries(and I am sure many others around the world) make it really hard for us to move there and experience life there for an extended period of time. I am hoping for a miracle to be able to move abroad.
BEE
Actually my style is completely different from people here,as you've seen
and my work is all about clothes. my style is about asian stuff combine with
many things in my experiences (i would say it's more likely japanese style if u can't imagine)
My work is about new idea so , the history about that should be only my reference.
Which is your secrtet darw dream?
haha..a little shy for this question. i got high hope, i want to be a designer,open my own brand
and sell internationally (this is really a secret!! ^^)
and i've chosen ny cos i see the opportunity here but i dunno if i can make it!!
you know what..actually i don't really like this city .. but i gotta get something from here..and i am trying
What do you search and in wich ways are you doing that?
Moving you from your born place to ny you admit you’re searching what is relevat for your learning?
I’m saying this because I felt this kind of situtaion there, I usually discover what’s important while I’m living it…….in your words
and my work is all about clothes. my style is about asian stuff combine with
many things in my experiences (i would say it's more likely japanese style if u can't imagine)
My work is about new idea so , the history about that should be only my reference.
Which is your secrtet darw dream?
haha..a little shy for this question. i got high hope, i want to be a designer,open my own brand
and sell internationally (this is really a secret!! ^^)
and i've chosen ny cos i see the opportunity here but i dunno if i can make it!!
you know what..actually i don't really like this city .. but i gotta get something from here..and i am trying
What do you search and in wich ways are you doing that?
Moving you from your born place to ny you admit you’re searching what is relevat for your learning?
I’m saying this because I felt this kind of situtaion there, I usually discover what’s important while I’m living it…….in your words
JESSICA
'Fast paced' is often a cliche used to describe New York City. But in a real way I believe it is true. From the beginning, it was a city built upon commerce, with that comes the 'rat race.' I believe the character of the city was and is strongly influenced by this 'struggle.'
I would say it is not always an easy city to live in. More than just working super hard every month to pay your super high rent, it is the pace of the city that is hard to keep up with. From first thing in the morning being shoved into a dirty subway car with a million other people in rush hour traffic with little to no personal space or people jumping into the middle of the street trying to cross when it is still say's, 'DON'T WALK' everyone is getting somewhere important and fast! ..Or at least that's the way they make it feel. And most of the time it's just a momentum that people feel that they have to keep up. I guess that's why New Yorkers have the reputation they do. But mostly I think New Yorker's are really nice people they are just busy with being 'busy.'
For me though, I have always thought of New York as home. My whole family has lived in Brooklyn or Queens since they immigrated from their respective countries over a century ago. I feel like my family has been so influenced by the city that even after moving to New Jersey, about 45 minutes outside New York, I felt my family was different from other suburban families.
Living on my own in New York for the past 5 years I've noticed a lot of people who move to New York and don't stay for a long time, not as their permanent home. I think because they experience a pressure and density of living in the city that was unexpected. But for the people who were born or grew up there have an immense amount of pride and love for their city. And even though I feel like New York is my home, I recently moved to Berlin. I attribute this to a desire for change, exploration and a more relaxed way of life for the time being.
I would say it is not always an easy city to live in. More than just working super hard every month to pay your super high rent, it is the pace of the city that is hard to keep up with. From first thing in the morning being shoved into a dirty subway car with a million other people in rush hour traffic with little to no personal space or people jumping into the middle of the street trying to cross when it is still say's, 'DON'T WALK' everyone is getting somewhere important and fast! ..Or at least that's the way they make it feel. And most of the time it's just a momentum that people feel that they have to keep up. I guess that's why New Yorkers have the reputation they do. But mostly I think New Yorker's are really nice people they are just busy with being 'busy.'
For me though, I have always thought of New York as home. My whole family has lived in Brooklyn or Queens since they immigrated from their respective countries over a century ago. I feel like my family has been so influenced by the city that even after moving to New Jersey, about 45 minutes outside New York, I felt my family was different from other suburban families.
Living on my own in New York for the past 5 years I've noticed a lot of people who move to New York and don't stay for a long time, not as their permanent home. I think because they experience a pressure and density of living in the city that was unexpected. But for the people who were born or grew up there have an immense amount of pride and love for their city. And even though I feel like New York is my home, I recently moved to Berlin. I attribute this to a desire for change, exploration and a more relaxed way of life for the time being.
DEVON
I've been living in new york for about 6 years.
In light of the past months of financial chaos, i've been thinking a lot about living in the city, and can i live here for much longer?
I have been able to live in this expensive city because my family received a financial settlement from my mom's death from a diet drug.
This settlement took away our house and credit card debts. and it gave me enough money to not have to worry about rent or bills while i was in grad school.
And the financial boom or bubble (whatever it is) of the mid-decade kept my financial security steady, even though I regularly took from it.
Then fast-forward to late september this year, and the financial chaos happens in full-force, and one weekend in october, i check my accounts and find that about 50 percent of my funds are gone.
I knew something like this was on the horizon, but i didn't know it was happening so soon. i thought i had one more year of working on the novel, and figuring out the right and perect job for me.
But now the situation is more urgent, so a job is needed. and perhaps i need to move out of my apartment and move in with others.
Other artist friends of mine have been also affected in similar ways.
We're still very early in this situation, but there's definitely many months and years to go.
I'm thinking this might be a time where people get together and consolidate their resources, where bartering is going to become a way more helpful way of distributing value.
--
So that's a bit of my financial background. i haven't had to worry about rent and pursuing my art, but now i'm starting to.
I think NY might be a shitty place to stay in, economy wise. the rents might still be going up even though more and more people will be jobless.
However, after a couple of years, property rates might go down, gentrification might halt, and folks might be squatting in the places downtown that just haven't sold.
A few years of financial hardship may bring new waves of young artist looking for cheap housing. but that's a few years away.
Over this economics thinking (that are absolutely relevant) what an you tell me about people near you,
you know somwone that have interesting plans???
seems that you know where are you and making happen what you want.
So I’m interested knowing more.
Right now, people I know are just looking for work, and fearful of losing the jobs that have been a stable source of income for the past couple years.
My friend Howard works as an assistant for an entertainment lawyer. His boss today is in the hospital, and we're not sure how serious this most recent hospital stay is. Currently, Howard is worried that his job there will be ending soon, once his boss retires.
There's my friend Stuart, currently lives with me. I've been happy to house him while he finds a place to live. What turned into a few week stay has become a few months. But it's been nice having a fellow artist around. His presence keeps me from wasting too much time doing nothing.
Stuart is a photographer, he keeps himself busy with photo projects, editing reappropriated media into an original creative work, and wishes to collaborate with me on a couple of short film projects. For money, he tries to find odd jobs, and awaits payment for a few projects he worked on, but the magazines have been feeling the economic crunch, so the money is less than expected. He's been visiting galleries and contacting magazines in the hopes of opportunities.
My friend Carlo is sewing clothes for a theater production in the Bronx. Looking for other jobs. Pondering leaving the city.
A DJ friend of mine and his girlfriend are moving to Argentina for a year, which means their money will last longer.
An Irish friend, Andy, recently moved back to Ireland, but managed to get a good job at a cafe while in NYC. It paid good tips.
I also know some artist folk who are pondering the sex industry to help with the bills.
It's a tough time right now for jobs.
Many people are looking to do anything to pay expenses.
As for me, I had a promising development. A tiny marketing company called the Ministry of Culture hired me to help out with the creation of a short film made for a PR firm researching people's opinions about tequila.
It wasn't much, but it was an interesting experience.
This month, I received three responses to my jobhunt,
I'm gonna write to a friend about a screenplay he wants me to do.
Then I'm probably gonna drink beer.
Devon
…..
With the novel I'm working on--a young man entering a city and learning the sexual landscapes of it--most of my influences are authors who have written similar novels. John Rechy's City of Night, Edmund Whites semi-autobiographical trilogy, Samuel Delaney's The Mad Man, etc. In addition to authors, the internet itself has influenced me greatly. I have an intense desire to capture one guy's use of the internet in a book. It's something that has only been around for a couple decades in the eyes of the general populous. It hasn't even been done justice on TV and movies. So I'm trying to capture the different ways that a person uses is in their lifetime-so-far. I also have a background in evangelical Christianity, so I find myself wanting to translate the values of Christianity into a world that is more sex-positive so that young boys in the Midwest can read a book that loves both God and cock without feeling conflicted about it.
With your artistic choice do you want to show different points of view?
Yes, there is a moment that happens when two people IM each other. Person A types a heartfelt sentence to Person B. And minutes pass. Person A doesn't know what's going on at the other end of the modem line. Is Person B ignoring him? Is Person B on the phone? Does Person B care? Person A gets worried, then angry, then furious that Person B isn't responding. Person A is about to yell IN ALL CAPS HIS ANGER! When suddenly, Person B types, "sorry bathroom". And all the anger dies down, and the love and caring resume. To use the internet--and also to interact in the three-dimensional world--one has to imagine the right versions of their friends and co-workers. One has to see the points of view of other peoplle in order to live harmoniously in this world. My novel's audience are those boys who read the silent moments of an IM as a rejection, as someone not wanting to talk to them. My novel wants to reassure them that there are hundreds of reasons why the hot boy can't talk right now.
I'm still on my jobhunt, looking for entry level positions in the media industry. After nine years of practicing my writing in a bubble, no strong desire to send it out to publications, I find myself wanting to use what I've learned for more mercenary purposes. I recently helped out a friend ghost-writing a young adult's fantasy novel that wants to eventually be made into a movie. It was interesting to be Step 47 in the 670 steps it takes to make something into a film. I was writing chase scenes and fight scenes involving large serpents, which was totally different from the novel I had been working on for a couple years. It felt like a vacation from writing. My long term goal is to be a part of a few television shows, and work with a team of writers to create a story that unfolds over the course of a few years. I think exciting things are happening with TV, and that TV might becoming a little more experimental with their narrative formats in the future.?
My art doesn't involve galleries and installations at the moment, so I haven't thought about museums. I guess I have been thinking of museums as places where old stuff is preserved--which is indeed important, I just saw Greek and Roman art at the Met a few days ago, and started appreciating it for the first time as it towers over your head. I rarely go to museums, so when I do, it's pretty special. I don't have a language currently for what happens when I see an artwork face-to-face. But the notion of museums as historical containers doesn't really make me concerned or fearful. I figure art pops up everywhere, and should.
In light of the past months of financial chaos, i've been thinking a lot about living in the city, and can i live here for much longer?
I have been able to live in this expensive city because my family received a financial settlement from my mom's death from a diet drug.
This settlement took away our house and credit card debts. and it gave me enough money to not have to worry about rent or bills while i was in grad school.
And the financial boom or bubble (whatever it is) of the mid-decade kept my financial security steady, even though I regularly took from it.
Then fast-forward to late september this year, and the financial chaos happens in full-force, and one weekend in october, i check my accounts and find that about 50 percent of my funds are gone.
I knew something like this was on the horizon, but i didn't know it was happening so soon. i thought i had one more year of working on the novel, and figuring out the right and perect job for me.
But now the situation is more urgent, so a job is needed. and perhaps i need to move out of my apartment and move in with others.
Other artist friends of mine have been also affected in similar ways.
We're still very early in this situation, but there's definitely many months and years to go.
I'm thinking this might be a time where people get together and consolidate their resources, where bartering is going to become a way more helpful way of distributing value.
--
So that's a bit of my financial background. i haven't had to worry about rent and pursuing my art, but now i'm starting to.
I think NY might be a shitty place to stay in, economy wise. the rents might still be going up even though more and more people will be jobless.
However, after a couple of years, property rates might go down, gentrification might halt, and folks might be squatting in the places downtown that just haven't sold.
A few years of financial hardship may bring new waves of young artist looking for cheap housing. but that's a few years away.
Over this economics thinking (that are absolutely relevant) what an you tell me about people near you,
you know somwone that have interesting plans???
seems that you know where are you and making happen what you want.
So I’m interested knowing more.
Right now, people I know are just looking for work, and fearful of losing the jobs that have been a stable source of income for the past couple years.
My friend Howard works as an assistant for an entertainment lawyer. His boss today is in the hospital, and we're not sure how serious this most recent hospital stay is. Currently, Howard is worried that his job there will be ending soon, once his boss retires.
There's my friend Stuart, currently lives with me. I've been happy to house him while he finds a place to live. What turned into a few week stay has become a few months. But it's been nice having a fellow artist around. His presence keeps me from wasting too much time doing nothing.
Stuart is a photographer, he keeps himself busy with photo projects, editing reappropriated media into an original creative work, and wishes to collaborate with me on a couple of short film projects. For money, he tries to find odd jobs, and awaits payment for a few projects he worked on, but the magazines have been feeling the economic crunch, so the money is less than expected. He's been visiting galleries and contacting magazines in the hopes of opportunities.
My friend Carlo is sewing clothes for a theater production in the Bronx. Looking for other jobs. Pondering leaving the city.
A DJ friend of mine and his girlfriend are moving to Argentina for a year, which means their money will last longer.
An Irish friend, Andy, recently moved back to Ireland, but managed to get a good job at a cafe while in NYC. It paid good tips.
I also know some artist folk who are pondering the sex industry to help with the bills.
It's a tough time right now for jobs.
Many people are looking to do anything to pay expenses.
As for me, I had a promising development. A tiny marketing company called the Ministry of Culture hired me to help out with the creation of a short film made for a PR firm researching people's opinions about tequila.
It wasn't much, but it was an interesting experience.
This month, I received three responses to my jobhunt,
I'm gonna write to a friend about a screenplay he wants me to do.
Then I'm probably gonna drink beer.
Devon
…..
With the novel I'm working on--a young man entering a city and learning the sexual landscapes of it--most of my influences are authors who have written similar novels. John Rechy's City of Night, Edmund Whites semi-autobiographical trilogy, Samuel Delaney's The Mad Man, etc. In addition to authors, the internet itself has influenced me greatly. I have an intense desire to capture one guy's use of the internet in a book. It's something that has only been around for a couple decades in the eyes of the general populous. It hasn't even been done justice on TV and movies. So I'm trying to capture the different ways that a person uses is in their lifetime-so-far. I also have a background in evangelical Christianity, so I find myself wanting to translate the values of Christianity into a world that is more sex-positive so that young boys in the Midwest can read a book that loves both God and cock without feeling conflicted about it.
With your artistic choice do you want to show different points of view?
Yes, there is a moment that happens when two people IM each other. Person A types a heartfelt sentence to Person B. And minutes pass. Person A doesn't know what's going on at the other end of the modem line. Is Person B ignoring him? Is Person B on the phone? Does Person B care? Person A gets worried, then angry, then furious that Person B isn't responding. Person A is about to yell IN ALL CAPS HIS ANGER! When suddenly, Person B types, "sorry bathroom". And all the anger dies down, and the love and caring resume. To use the internet--and also to interact in the three-dimensional world--one has to imagine the right versions of their friends and co-workers. One has to see the points of view of other peoplle in order to live harmoniously in this world. My novel's audience are those boys who read the silent moments of an IM as a rejection, as someone not wanting to talk to them. My novel wants to reassure them that there are hundreds of reasons why the hot boy can't talk right now.
I'm still on my jobhunt, looking for entry level positions in the media industry. After nine years of practicing my writing in a bubble, no strong desire to send it out to publications, I find myself wanting to use what I've learned for more mercenary purposes. I recently helped out a friend ghost-writing a young adult's fantasy novel that wants to eventually be made into a movie. It was interesting to be Step 47 in the 670 steps it takes to make something into a film. I was writing chase scenes and fight scenes involving large serpents, which was totally different from the novel I had been working on for a couple years. It felt like a vacation from writing. My long term goal is to be a part of a few television shows, and work with a team of writers to create a story that unfolds over the course of a few years. I think exciting things are happening with TV, and that TV might becoming a little more experimental with their narrative formats in the future.?
My art doesn't involve galleries and installations at the moment, so I haven't thought about museums. I guess I have been thinking of museums as places where old stuff is preserved--which is indeed important, I just saw Greek and Roman art at the Met a few days ago, and started appreciating it for the first time as it towers over your head. I rarely go to museums, so when I do, it's pretty special. I don't have a language currently for what happens when I see an artwork face-to-face. But the notion of museums as historical containers doesn't really make me concerned or fearful. I figure art pops up everywhere, and should.
domenica 18 gennaio 2009
KATHY
Well I am looking forward to the changes – since the economy tanked I think NYC will become much more interesting. Perhaps artists can afford to live here again!
You feel this is happening ?
how you can explay why?
Hmmm a lot of people in the financial sector have lost their jobs which will impact things down the line -we are heading towards a depression – maybe it will become a city about people once more and not just wealth
I feel this is my home and when I have learned all I need to learn then I will move on
This is a good idea, personally I think that if I’ll move I’ll can discover what I want to learn,
But maybe you’ve founded a different feeling with your city than me.
You’re born there I suppose ?
How do you feel in the city?
My dream is to one day live in peace at peace
You feel this is happening ?
how you can explay why?
Hmmm a lot of people in the financial sector have lost their jobs which will impact things down the line -we are heading towards a depression – maybe it will become a city about people once more and not just wealth
I feel this is my home and when I have learned all I need to learn then I will move on
This is a good idea, personally I think that if I’ll move I’ll can discover what I want to learn,
But maybe you’ve founded a different feeling with your city than me.
You’re born there I suppose ?
How do you feel in the city?
My dream is to one day live in peace at peace
NICHOLAS
New York City is one of the largest cities in the americas. Its wealth and creativity empower people to become captains of culture and industry. New York City is a great place to stay as you will learn economies of scale. That is to say, how to access things which are lager than the single person.
my point of view is influenced by my travels and the experience i have learned and gained from other people.
aesthetic and comunicative trends are difficult to say. What I do is outside of these things in that i am looking to build a more modern city that can support housing so very many many people. 30% of usa's polution comes from buildings. As you can imagine, nyc has MANY buildings. its newer ones are more environementally friendly...but there is still a ways to go!
my point of view is influenced by my travels and the experience i have learned and gained from other people.
aesthetic and comunicative trends are difficult to say. What I do is outside of these things in that i am looking to build a more modern city that can support housing so very many many people. 30% of usa's polution comes from buildings. As you can imagine, nyc has MANY buildings. its newer ones are more environementally friendly...but there is still a ways to go!
ROMMIE
I believe you cant find any other place to do a sociological or artistic research than New York City. For one, we have one of the most diverse populations in the whole world, a mix of native caucasians and immigrants, representing different political and social ideologies. Another is that, in art, New York has one of the most conservative, as in opera, and the most radically liberal artists, as in performance art, in the world. There seems to be a place here for everyone, no matter the social inclinations or artistic preference.
NYC is predominantly liberal with a considerable conservative base still active. I find that the blanace here makes for a really interesting political play in the ciy.
The sociological climate of NYC influences the pov of the city. If it were more of a conservative (socially) place, the whole dynamic would be different. The already underground art scene would be much more "underground" and a lot of the contemporary arts would be lessened in number.
I feel as though the trend is to move back to simplicity and lack of technique.
what do you think about it in your town?
-I love NYC. There's nowhere else to be. Lol
Why are you so sure?
Aha---That is the question isnt it? hehe. I'm not really sure. But as of now, I feel that NYC is the accurate microcosm of our civilization.
How you'll think your approach 'll change if you think to move somewhere else?
NYC is predominantly liberal with a considerable conservative base still active. I find that the blanace here makes for a really interesting political play in the ciy.
The sociological climate of NYC influences the pov of the city. If it were more of a conservative (socially) place, the whole dynamic would be different. The already underground art scene would be much more "underground" and a lot of the contemporary arts would be lessened in number.
I feel as though the trend is to move back to simplicity and lack of technique.
what do you think about it in your town?
-I love NYC. There's nowhere else to be. Lol
Why are you so sure?
Aha---That is the question isnt it? hehe. I'm not really sure. But as of now, I feel that NYC is the accurate microcosm of our civilization.
How you'll think your approach 'll change if you think to move somewhere else?
ASHLEY
So I have been in Berlin for almost 5 months now. Why? Well that's sort of a funny question because I don't have such a specific answer. But maybe that is exactly the point. It almost seems as though I sort of randomly wound up here. Not ready to commit to some career oriented job yet perhaps, and unable to afford to do so anywhere else but here. Of course I could go in the middle of nowhere in the states and afford to be there, but in Berlin I can have enough money to live while also being in a metropolitan city where I am constantly stimulated by my environment. If I went somewhere else that I could have enough money to live then I certainly would not be inspired by my community. In Berlin people don't have to work nearly as much as they do in New York which lends the people time to be able to get involved in interesting projects. And why is this? A big reason (as with everything else) is MONEY, specifically the dramatic difference in rent prices. In Berlin it is easier to be an 'artist' because you don't have to taint your work nearly as much to become a money maker. One can work on whatever she or he wants to without being so concerned with its marketability, and that is because time is money in New York. You have less time because you need more money in New York simply to survive. As an American college graduate, not only do I have to be able to pay the standard bills (rent, gas, electric, phone, transportation, etc.) but also I must pay off the exorbitant amount of debt most Americans are doomed to after finishing university--student loans.
New York is very career based. At the end of my college career I remember finding myself quite stressed out by my peers. Everyone was constantly talking about this and that internship and applying for this and that company. It's a 'catch 22' system however (although I think this is everywhere) that you need to first have a bunch of unpaid internships too one day land a good job. However, if you are someone like myself taking 18 credits of courses a semester to get as much as I can for the 40,000 dollars a year college costs, who then needs to also make money to buy food, art supplies, books and of course fun nights out, then you need some sort of retail or waitressing job to have some incoming money. So you don't have time for unpaid internships unless you come from a wealthy family who is able to provide for you. So the wealthier people still get the better jobs. It is a vicious cycle.
Now don't get me wrong. I love New York, and I think there is still a lot of good left in the city and great opportunity. I wouldn't trade my having my college experience there for anything. going to university there as opposed to any typical college in America definitely matured me much faster than other people I grew up with. It is still a culturally rich city with all sorts of people in it. It is just expensive! !
But how did I exactly wind up in Berlin. Well as I said before it was sort of a random but perfect decision. Two years ago after studying a semester in Paris (another city too expensive for it's own good), my best friend came to visit me (Jess), and together with 2 other people we all backpacked for a month throughout europe. One of these places was Berlin. We really liked the city (for those 3-4 days we were here). I especially fell in love with the dark, deteriorating buildings I saw, and the shanty-town playgrounds I saw. Jess who hadn't studied abroad in college decided that she was going to move berlin from that point on. In our last year of University (different Universities but both art schools in Manhattan--Jess: School of Visual Arts, Me: New York University), Jess told everyone that she was going to move to Berlin after she graduated. One frigid January evening in Brooklyn when Jess and I were outside Subway bar talking about our current lives. And I say to her, "What am I going to do without you when you move to Berlin?" She says, "What am I going to do without you? ....Why don't you just come with me?" And then I just say ....Yeah OK. And that was that. From that point on I also was going to Berlin, and we just made it happen. Ever since I have spent my time here learning so much about cultural differences and most importantly myself. I needed time to figure myself out, and what better way then to throw myself into a situation where I am constantly a bit out of my comfort zone. A place I had to create a new life more myself with new friends, new ways to make money, new culture, and naturally a new language. I am constant in a life reflection while here.
New York is very career based. At the end of my college career I remember finding myself quite stressed out by my peers. Everyone was constantly talking about this and that internship and applying for this and that company. It's a 'catch 22' system however (although I think this is everywhere) that you need to first have a bunch of unpaid internships too one day land a good job. However, if you are someone like myself taking 18 credits of courses a semester to get as much as I can for the 40,000 dollars a year college costs, who then needs to also make money to buy food, art supplies, books and of course fun nights out, then you need some sort of retail or waitressing job to have some incoming money. So you don't have time for unpaid internships unless you come from a wealthy family who is able to provide for you. So the wealthier people still get the better jobs. It is a vicious cycle.
Now don't get me wrong. I love New York, and I think there is still a lot of good left in the city and great opportunity. I wouldn't trade my having my college experience there for anything. going to university there as opposed to any typical college in America definitely matured me much faster than other people I grew up with. It is still a culturally rich city with all sorts of people in it. It is just expensive! !
But how did I exactly wind up in Berlin. Well as I said before it was sort of a random but perfect decision. Two years ago after studying a semester in Paris (another city too expensive for it's own good), my best friend came to visit me (Jess), and together with 2 other people we all backpacked for a month throughout europe. One of these places was Berlin. We really liked the city (for those 3-4 days we were here). I especially fell in love with the dark, deteriorating buildings I saw, and the shanty-town playgrounds I saw. Jess who hadn't studied abroad in college decided that she was going to move berlin from that point on. In our last year of University (different Universities but both art schools in Manhattan--Jess: School of Visual Arts, Me: New York University), Jess told everyone that she was going to move to Berlin after she graduated. One frigid January evening in Brooklyn when Jess and I were outside Subway bar talking about our current lives. And I say to her, "What am I going to do without you when you move to Berlin?" She says, "What am I going to do without you? ....Why don't you just come with me?" And then I just say ....Yeah OK. And that was that. From that point on I also was going to Berlin, and we just made it happen. Ever since I have spent my time here learning so much about cultural differences and most importantly myself. I needed time to figure myself out, and what better way then to throw myself into a situation where I am constantly a bit out of my comfort zone. A place I had to create a new life more myself with new friends, new ways to make money, new culture, and naturally a new language. I am constant in a life reflection while here.
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