Ali Smith - Work in Norwich

From NY to Norwich… 1 year later.

It’s been almost a year since the Guardian published my article about relocating to Norwich after a lifetime in my hometown of New York City, and I’m very happy to report that I’m still (and increasingly) thrilled to be here.

The article was written during my first blush of “new love” with Norwich. After it came out came the seeping-in of life’s mundane complications: the confusion of filing taxes in an unfamiliar system, the rebuilding of a side-swiped career, challenges accessing healthcare via the NHS (which I wholeheartedly believe in).

I subsequently went into a bit of an emotional dip, wondering whether I’d made a horrible mistake. But I’m well on the other side of that now and feeling more resolved in my choice than ever.

‘The creative community here has helped me grow a lot.’

That may sound unusual coming from New York City where creative people and opportunities are in abundance. And New York is a wonderfully open city full of potential. But it’s also overwhelming and right now, I need some space and calm to become the best version of myself. So far, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a “winner-takes-all” mentality amongst artists here as I’ve often felt in New York where the competition is fierce, the lifestyle is challenging, and the money-wins are arguably much bigger. The potential earning here is smaller, but the living is cheaper. And the sharing of information—about grants, day-rates and client lists—has been more generous. That’s a change that caught me off guard and which I welcome.

As for the makeup of the city itself, every time I see a cute little business shut down, I fear they’ll replace it with something bigger. But often enough, another lovely shop or restaurant or something community-oriented will open in its place (although, let’s be real, sometimes it’s a bank). I’m getting used to the ebb and flow of it; the ever-evolving state of this city.

Joshua Bright

Norwich seems very regenerative and alive in that way.

One advantage of being new to a place is that my eyes and my mind are wide open and eager to be filled up. So just when I think I’ve met every person it makes sense for me to meet, there are more! More artists, writers, musicians. More creative clusters and exciting bands to indulge in (thank you, the Neutrinos!). New kindnesses and generosities to receive. Several successful musicians I knew in New York have even come through here on tour. All of this feels like an embarrassment of riches.

Like peeling an onion, there’s been layer upon layer of inspirational people and communities to discover. People doing amazing work at the Norwich Arts Centre, the National Centre for Writing, Norfolk Network, the American Library and the Norwich University of the Arts to mention a few. We’ve collaborated on all sorts of fun, funny, expansive, sometimes-a-bit bonkers events and projects.

I released a memoir, the Ballad of Speedball Baby, at the start of 2024 and the enthusiastic support I’ve felt for events surrounding it — parties at the Book Hive and American Library at the Forum, talks at the National Centre for Writing and Norwich University of the Arts, interviews on BBC Sounds and BBC Norfolk and Future Radio— has made the experience incredibly fun.

The Ballad of Speedball Baby

A different pace of life

Undoubtedly, there were some initial culture shocks; New York operates at a very fast pace all the time, whether you’re buying a bagel, pushing your way onto the subway, or running a huge photo set. It took a while to adjust to the slower pace here and I found myself unintentionally talking laps around people before, relieved and contrite, making a concerted effort to leave some space. I also didn’t fully predict how badly my decades’ long, successful careers in photography and writing would be undermined by the move.

Initially I did a few commercial jobs here based on my reputation and track record, and I charged a low-end version of what I would have charged in New York. That quickly revealed itself to be a bit more than the market would bear, so I’ve had to adjust and recognise the need to focus on other markets like London as well. I’m still figuring out what all that looks like.

Moving to the UK from the US

I’m actually glad I didn’t really know in advance how challenging and expensive the bureaucracy and logistics of moving countries would be. And even though I’ve got the very real advantages of having enough money for a lawyer and speaking the language, bureaucratically, and sometimes socially, it can feel very “othering” to be an immigrant.

I was blissfully ignorant about small but consequential details, like the fact that my stellar credit rating wouldn’t follow me from America, but my need to file taxes there would. These and other difficulties might have deterred me, so I’m genuinely glad I didn’t have the full picture prior because moving here has enriched my, and my family’s, lives immensely. As poet Mary Oliver says, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? I’m glad I was bold. It’s a big old world out there, and any city can become just another small town after a while if you become small in your mind.

Great things about Norwich

I love walking and, basically, eating my way through the city. After all, I’m a native New Yorker. It’s what we do.

On my way into the city centre, I may grab a gluten free vegetable frittata at Cupcake & Co. on Upper St. Giles, or a peanut butter and date smoothie at Cherry Leaf Cafe.

Then I’ll work on my next book or answer emails in the Millenium or NUA Library. A Beryl scooter will take me down to Magdalen street to shop for my new home in the charity shops there, before meeting a friend for tea at the Merchant’s House and poking through the pop-up craft vendors at Anteros. In the evenings, my pals Clark and Zuppardi might be playing one of their monthly gigs there.

Sometimes setting my mind in the proper space to write requires a wander through the maze at the Cathedral, during which I consider the shape and weight of life. But equally, a laugh with the ever-entertaining and passionate-author-supporting Henry at the Book Hive helps me love the creative process more by not taking it deadly seriously.

My bulk nuts and sundries come from Ernie’s Zero Waste shop and locally grown kale (yes, I recognize that’s excruciatingly middle class) and dinner-bits come from the Green Grocers off Earlham Road.

All the while, I’ll pass people who make my day brighter. People who I feel have become natural friends in a short period of time. Other ex-pats, artists, musicians, local business owners. It feels very much like being in my old neighbourhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Full of art, creativity, familiarity and friendship.

Ali Smith

About Ali Smith

Ali is a portrait and documentary photographer and writer, contributing regularly to the Guardian, the Observer, the New Review, the New York Times and other publications internationally.

She’s shot advertising and promotional campaigns for Rimmel, Disney, Johnson & Johnson and many others, and has released two critically acclaimed books of photography. The most recent, Momma Love; How the Mother Half Lives, won two international book awards, was featured by the NY Times (and others), activist Gloria Steinem called it a gift to moms, and photographer Amy Arbus deemed it “essential.”

Ali’s memoir, the Ballad of Speedball Baby, is her story— alternately hilarious and heart-breaking – of being the only woman in an influential, 90s New York punk band.

Read Ali’s full biography here