Why Artists Should Live In The City -- Just Not THAT City

Order my graphic novel Green Monk via Amazon a.co/gGyQhK6
Wherein I make an appeal for more artists to be city dwellers.
John Anderson quoting Ryan Terry. It's in regards to development, but the same exact idea applies: rjohnthebad.co...
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[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

Atlanta and Orlando is pretty good. My reasons for not living in the city is mostly because I'm far too sensitive. I cannot deal with noise pollution sound pollution smell pollution and every other kind of pollution. I end up trying to hide in a corner or something so I need wide open quiet space and fresh air for me to get creatively going. Afterwards I can just drive into once a week or fly to a conference to get my people-to-people contact. Plus I have no problems chatting with people on the phone anyways. I've lived in the city, and I have no interest in owning a giant home but rather a teeny little cottage with the garden in the back

[@BrandonDayton]

Pollution is a real issue. That's one of the big downsides of my particular city. Because I'm in a valley, in the winter we get these weird temperature inversions where all the cold air (along with the pollution) gets trapped in the valley. Hoping that will change as more people get out of their cars or at the very least start switching to electric, but that's not happening any time soon 🤢

[@Tomdelongpenis]

There are some small cities like Asheville (kinda has to many artist like brooklyn) Duluth MN Elko NV you should check out (there's a lot more then the ones I put especially in Montana I just didn't want to put down Missoula because of pollution)

[@Tomdelongpenis]

@@BrandonDayton r u in salt lake

[@BrandonDayton]

@@Tomdelongpenis yup

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

if I get fast internet and a decent pay, I'd like to live as far away from the city as possible. With that note I very much like the state of Massachusetts, Boston is awesome but expensive, so best to live somewhere up in the woods or there mountains

[@BrandonDayton]

I do like being out in the country, but for someone like me that is somewhat introverted, I feel like it would be hard to stay in touch and be social. Others are much better at that then me.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

Brandon Dayton lol, yep very introverted. Though I'm a sociable one, I cant work around people and noise.

[@BrandonDayton]

Sounds like you are pretty comfortable on the phone though, which is a really great ability to have. Not one of my superpowers.

[@FITZFACTOR]

I love living in a city. I am not a fan of living in the suburbs, but I do like some neighborhoods. The noise of a city can drum up creativity, but for some it drowns out their own thoughts and I understand that. There's something amazing about being able to go outside at night, see the stars, and have it just be.... quiet. Great video though. One of the biggest benefits for me has been realizing how wonderful it can be to have LESS living space (and less stuff!). Great points about the internet as well. Connecting online really is just not the same.

[@BrandonDayton]

The position I've settled on is that there are two places people should live: in the city or in the country. Everything else in-between is problematic. That being said, most people don't have the choice, so I'm not gonna give them a hard time. Also, one of the reasons why I like my particular city so much. You're never more than 30 minutes from the mountains (or the desert, if you're in to that).

[@FITZFACTOR]

Yeah totally! City or country is idea, either way I'd be happy (and you could flip the script and be 30 mins from a city too) My wife and I did a road trip across America before moving to Singapore, and Utah was definitely the highlight of our trip. You've got some great natural beauty.

[@aryllstea]

Right now I'm reaching a tipping point in my life; I'm getting ready to move away from my hometown within a year, and I still haven't figured out where I want to move to. Right now almost anywhere in the US is up for grabs. But as a self employed 19 year old with no access to insurance or financial support, there's just no way I can justify moving anywhere with a high cost of living. Cities are not forgiving towards young people.

[@BrandonDayton]

There are options out there, but they might require a bit of adventure. There are still many post-industrial cities that are relatively affordable. Detroit is the most extreme example, but even places like Buffalo are affordable and doing some really smart things to encourage healthy growth. The other option is too look smaller. There are many traditional main streets scattered throughout the country. They may just literally be one street, but many municipalities are starting to invest in rebuilding those traditional cores. Those places strike me as great locations to invest in culture.

[@RootedandtheWingedBook]

I agree. But I also love nature; if I moved to city I would need a good trail near me. But I can totally see what you mean about the benefits. I'll keep this in mind definitely.

[@elephantear7659]

Just a friendly warning for anyone considering finding employment in SLC, Mormon employers consider employees to be slaves, its a real cult-mentality there. But if you work for yourself, its great, the land has a special, mysterious and prehistoric yet futuristic feeling to it, its quite unique.

[@briaalebleu]

okay 1. This was my favorite drawing you've drawn during your videos, I love your drawing style, the hatch texture, and it was really satisfying to watch lol 2. I'm 100% with this. I live near Phoenix now so I still get to be involved in a lot of the art happenings downtown. But when I lived in New York - even when I lived in LA - there were just so many opportunities at every corner for collaboration, ideation etc. And so many more daring open minded creatives willing to try things, instead of just being that "sometimes useful but quirky artsy person" in your small town community. I think it's important for artist-types to definitely get away now and then, even so much as taking intentional retreats because the cities can burn you out if you're not careful. But yeah, it's so important to be right in the middle of cultural hubs if you think you care about making any kind of impact. Even if you don't care about impact, you eventually just need a wider context to grow.

[@BrandonDayton]

I gotta do more hatching, but it just takes soooo much time. Yup, def. important to get away sometimes too.

[@crowmisfits]

I disagree with this one. We just moved away from the city last year to a small island. This island is actually full of artists of all kinds (authors, painters, sculptors, musicians etc.) and there are lots of opportunities to get out there and meet new artists, teach or take classes, showcase your work, etc. We currently haven't taken advantage of any of that though because we prefer to keep to ourselves and be left alone.

[@BrandonDayton]

Sounds like a cool place. Wherever you can find community.

[@Frothy_Mead]

What I great insight Brandon! I have been stuck trying to get started in the Suburbs with commissions from people who have uninspiring ideas and taste. I need to find my tribesmen essentially, I don't know if that's a pc word these days, lol. But really appreciate this! Moving's been in the back of my mind for a few weeks and I started taking it seriously today.

[@hailysouth]

Yess!! Man, your videos always hit the mark & resonate so much with me. THIS TOPIC has been at the forefront of my ming the past 6 months, so I'm ECSTATIC you made this video!! Thank you so so much!! Ahh it's soo good so far!

[@hailysouth]

Heyy, definitely going to shoot you a message about that drawing group! Haha I live in Springville. I love the points you made in the video.

[@hailysouth]

Thank you so much for making it! :)

[@BrandonDayton]

Please join us, just let us know when you plan on driving up. We switch locations from time to time.

[@BrandonDayton]

Springfield has a great traditional main street. It's a shame they put the busiest road right down the middle of it. Still, there are the bones of what could be an awesome little city there.

[@hailysouth]

Brandon Dayton Ahh thank you so much for your reply! :) Will do! And yess you're right. It is unfortunate. 😂 Well, my husband and I are just renting, so we're not committed here. (Side note, we also left the same religion as you, so looking for a culturally different place than Utah County.) We've been looking at Salt Lake county, or other states as an option. You made some solid points for SLC! Thanks again! Wishing you the very best!!

[@frostvisto9610]

"Think globally, act locally". Great advice!

[@SuperPeace360]

I live in SLC too! I'm just around Liberty. If your drawing group on Tuesdays would be open to new members, I'd love to come draw. :)

[@BrandonDayton]

For sure. Let me find out where the session is going to be this week.

[@BrandonDayton]

Looks like we'll be at Watchtower Coffee tomorrow night. Prolly from around 6:30 to 8:30

[@SuperPeace360]

Oh Dope! I'll probably drop by with my ipad to sketch then. :)

[@BrandonDayton]

Cool. I wont' be there tonight, but everyone is super friendly. Just look for the group of artists huddled over their sketchbooks and say hi.

[@tealeaf9260]

I grew up around the suburbs and outskirts of one of the highly desirable US cities you mentioned. It's interesting you mentioned commuting, because that was one of the most frustrating things about living around there for me. The city had relatively poorly developed public transportation as well. I also found the city to be insipid, but obviously a lot of people do not share my opinion. Now, I live in a densely populated urban area in an Asian city. It suits me a lot more and I find it more inspiring. The concrete jungle can get to me sometimes, but the public transportation is excellent and affordable, and it's a quick trip into the mountains and hiking trails. I think everyone responds differently though, and individuals have to find their own communities and sense of place given their circumstances.

[@BrandonDayton]

Totally agree. The city is not for everyone. I think finding community is the most important part. I like to push the city just because it's an option people don't consider as much or they have some sort of image of overcrowding and crime. I live on a slow quiet street of single family homes, but it's still just 10 minutes from downtown.

[@s0lid_sno0ks]

I hate cities. I like living *innawoods.* Will you change my mind? Let's find out.

[@BrandonDayton]

If you wanna go innawoods, I'm not gonna try to get you out.

[@s0lid_sno0ks]

Brandon Dayton You made great points.

[@dragoniraflameblade]

I'll be moving in with my sister near a city next year. I'm really excited. This is so topical, lol.

[@seagulldreams]

I haven’t lived in too many other places but I really feel like we’re spoiled a bit to live in the salt lake valley. When I visit my in laws who live in California they say an hour drive somewhere is “close.” I’m always like “whyyyyyyy!” Great conversation, sir. Your videos are top tier.

[@BrandonDayton]

Thanks man. California is a particular case, especially LA. It's basically a giant suburb, and they haven't made the investment in walkability that other cities have (although I bet that's changing in some places). That being said, it's still and epicenter of talent, and might be worth the hassle if making movies or animation were your cup of tea. If I had the chance to do something meaningful on an animated series, I might be willing to put up with it.

[@JSheetzArtwork]

Interesting,but i do have a question and some statements. I live in ohio and the weather is horrible from october-may. 8 monthsof cold,snow,wind and rain. I moved here in 2006.(i had no choice..family problems) The winter here and lack of sun makes me very depressed,bad mood,etc. So i feel very unproductive,unmotivated for at least 8 months. Although Rent is cheap here which allows me to spend more time drawing. I have considered moving to a warm state (south). But the rent is 1.5-2x as much in florida. I could afford it but i wouldnt be able to save any money. I live in a small town,nothing here. The only activies in this state for me are 2 hr drive...real art museums for example. I have family here in Ohio and in Florida. I grew up in Florida. I want to keep making art so if i moved to there id have to work a lot so then very little time to draw or even do any hobbies. If i did move it would be there and id need cheap rent (400-600) near city,low crime, close to work much preffered. Any suggestions?

[@BrandonDayton]

I'm hesitant to make any concrete suggestions. You gotta figure out what works for you, but the important concept is to find a place that allows you to make art sustainably. Maybe the seasonal depression of Ohio is gonna hold you back or maybe Florida is gonna keep you too busy to make art. How about moving to a larger city in Ohio? One of the upsides of even midsize cities is that the additional culture in the cities can sometimes make up for weather. You don't hear many people complaining about New York in the winter. It's a tough call. Being near family definitely has its advantages too.

[@JSheetzArtwork]

Brandon Dayton Thank you for the quick response. I have looked into moving to a bigger city In Ohio and the locations that would be close drive to work. They all have high crime,dont have a job i can transfer to and the ones that i could transfer all have along drive to work.(over 1-2 hr) For example (Columbus,Cleveland,Cicnnati,Akron,Canton). From mid october until mid may (its ohio weather..could be until june) im always tired,even with good sleep,i have to take natural herbal supplements for my mood and energy (Maca,Mucana Pruriens,Rhodiola,Ginseng) and many other treatments for what could be SAD (seasonal affective disorder). But i still feel unmotived,until june gets here and i draw 10 hrs everyday,never burn out,super creative,hyper and motivated. Also not sure about other states,but in ohio its rare for me to just make conversations with a stranger without them being offended,being rude,being paranoid and nonsocial. When i moved here in 2006 i was use to waving at random strangers or just making conversation with new people. I tried that first week in ohio and bad results. Everyone i waved at gave me a rude look or hand gesture. Ohio and FL are only places i have family im close to. If i stay in ohio i do 90% less work for 8 months. But have cheap rent. But feel depressed and people are rude. Florida much more exspensive but better weather,ill get more done but might not because it depends on cost of rent. My heart/instincts (whatever you call it) says to go but my safety/security says to stay.

[@IFW949]

Are you taking a vitamin D3 supplement in the winter? I live in Ohio as well, and I feel your pain with the long dark winters. A couple of winters ago when I was exhausted and depressed, my doctor checked my vitamin D level and it was severely low. Not a miracle cure, but it improved things for me once I was back up to a normal level. BTW, I know you said Columbus isn't workable for you, but if that changes, I've found people generally friendly here. I'm more or less a hermit socially, but when I'm out walking my dog strangers will say hello. (Maybe it's the dog. She's a good icebreaker - but I grew up in Boston, where people tend to be more reserved around strangers, and it was sort of disconcerting when I first moved to Ohio 20-ish years ago that total strangers would talk to me. Much more so when I was out in the country, but there's a lot of it here in the city, too.

[@JSheetzArtwork]

Daisy Fraser Wreath I take a multi vitamin and Vitamin D3. Ive also ate healthy my whole life and havent had candy or sugar (other than some fruit) in 15 years.

[@CartoonerAnimationist]

100% agree. The suburbs are an inconvenient middleground between the city and the countryside. I live in a small city with a bustling downtown and a thriving community. It is obscenely expensive because it's 30 miles from a VERY large city, but I live so much more than I did when I was growing up in the suburbs of St. Louis because there are opportunities everywhere here. Artist groups, studios, entrepreneurs, as well as great parks, festivals, community groups, and classes in all kinds of things (like BJJ!). It's expensive, but to us so far, it's well worth the cost.

[@BrandonDayton]

The cost is the thing that really concerns me. Tough problem and not sure how we fix it, but yeah, the benefits of being in the city are unambiguous for me.

[@orangecream5243]

Brandon, I think you don't understand the demographic shift of populations after WWII and what's going on currently.It's not as simple as "people moved out after WWII and now they are moving back in". It's more like a certain kind of people left the city and another kind are replacing them.

[@BrandonDayton]

You're right that it's more complicated, but in general the trend I described is accurate -- population in US city centers decreased around the middle of last century and is now starting to increase again. The flip in the trend, as you might be aware of, is that post WW II whites and wealth fled the city to the suburbs (aided by laws that turned a blind eye to racist housing exclusion, and in others that dramatically encouraged it), leaving concentrated pockets of black poverty in the city. The reverse is happening today. Wealth is coming back into the city and pushing poverty into the suburbs. It still seems to be happening along racial lines too, with more latinos in the mix this time. So I think it's fair to say that, demographically, the same people that fled the city are starting to return to it.

[@orangecream5243]

I wouldn't say more whites are entering cities. More like recent immigrants (who are overwhelmingly non-white) choose to live in heavily urbanized areas and major cities. City demographics are turning more and more in the favor of non-whites each passing year. The way I see it, whites are continuing to flee into even more rural areas as "diversity" is being pushed to the suburbs due to some recent government programs. I have been to a few major cities, and even mingled with artists there. Cities are becoming like feudal states, where a few ultra-rich people live among many, many poor people. In L.A and SanFran you'll see mansions just blocks away from favela style housing and tent cities (just as we see in the third world). If you are a working class white person there is no reason to move to a city center. Unless you have the immense wealth needed to be part of the upper-crust of a major city, you will be living in filth. The artists I spoke to there were already very wealthy people with wealthy families. If you're a talented artist from a working class home in flyover country... well I'd just stay there. The internet has made it possible for even ruralites to become "big names" as self-publishers or freelance artists.

[@laifu6317]

What's with the scare quotes over diversity?

[@orangecream5243]

Because it's not really diversity. It's a specific group of people.

[@laifu6317]

I caught this video at the best and worst time, I just started a new (day) job and am severely limited to where I can move, but I am definitely on the hunt for next boom town. For now, though I have to settle for living fairly close to Philadelphia.

[@BrandonDayton]

Great to hear from you again man. I've heard good things about Philly. Maybe not such a bad place to be.

[@TheHarmonicaBarge]

London smells. I might move. Great video :)

[@chelliepepper825]

I love the idea of this big monstar wearing it's hat that is as big as he could possibly buy it, but is still a little too small for the size of his large snoot.

[@BrandonDayton]

The fundamental formula for drawing big things -- give them small hats. Hmmm, not a bad topic for future video.

[@hariman7727]

Nationalism is not a bad thing. Also, I agree that big cities aren't as necessary anymore, especially since there's a push of NOT allowing new housing construction, which exacerbates demand.

[@BrandonDayton]

So many wrong things going on with housing. There are neighborhoods 5 minutes by foot from downtown SLC that are zoned single family residential. And the residents there will fight tooth and nail about that ever changing. And we wonder why housing prices are skyrocketing.

[@hariman7727]

Not to mention the fights by some in places like San Francisco and other big cities against converting existing buildings into apartment buildings, to the point where it can take 5 to 10 years to get one 75 person apartment complex off the ground and in progress.

[@CaptainFishEye]

i hate noise though -_____-

[@BrandonDayton]

There are quiet spots in the city. You just gotta find 'em.

[@CaptainFishEye]

k

[@artboy598]

Great talk! What pen is that? It has great line variations.

[@BrandonDayton]

I give a rundown of all of my tools here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpK0hniQnq2Uaac

[@joey15ization]

I could tell by the title I'd have to saver this upload, I've been fascinated and thinking about this topic for ages, I live with my family in northern Virginia PWC lived here all my life I plan on living in one of the cities around the DC metro in the future,

[@BrandonDayton]

DC is an awesome place. Lots of cool opportunities around there for sure. Can't wait to visit again.

[@snakemont]

I live right now in the small town. I love the nature, and the people... and right now i am earning just enough with comic jobs and Illustration so i can make my Comic(s). I love the people here, but sometimes (or often i miss the people who are highly like minded)... i'm kinda on my own. But i am (trying to) build a tribe and build an intentional community. ...

[@BrandonDayton]

The community aspect is the important part. It can happen in a small town. I think its actually harder in the suburbs.

[@dbradford05]

The locations you make these videos from have become increasingly ominous. Where is this one now? It looks like a darkened void of nothingness. Do you need help? Please say the phrase "I love strawberries in my mouth. Om nom nom. Scrummie nummie strawberries" in your next video to let us know you need help.

[@BrandonDayton]

I'm stuck deep inside the bowels of crappy production values.

[@Andromeda9009]

You cant comment on the internet by refferencing population data that goes back 200 years.

[@BrandonDayton]

My point is that for all the good that the internet has done, it hasn't really reversed that trend in migration. This suggests that people still place a high value on being close to other people.

[@foo9877]

What happened to your thumb?

[@BrandonDayton]

Lol. You noticed. I've been treating a wart. I've actually had something on my thumb since September and this is the first time someone noticed it. Good eye, gross explanation.

[@foo9877]

Nice 👍Happy Warting

[@FabioPalvelli]

First! Finally lol