Turns Out, Artists Make Better Art When They Can Afford Rent

Maya Shekoni

7 hours ago

4 min read

Every young creative aspires to move to New York. Maybe London or Paris. One region creatives often overlook is Scandinavia. Sure, it is quiet, cold and dark. But it continues to produce some of the most exciting artists, brands, and designers, including ABBA, Aurora, Zara Larsson, Ganni, H&M, Acne Studios, IKEA, and Spotify. The reason runs deeper than talent alone; these places might just be the ideal environment to build a creative career right now.

For decades, young creatives have followed the same path. They move to NYC or LA and hustle, but that dream is becoming harder to sustain. Rents in both cities have reached a point where surviving, let alone creating, has become a full-time job. The energy that once made these cities magnetic has been replaced by exhaustion: endless networking, recycled conversations that rarely move past introductions.

Los Angeles taught me this firsthand. The weather is perfect, which sounds like a dream until you realize that nothing ever changes. The same sun can leave you chasing the same ideas and writing the same songs.

The people are warm but often inconsistent, full of enthusiasm one day and impossible to reach the next. It is a city that promises everything but also fails to deliver.

Scandinavia offers something different. It may not offer glamour or hustle, not even the promise of overnight success, but it offers something more valuable: the conditions to actually develop your craft.

When I entered Norway’s music scene, I was surprised by the level of talent. People shared contacts, exchanged ideas freely, and wanted to see one another succeed. That genuine generosity showed in the work.

Scandinavia continues to invest in arts education, meaning that young creatives enter the industry already equipped with knowledge and originality. By the time young artists are making music, designing clothes, or building creative businesses, they are already years ahead. Creativity is not treated as a gamble. Culture has been deemed worth funding.

Here is something nobody tells you about Scandinavia. A janitor or retail worker can live a relatively good life. Strong unions, generous minimum wages, and robust social safety nets mean even the lowest-paid workers are not one missed paycheck away from disaster. An artist could not only survive, but also live.

For a young creative, this changes everything. In New York or Los Angeles, art is a luxury you pursue after you have paid rent, covered your bills and finished your shift. In Scandinavia, the economic structure gives people time. People have time to create, experiment and try again without losing everything.

The work-life balance reinforces this. Scandinavians work to live, not the other way around. Long hours and burnout are not badges of honor. The culture protects the time and space artists need to create, experiment, and develop their ideas.

I spoke with Amoin, an R&B artist and dancer based in Oslo:

“We have more peace of mind because you can work part-time and that can be enough. It gives you so much freedom, and you have a lot of space to work on your art or even go get inspired.”

She introduced the idea of Janteloven, a core concept prevalent in Scandinavian society. It centres on modesty and egalitarianism.

“Because of Janteloven, we put authenticity at the centre of what we do: you’re not supposed to show off, you’re not supposed to be great, everything should be authentic. People are humble; they don’t try to make anything big out of themselves. They will see the perspective and learn from that.”

This philosophy extends beyond music. Scandinavian fashion tells the same story.

While much of the industry rewards constant reinvention, Scandinavian designers have built an international reputation on minimalism, functionality and timeless design. Brands like Acne Studios, GANNI, and Toteme have built global followings not through excess or spectacle, but through authenticity. These are not only design choices, but reflections of a broader cultural philosophy.

Similarly, American artist Ainae Nielsen was completely transformed by living in Scandinavia. Even though she now lives in America, she is going on her first tour inspired by her life in Norway.

"Contrary to most other opinions, it was the most free I felt," she told me. "The US feels cluttered, but in Norway I could finally focus on what mattered most, which is my art. I put my 10,000 hours in. Being there felt like the quiet I needed. It brought everything into perspective."

That clarity changed her trajectory: "I don't think I would have had my priorities in order if I hadn't gone to Scandinavia," she said. "Seek out your dreams. You have to try it for your soul."

Both artists are products of a system that funds creativity and gives artists the economic stability to take risks.

As an artist myself, I personally left Scandinavia a completely different person.

I became not only a better artist, but someone who thinks about creativity differently. In America, we are taught that creativity is a solo pursuit. You grind alone, protect your ideas and outwork everyone around you. Scandinavia showed me something else entirely. Creativity is meant to be shared. Collaboration is not a weakness or a compromise; it is the whole point.

Artists coming out of this region understand this instinctively because it is ingrained into the culture.

Gen Z is already paying attention. The growing influence of Scandinavian music, fashion and design suggests that young creatives are increasingly drawn to authenticity over spectacle.

Even though the Big Apple and Hollywood will remain popular destinations for artists hoping to break through, the future of creativity is emerging somewhere quieter. And for any young creative wondering where to go next, it might just be worth getting on a plane.