One year ago, I made the move down south to Melbourne alone. To a city where I knew a total of two people, had no job, no social life and nowhere to live besides an eight-day sublet.

 

I had a read of the post I made when I first moved, (read here) and I have grown undoubtedly. This move was one of the best things I’ve done for myself across the board, mentally, socially, creatively.

 

Honestly? Make the fucking move

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I had been living in the Gold Coast, and you can’t really get two places in one country that are at such opposite ends of the spectrum as these. Melbourne boasted none of the things that the goldy did, ​and the question: why would you go to Melbourne? - became the overarching response from most people when I told them about the move.

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It's not that people weren’t supportive, just I guess, confused? A) because the Gold Coast 'has it all' and B) because I loved the beach, getting up at 6am and going for a swim in the ocean. So what the hell was I going to do in a city that was seemingly antithetical to my personality, offering none of the things that made me happy?

 

Truthfully, I struggle to pinpoint a catalyst for this decision. I first came to Melbourne for five days when I landed in Australia in 2022. And whilst I had fun, I wasn’t immensely blown away, or thought it was the best city ever and that I just HAD to come back. Frankly, I was just keen to fly up to Sydney to see some fucking sun.

 

Nonetheless, as the months and years, passed, I had this gnawing feeling, a gut pull, that it was the place I needed to be. Call it cheesy, but I couldn't ignore it. Not only was it the place I saw myself eventually ending up in, but putting it candidly, it was also my last resort. The fear was twofold: leaving every comfort and familiarity I had behind, in addition to the very real possibility that I would actually hate it and ultimately have to return to the UK. 

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So within a week's time, I quit my job, left my house and packed up the life I had built for 18 months in Queensland and got on the plane.

 

Starting over isn't simple 

 

Well thank fuck I didn't hate it. With that being said, I’m not here to bullshit you, because it's not all sunshine and rainbows (quite literally) and those first couple weeks were pretty horrendous. I was in a constant state of anxiety, regret and uncertainty. But, I stuck it out and found my feet. 

 

I’m here to tell you that no it won’t be easy, but to make that move regardless. Arguably, the hardest part is committing to the decision, and then you just have to follow it through. 

 

If you feel truly called to do something, do it - especially if everyone says you shouldn’t. If I had listened to them, I never would have left.

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So why do I love it so much?

 

Everyone loves to shit on Melbourne, they really do, and yes the beaches aren’t as good as Bronte or Tamarama, and yes the weather is a bit all over the place, but these things, which were once such a deterrent in my mind, have really had less of an impact on me than I was anticipating.

 

My mood is so extremely determined by the weather. My main concern about moving here was the lack of beaches and the winter. Call me dramatic, but I really thought I'd be in the pits of hell. And whilst I have been told that this winter wasn't as bad as some, it's honestly been so much better than I thought it would be. All I can say to the Aussies on this one is: try experiencing a British winter and then come back to me. 

 

And the irony is, I was living the ‘perfect’ life in the gold coast, in a pink house on the beach working at a coffee shop on a creek, blue skies everyday, but I was just not internally fulfilled.

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I was undoubtedly in a creative slump for years. Most of my creativity evaporated during my university years, in favour of market shaker and blue trebs, and then again when I went travelling. Subsequently, when I was living in Queensland, I honestly had no desire to pursue or reignite any of my former passions, just an idea of starting this blog.

 

Creativity, found again

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I've always been a creative person, and being in this city has made me realise that writing and music bring me the most joy and were interests that I had been neglecting for years.  

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In Melbourne, I feel constantly inspired, by the city itself and by the people around me. Everyone I know is pursuing something, whether that be photography, art 0r music. Yes the stereotype that every fucker wants to be a dj is true, and some might view it as pretentious and performative, but I love it nonetheless. I feel like I’m always wanting to better myself, try new things or create new ventures with the people around me, because there's limitless capacity and opportunity to. 

 

I launched this blog a year ago when I first moved here, because I found I finally had the space to do so. I'll be the first to say that there is always the voice in my head telling me that what I’m doing is fucking embarrassing, or pointless or actually just bad - and no one would read or relate to anything I'd write. It’s extremely hard to ignore and honestly a lot of the time I don't.

 

But I ultimately believe this city has allowed me to grow into myself as a person, and acknowledge what it is that I want to pursue.

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I'm not trying to convince you to move to here (or am I?), this city isn't for everyone, and neither is any place. But the resounding lesson I've learned over the past year is to take the leap, make the move, post that video, quit that job, do what other people will always be too terrified to. ​

 

​I was reading Patti Smith's Just Kids the other day, where she speaks about the experience of being in your 20s in New York and the complex world of art and creativity: