The Creative Move: Painters, Writers, Sculptors and Artist Moves

We know it’s satire, but we love this story from the Onion that states moving to an isolated seaside cottage can greatly improve your productivity. New York City is home to a lot of artists, and over the years, we’ve helped plenty of them move. Once upon a time, everyone wanted to be in Greenwich Village, but today the hottest New York neighborhoods for artists include West Harlem, Long Island City, Bushwick, Fort Greene, Astoria, Belmont and St. George. Sometimes the creative types feel like they could get more good work done if they move far away from the city. Long distance and cross country moves are always a possibility!

Here are some best practices to make your move as a creative person a lot easier and stress free:

Every Move Doesn’t Have to Be Preceded by Downsizing

Ordinarily, we advise people to minimize their moving expenses by going through their possessions and donating, selling, or otherwise getting rid of items they don’t need or want. And this is good advice. However, if keeping to a specific moving date is important to you, choose some other time to go through your creative output to decide what’s worth keeping and what needs to go. For many artists this process is emotionally intense and time consuming. Logistically, it can make more sense to pack everything now and sort it out later.

Be Honest About Your Control Freak Tendencies

It is not unusual for creative types to be extremely protective of their work. If the idea of someone handling the only hard copy of your novel manuscript in existence gives you anxiety, you may want to commit to it – and any other precious creative materials – yourself.  Some artists work on such large scale pieces that professional moving services are required. In those instances, you’ll want to choose a moving company that will work closely with you to create and implement a plan to ensure the artwork can be moved without being damaged. Having a stress free move begins by making sure you’re confident your art can be moved safely!

Those No Hazardous Materials Rules Apply To You

Artists create beauty using some really powerful chemicals. Solvents, paints, painting rags, and other studio standards are extremely flammable and potentially dangerous. Moving companies are prohibited by law from transporting these items. Shleppers conducts a pre-move inventory in advance of every move; at this time, items that can’t be transported by our team will be pointed out to you so you can find an alternate way to deal with these items.

Scheduling Tips for the Creative Move

It is a good best practice to schedule your move as soon as you know you’re moving. The busiest times to move are at the beginning and end of the month. If you have a home to move to but haven’t rented studio space yet, secure storage is available. Making use of short term storage is also useful for household items and other personal possessions. Planning a move can be overwhelming. Shleppers has been in this business for practically forever, and we can help you develop a timeline so everything gets done. Professional packing services are a great time saver!