Gothamist: Creatives Flocked to Brooklyn, Where to Next?

goya51

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:25:11 -0500

Unless your irony is so subtle I totally missed it, you are the kind of person who pisses me off, emilydickinson. I am a freelance creative. I live in Park Slope with my wife. I worked nearly 60 hours last week, probably more than you. This idea of freelance creatives as these lazy bohemian lazing about growing ironic facial hair and blogging about the latest terrible underground band is ridiculous. Just because a whole slew of unemployed hipsters call themselves freelancers doesn't mean they're not just unemployed. People think that freelancing means some kind of whimsical lifestyle where I can just take off and do whatever I want, whenever I want. Its harder for me to take a vacation than most salaried professionals. One wrong step, or turned down job, and my phone will stop ringing. Its a constant, difficult hustle to make it as a freelance creative (I work in photography, in case you wondered). Next time you want to mock a huge group of people, at least know a little bit about it.

Think twice

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:05:45 -0500

#1 and #10 are OTM. Then, of course, there's the rest of Queens County and southern Kings County.

emilydickinson

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 09:00:27 -0500

I know the $20,000 USD figure is probably a bit low, because freelancers skimp on taxes like everyone else, but that is the main point really. You can't live in a decent neighborhood in Brooklyn on that income. Part of living some imaginary bohemian lifestyle usually means living in a bad neighborhood. It's the trade off for getting to grow a shaggy beard and smoke pot on your roof all day while you read Gawker and pretend to make websites.

mocanlagunas

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:08:50 -0500

all the raw, empty space in Newark just waiting...

Toby von Meistersinger

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:15:28 -0500

Newark, definitely Newark. It might just even save Newark.

just_saying

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:14:10 -0500

#13 - LOL back to you. :)

matty

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:46:05 -0500

you guys should move to chicago. colder, yes, but more beer and cheaper rent.

glennQNYC

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:42:26 -0500

Where next? Get creative! Plenty of low rent in Newark! LOL

kneebeau

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:31:51 -0500

Already gone... back to Ohio after 10 years living in Williamsburg. Now that all the creative people have relocated from Ohio to Brooklyn I should have a dandy time - such a buyers market for homes! I used to spend around 20k a year to rent my loft, The same goes for 2-3 times as much. I remember stories of people who lived there a decade before me renting the whole floor or building for the same amount. My income didn't keep up with the housing market - I was lucky to have a fair landlord. Moving after 8 years of a mere 2.5% increase annually to join the fray of current values blew my "creative" finances to shreds. Since I don't have much interest in chasing the edge of the ghetto for "affordable" housing I decided to make a change. I got sick of each employer, in one case the same Nasté corporation, offering less and less, turning over permalancers as needed to drive costs down. Can't see how it's sustainable for creatives to compete with market forces in real estate and corporate outsourcing.

kneebeau

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:31:19 -0500

matty

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:45:42 -0500

staten island

Pharmer

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:37:37 -0500

I wonder if NY will ever get to the point where there isn't any affordable housing AT ALL. What then? I agree with Philadelphia.

sandradayoconnor

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:21:52 -0500

Where will they move next? Um. Whatever neighborhood is the poorest in town? Poverty just gets shifted around at the whim of richer people, it doesn't disappear. This is exactly what cracked me up about the concept of "cleaning up" Times Square. Dumbass Guiliani didn't eradicate prostitution and addicts, he just swept them into a different locale with less tourists.

Dude69

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:10:44 -0500

How does that picture represent the "creatives", looks more like some angry hipster anarchist plotting a Unabomber type attack to me. Yea, and please go back to Ohio/Wisconsin...

Papercutninja

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:05:41 -0500

i dont think there is a more perfect picture of a "creative"/hipster than gothamist used in this post. ironic beard? Check. ironic plaid shirt? Check Apple laptop? Check. "unconventional" workspace? Check. Dwelling that looks like crap but costs $$$$? Check.

pissyrabbit

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:01:55 -0500

Astoria, LIC...its already happening. It's just going to take awhile for it to reach the numbers that Brooklyn sees now. I moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan in '93 and amongst my peers that was considered "crazy". But it allowed me to freelance and travel. Now in order to do that people will have to start moving *out* of Brooklyn. Boy oh boy could this city use a little depression. (does that count as a rant? ;) )

WesleySnipesAlot

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:52:16 -0500

Angry anonymous ranting about how hipsters/artists/freelancers should move back to [insert state here] in 3... 2... 1...

bclm

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:52:00 -0500

I agree about the Bronx-I'm surprised there aren't more of them up there already.

Ronkonkoma Ondinnonk

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:25:50 -0500

So where will the freelancers migrate to next...Philadelphia? I say The Bronx in a few years. Mark my word...

Ronkonkoma Ondinnonk

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:25:38 -0500

So where will the freelancers migrate to next...Philadelphia? I say The Bronx in a few years. Mark my word...