A poet and a punk rocker walk into a bar…

(and why you should move to a city that you can afford.)

Last night, my wife and I had dinner with two new friends in Berlin. One a poet, the other a bassist in a punk band. From American standards, that sounds absurd and impossible. People aren’t poets. Or punk rock bassists. These aren’t careers, but instead, activities that you perform on the side, while you work three jobs to pay your rent and put ramen on the table.

But in Berlin, artists thrive, live on practically nothing, and practice their craft day and night. This is the allure of a city filled to the gills with creative people from all corners of the world. And this is what I love most about the city of Berlin. Sure, it’s rich in history. Boasts some of the most stunningly modern and classically historic architecture. And beer is sold in every public park, street corner and flea market. But the real secret to what makes Berlin special is the incredible collection of people that are doing pretty much whatever they want.

What’s different about Berlin is that it’s cheap. The last mayoral campaign was won on a slogan of “we’re poor but sexy”. Walk the streets of this growing city, and you’ll see that’s true.

Here’s what I’ve learned about living in the magic of a city that’s affordable: People put aside what they have to do, and focus on what they want to do. For some, that’s working only a few hours a day, and enjoying everything that life has to offer. For others, that’s realizing what they always knew they were meant to do. Whether that’s poetry, a short film or punk rock bassistry.

Creation is all encompassing, and the more energy we allow it the more intensely it burns. Creativity requires fuel. Fuel is created where people and culture converge. And fuel needs space. And all of this fuel rests on a razor’s edge of affordability.

If you’re an artist, move. Move to a city where the rent is cheap. Move to a place where the creative people outnumber the financial people. Move to where dinner and drinks can be had for less than a twenty, and a night out will never be limited by the change in your pocket.

Find a place that hasn’t yet been discovered by chain stores. Bring your friends, find new friends and spend the days and nights working on what you love.

People compare Berlin to Brooklyn, to which I say: come visit this city. There are a handful of similarities, but really, they couldn’t be more different. And cities don’t need to be “the next Brooklyn” to be great places to live. If we worried less about what our city of residence was compared to, and more about the types of people who call the city “home”, we’d be in a better place. For now, I’m proud to live in a European city that’s filled to the top with sculptors, performance artists, punk rockers and poets. Hello, Berlin.