Jamie and The City
It’s safe to say that I’ve had one of the best summers of my life in New York City interning for a residential interior design firm and experiencing so many new things.
A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about my apartment hunt and plan to make the BIG MOVE to the BIG APPLE. Now, it has been just over three months since I moved into my Manhattan apartment and I am finally feeling settled. People aren’t lying when they say that the adjustment to living in a big city can be hard, so I’ve shared some of my best tips below!
What am I Doing in NYC?
What am I doing here, you ask? Well, apart from trying all of the best healthy restaurants and fitness studios in the city, I’m a full time student at New York School of Interior Design. I’m finally pursuing my talents in art and design and am working to achieve a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design.
I moved to New York City at the end of May to get comfortable living in a big city before starting my Masters program. This summer, I interned at a prominent residential design firm, where I met some seriously talented individuals and learned so much about the NYC design scene. Now, I’ve officially started my three-year-long Master in Interior Design at NYSID and I couldn’t be more in love with the program!
Why am I Studying Interior Design?
Growing up, I always had a huge passion for art and design, which was very much influenced by my dad’s work in building high-end residential homes. Seeing him work with well-known designers and architects, I always thought about what it would be like to pursue a design degree. But, being unsure as a freshman in undergrad, I decided to go with Marketing instead. I’m happy that I chose to study Marketing in undergrad because I actually like math and administration. It gave me a great platform to build on my skills and develop a plan for my future career.
As graduation came closer, I still felt the urge to pursue my creative side and explore my career options in the design and arts industry. I am seriously so thankful and more than excited to finally study a subject that I am wildly passionate about! I’ve loved every moment of my masters program so far and can see an incredible future ahead. Yes, three years is a long time for grad school, but I’ll be leaving with a Master degree, which even allows me to teach Interior Design one day.
What Do I Want to Do With Interior Design?
It’s safe to say that I can’t say where this path will take me, but I finally feel a sense comfort in this place. If I had to choose an “end goal”, I would say that I am determined to combine my two passions, design and wellness. I am health food and fitness obsessed and would love to find or even create a career that combines these obsessions with interior design. I’m looking forward to studying more of the ins and outs of restaurant and hotel design (and maybe even include my passion for travel?!) to see if this is the right path for me. But at the same time, growing up with a dad in high-end residential construction, I’ve also always had a love for residential interior design. To be continued!!
Tips for Moving to NYC
So, now that you have an idea of where I’m at, I leave you with my best tips for moving to New York City (or any big city, really):
Move in Early
If you have a set date for the start of work or school, I suggest moving into your apartment at your (& your bank account’s) earliest convenience to get adjusted to city life before taking on a full time commitment. It’s nice to have the time to fully unpack in your apartment, get acquainted to your neighborhood and figure out simple things like where you like to pick up your groceries.
Pack Light, Ship Later
It can be so hard to let go of all of the college memorabilia and other items that you collected in your apartment the past four years. But, now that you’re in your first real apartment, you might not really need all of those sorority t-shirts taking up the precious space that you have!
I found that it worked best for me to pack the necessities: my favorite clothing/shoes/accessories and little decor items that I can’t live without. Think about the last time you wore half of the items in your closet and only bring what you know you’ll wear! It’s better to bring your absolute favorites and have your family ship the few things you forgot than feeling cramped in your brand new space.
As far as decor, you really won’t know what you want in your apartment until you’re physically there. There’s always a Target or Home Goods around the corner, after all!
Get to Know the Neighborhood
Find your favorite local grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaner, and restaurant before you become completely overwhelmed with your work/school obligations. That way you won’t waste your free time on the weekends searching for the closest grocery store when you’re out of eggs! For me, it was really nice to develop a small routine like this to get in the practice of purchasing groceries each week and meal prepping.
Get Involved
Join a nearby fitness studio, running club, or book club. Find your people that like to do what you do and make some friends in unexpected places. Even though it can be kind of scary, try every new experience and make new connections! The city truly is smaller than it feels and chances are you’ll run into the same people at your favorite restaurant or bar.
I can’t wait to share more of my journey in NYC with you all! Thanks for reading 🙂
XX,
J
