I moved to The Netherlands! (+ other updates)

I finally arrived in the Netherlands this June, and feeling settled in. I'm pretty excited to jump back into projects after a brief hiatus.
Some more information on my move:
Why did I pick Europe?
My long term goal is to explore the boundary between Art and Engineering, and to use their intersection point to design technology. Therefore it was necessary to find a place where both mindsets are alive and healthy. Most places in the world either have one or none. Canada (where I'm from) isn't suitable.
It really is a tough balance to strike - having the open-minded, progressive attitude that is necessary for technological advancement, while also having a culture that favors artistic expression. The especially difficult part is not "being stuck in the past". Many cultures with artistic history seem to hold on to this past for dear life and are unable to adapt to the changing world. Many parts of Europe seem to strike this balance pretty well.
In a more objective sense, I looked at the concentration of my Instagram friends in different parts of the world. The United States has some small pockets scattered around, with the most being in Los Angeles. However there was an overwhelming majority in Europe, and they seemed the most engaged with my projects.
Europe is also very dense and highly networked. Being stationed here means I can easily travel around Europe to meet and collaborate with artists.
I wonder if I am idealizing Europe too much? We'll find out.
How and why did I pick Netherlands?
I was actually considering Montreal at first because within Canada, Montreal is by far the best place for my work. If I had to settle in Canada again, I'd definitely live in Montreal.
I knew Europe was the best and the eventual goal, but it felt so distant. Whenever I looked at pictures of the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum it always seemed like another planet. After some convincing from my dad, I realized it really wasn't that far and an achievable goal. Sad to say but it still took me another year or two of internal debate before I took concrete steps towards moving here.
I had never been to Europe, and I believe it is unwise to randomly pick your new home based on incomplete information (such as pictures, rumours, movies, etc.) so I planned a 3 month trip to explore Europe and find a country and city to live in.
I had a few expectations. I assumed I would settle in Berlin because I believe it is the world capital for my kind of work. If not Berlin, then I would "fall in love" with a place like south of France or Italy because of the beautiful Mediterranean landscape.
Once I started travelling around my approach became much more logical. I can go into more details of this trip another time, but after visiting several countries and cities, my criteria eventually also included:
- English must be common, or at least not frowned upon. In many countries I would have always been an outsider until I learned the local language (which would take years)
- Stable political and economic system
- General attitude of industriousness and innovation
- Clean, organized cities. Appearance isn't everything, but it is a symptom of how the country is functioning beneath the surface
Turns out the Netherlands fit this bill, which was a surprise to me. I wasn't planning on even visiting the Netherlands until I decided to go because several Instagram friends living there told me to visit them. For that I am very very very grateful for the friends I've met through Instagram!
I didn't fall in love with Netherlands right away, it was just a logical choice for me. I only started to feel more attached to the country during my second visit.
Once here, I was impressed with how the cities were designed and operated. I was especially impressed by the deep history of innovation, as they've pioneered advancements in water management, finance, agriculture, computer science and design just to name a few. Seriously look through this list:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Within Netherlands, I had to pick a city. Most cities I visited were great, but I selected Amsterdam as it is a "hub" city. I will meet the most artists, and not only local Dutch artists. Amsterdam is a very popular destination for Europeans so it'll be easier to meet artists from all over Europe when they visit Amsterdam for shows, festivals, or even just vacation.

[@follydentoom1721]

This is epic so now European buyers don’t need to pay import fees and taxes, right?

[@SyntheticState]

Yup just confirmed, no import fees!