"I don't wanna live here."

I went to Seattle and Portland not just to visit but to figure out if the Pacific Northwest is where I want to make my next move to. Come to find out...

I don't want to live there.

I'm not sure why. I wish I could be say "it's this, this and this" but I honestly don't know. It just doesn't feel right for me. Which is kind of odd because I really love both Seattle and Portland. They are both gorgeous places, there are trees and mountains and water and bridges everywhere. There is AMAZING food which is extremely important to me and they are both very artistic places. On paper, so many things about both of those places seem 100% right but I can't deny the fact that I didn't feel it when I was there.

It's been kind of blowing my mind. A year or two ago I think I would have moved without question. So what changed? I thought I still wanted the same things in the place I move to but apparently I don't. Maybe it's the people or the big city. I would say maybe it's the weather but for the most part it was pretty nice while I was there and I can't really complain about the weather. I've never experienced the never ending days of rain. I'm not sure what it is.

I went to check out an art school in Portland and it really was exactly what I'm looking for. A small arts and craft college with an older student body and it was amazing. Made me want to be at school tomorrow and learning how to be a better artist. That said, it still didn't make Portland seem right.

I'm hoping that once I figure out where I want to go the why of "not Seattle" or "not Portland" will make more sense. I find myself being drawn more and more to the midwest and east. To smaller big cities and a slower pace. There are a lot of schools for me to go see in lots of different places. Hopefully one will speak to me and I'll be on my way.