I’ve spent the last 4 days on a dash around the New York City area finding a place to live. Yes you read that right, to live. I currently live in Portland, Oregon, my home for the past 26 years. New York and Portland are at the very opposite edges of the east and west coasts of the U.S. and about 2500 miles/4000 kilometers apart both in distance and in culture. It’s a Big Move to say the least!
we did manage to squeeze in some time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which I adore. Kiki Smith's LILITH is my favorite portrayal of this extraordinary mythical figure. She is perched on the wall upside down - just perfect.
For many years I’ve thought about moving but I love the west so I have resisted it. Now however, a confluence of circumstances are actually making it a reality.
My most pressing personal reason to move east is to be closer to my family. Spending time with my aging father while he’s still spry is of utmost importance to me and feels urgent. And also being able to develop relationships with my young and wonderful nieces and nephews during their formative years feels pressing as well.
The other significant reason fueling this big change is career. I’ve always known that professional opportunities would be much more plentiful for me in New England/ New York and it feels like the right time for this now. I’m hungry for more connection with my peers, and a richer more expanded creative life. I plan to shift my work so that I’m working less on production products and spending more of my time on independent creative projects AND for Steemit to be at the center of all of it.
Although this trip was fast and furious, we did find a place to live where we will have a workable studio. The house is currently owned by a very gifted upholsterer so there is already a shop where he has worked for years. It’s an old saltbox farmhouse in one of the oldest towns in Connecticut so has a lot of early New England charm with wide planked wood floors and exposed beam ceilings. It also has tiny doorways since people were smaller back then! Luckily both 
Both of us have a lot of trepidation about moving from our relatively gentle environment in Portland to the intensity of New York so we’re pleased to be starting off in the more rural setting of western Connecticut. Make no mistake, I love New York in all its filthy brilliant glory, but sometimes at the end of a day there I’m literally shaking with the intensity of the energy. For most of my life I have worked to refine my sensitivity so that I’m a better artist but this also means that a lot of external stimulus is overwhelming for my senses.
Lucy and me viewing Mt. Hood from Larch Mt near Portland
My plan is to return to Portland for a month each year to visit my many close friends, touch base with my peers and professional contacts as well as to immerse myself in the extraordinary nature here that I love so much.
Another component of this move is to make a few much needed changes in my world. Namely, a better quality of life which will mean working less, earning more and having more time to experience life beyond my studio! I also really look forward to more engagement here on Steemit and can't wait to dive into the potentials! I have felt so frustrated this year because I’m bursting with ideas and the passion to pursue them, yet I don’t currently have the time and bandwidth I want for my endeavors on Steemit. I really need this to change and am really looking forward to the freedoms a lower cost of living will allow for!
So….come July, we’ll be headed that direction…
Thank you for visiting my blog, reading my stories, supporting my work! You my Steemian friends mean a whole lot to me.
