Relocating abroad as a creative: three designers provide insights on culture, community, and care

Relocating to a new city, especially in a foreign country, is an experience that combines excitement with anxiety, challenges with opportunities, and a mix of the unfamiliar with the thrilling. Often embarked upon by creatives seeking fresh inspiration and new horizons, the process is filled with both logistical and emotional hurdles. Yet as our three contributors – Arthur Foliard from Koto, Khyati Trehan and Suzy Chan – can attest, the laborious visa processes, frantic housing searches and occasional language faux-pas are worth it. Having been through the experience of packing up, hopping on a plane and starting a new life (if only it were that straightforward!), we spoke to the three designers to understand the social, cultural and personal shifts that take place. Here, their stories illuminate the immense personal and professional growth that comes with such a move. The initial decision: why move? Unless you have zero responsibilities and bagfuls of cash, the decision to move abroad is rarely taken lightly. For many, it’s driven by professional opportunities, such as the chance to work at a prestigious company or seek a particular career path. Khyati Trehan, who moved from India to New York City, took the leap to grab an opportunity to collaborate with the Google Creative Lab, where she works as a designer now. In her opinion, these kinds of moves are “often a significant decision to pursue specific professional or academic paths for a finite amount of time.” This was also the case for graphic designer and visual artist Suzy Chan, who moved to London at 21 to study design at the London College of Communication, at the University of the Arts London. “I moved to Germany for my job at Adidas, but I ended up returning to London because I liked it better than Germany,” Chan tells us. For Creative Director Arthur Foliard, who relocated from London to New York City to set up Koto’s studio, the decision was tied to the company’s expansion into the New York market, and the fact that “the founders (and I) felt ready for this new challenge,” he says.