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Should I Relocate Before Applying (Art Jobs)?
brzozowszki
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Where I am currently:
I'm a soon to graduate college senior at an art and design school in Central Ohio. I'll be getting my BFA in (what is essentially) Animation this coming May.
My Quandary:
I want to move to either NYC or Chicago. I understand that people traditionally move to LA, but California's massive studios are not where I want to be. I want to work in the more independent and multidisciplinary communities of the two cities I mentioned. I know the software very well, can dan be involved in all stages of the process (Storyboarding, timing, layout, ediiting, etc), and am a competent animator. But since my city has no real film community to speak of, I do not have much experience outside experience.
I do not currently have a job set up, and I do not know a great deal of people in those two cities. So I have something of a problem...
My Question:
Before moving to one of these much larger, more expensive locales, should I have a job set up already? Or, is it much better to save up money before going, and expect to wait a while before getting that job in the creative field? I understand the answers to this question may conflict with one another, so I just want to get your opinion.
If you need any more info before answering, do ask.
I'm a soon to graduate college senior at an art and design school in Central Ohio. I'll be getting my BFA in (what is essentially) Animation this coming May.
My Quandary:
I want to move to either NYC or Chicago. I understand that people traditionally move to LA, but California's massive studios are not where I want to be. I want to work in the more independent and multidisciplinary communities of the two cities I mentioned. I know the software very well, can dan be involved in all stages of the process (Storyboarding, timing, layout, ediiting, etc), and am a competent animator. But since my city has no real film community to speak of, I do not have much experience outside experience.
I do not currently have a job set up, and I do not know a great deal of people in those two cities. So I have something of a problem...
My Question:
Before moving to one of these much larger, more expensive locales, should I have a job set up already? Or, is it much better to save up money before going, and expect to wait a while before getting that job in the creative field? I understand the answers to this question may conflict with one another, so I just want to get your opinion.
If you need any more info before answering, do ask.
brzozowszki on
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Posts
It isn't cheap to live in Chicago, and the job market isn't exactly thriving. You're going to need some money before you move here, and you shouldn't expect to get a (paying) art job right away, or even in the first couple of years. Especially without much experience outside of education. Expect to work outside of your field while building contacts and looking for animation work. Look into internships programs -- they're one of the best ways for an 'outsider' to gain some experience.
While Chicago has significantly lower cost of living than NYC, you're still going to be looking at $700-1000 per month for a one bedroom or studio apartment in a decent neighborhood. You might get lucky and find a deal that's cheaper, but those are the going rates in neighborhoods like Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, Noble Square, Logan Square, or Pilsen.
It's hard for me to give direct advice being that I don't know the state of the job market for animators in Chicago right now, but you should know what you're getting into before you move. The cost of living is going to be significantly higher than your campus in Ohio, and I have friends who've been trying to find work for two or three years in design or other less in-demand fields right now.
Do you currently have a job?
When you graduate, could you live at home (rent free)?
The idea is to relocate with enough money saved to support yourself for a couple of months. In that time you should be looking for ANY job, not just those in your field.
Yeah, if OP is set on one of those cities (go Chicago!), then moving there would be best, since they're not really losing anything; no job currently.
Can't really add more than Monoxide. It's a great city, and I shouldn't think you; have much trouble finding a job here just not in your field, though I have no idea; it could be open since like you said everyone wants to live in CA.
Maybe try for a job at one of the museums, since you'll meet others interested in art/culture?
To get an idea of what you'll get for those price ranges, here's the company we used to rent from. Got some Chicago stuff under Resident Tools as well.
The economy is shitty, NYC is incredibly expensive, and if you don't have a lot of money saved, or a good job, you won't be able to afford to live in NY.
Check out my art! Buy some prints!
Advice- Network. You need to use the resources you have available now in order to land a job somewhere. Most jobs aren't gotten from want ads, but from who-you-know. Talk to your teachers, students, and recent grads and try to make connections.
The worst mistake I made right out of college was moving immediately to a far flung place where I didn't have connections. Don't do this; it's stupid.
OP, can you move with friends and split the cost of a super shitty but affordable apartment? That would be best, because then you can afford to live there flipping burgers.
Are you on LinkedIn? If not, why not?
Talk to your professors/teachers/everybody about Chicago and see if they know anyone out here.
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
My girlfriend and I both see NY as a place we would like to be, but the sheer expensiveness of that city often dissuades us (as others have mentioned). All the positions I see advertised usually ask for a few years of experience, which I do not have. To acclimate myself, I read blogs that have to do with the scene (Animondays, among others). I'm hoping I can find a job that pays the rent, and perhaps freelance in all sorts of media on the side (I can work in After Effects, Flash, ToonBoom, and Maya).
I can see all sorts of responses above, which is encouraging. I may not be doomed, coming to a city with little more than ambition, but it does not hurt to have a plan.
Such is life...
So if you were a good student, you should say you were one of the top students and professors often turned to you in classes for your input. If you just say "I was a good student who showed up and did my work" employers will assume you were actually a mediocre student who kind of skimped. Why? Because they expect people to exaggerate.
In your case, you may not have earned a paycheck, but you should count your college work as experience. And put a specific emphasis on projects and deliverables.
It doesn't hurt to get a feel for what's out there by looking for jobs and applying with a cover letter stating that you are "relocating imminently and would be happy to schedule an interview at their earliest convenience." Again, a slight exaggeration, but it implies that you are essentially a New Yorker or Chicagoan in all but current legal address.
I wasn't aware that there was animation being done in Chicago at all. As far as I know, the North American animation hot spots are San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto. The first three are incredibly expensive to live in and you won't get hired in Toronto due to citizenship issues.
So you're absolutely correct about needing to move in order to get steady animation work, but it's a steep price to pay in order to make it happen.
Actually, freelancing is, I would imagine, how a lot of people get started when they're not living in an area where a headquarters is. You should look into that anyway.
Location is very important in maintaining a steady career for that field.
Are you looking just for animation-type work, or would you be open to advertising or other creative fields at least in the short term? I could see a company like IDEO or working as a product designer fitting within your background?
edit: Minneapolis oddly has some good agencies as well.
I would certainly be willing to go beyond the realm of character animation, and I realize its probably inevitable if I want to evacuate my ass out of Ohio. But the work I will be doing will inevitably be time-based, as my training and portfolio consists entirely of that. It would be difficult to break into print and web design, where I'm a relative newcomer.
About animation being freelance, I can see what you mean Godfather. But in order to get started, studios and agencies, as I have always been told, expect you to initially work in house. If you prove yourself there and discard the training wheels, then you are able to move around. That's how it has worked with my instructors (with whom I have worked on a few projects).
Oddly enough, some of my instructors occasionally do work for CN/AS, which means I have some chance of taking up work there. On the other hand, that means I'm competing with my instructors.
I studied the same exact field as you, and I currently live in Toronto where a ton of animation work is being done. You're definitely working in house, but when the project's over you're shown the door and have to find a new job, which means relocating to another studio, hence the "freelance" part.
You're going to want to live in an area where there are multiple studios is what i'm saying.
You should apply to animation jobs all across the country, and then move to wherever you're hired at.
Is it easier to get a job when you already live in the city? Yes. It's easier to get you in for the interview. Will studios only look at local candidates? No. Will studios choose a more poorly skilled local animator over a more talented one out of state? Hell no.
Things to keep in mind:
The place that hires you might help pay for your relocation. They often pay to fly you to interviews.
As godfather said, you often end up moving to new jobs rather than getting another in the same city.
You'll have a far better job pool to apply to if you don't limit yourself to a single area.
Unless you are truly exceptionally talented, it's really hard to get your foot in the door.