Will creatives really be leaving the UK in droves? If so, why?

Recently, we posted on LinkedIn asking creatives if they were actually leaving the UK, or if they just wanted to.

We expect to get some responses. Instead we got over 100. Some are already gone. Some are counting the months. Some stayed, but the decision was not without doubts.

So what’s going on? Well, I’d love to sum it up in one sentence, but the situation is actually quite complex. This is not a simple story of mass escape and discontent. Now that working remotely makes that question feel like it really has an answer, it’s more of a career assessment of what you really want to achieve.

ground reality

For many, the driver is economic. Thump Studio co-founder Samuel Tinson-Wood talks about his third year running the branding and design agency with his wife Katie. “Work has slowed down across the board, inquiries are down, projects are getting smaller and clients are becoming more cautious, extending their decision-making time,” he explains. “We may not be officially in a recession, but on the ground it feels like the early stages of one. Budgets are under greater scrutiny and long-term brand investments are often the first things to be put off.”

The same shrinkage has been seen by many small and medium-sized studios in the UK. But being based on the Isle of Wight adds an extra layer. “Does that small body of water create more obstacles than we realize?” he mused. “Are we missing out on the dynamism of creative hubs and rapidly growing markets?”

Lou Bones, a creative executive in the British capital, has no such concerns. But she still decided to muster up the courage to travel to Greece. “After 16 years in London, three burnouts, a round of redundancies, the millionth rent increase and the inability to build up a deposit unless you already had an edge, I decided to move and take the risk of working for myself,” she explains.

Lifestyle, Adjustments—and Weather

The destinations that come up most frequently in these discussions are Portugal, Spain, France and Australia, along with Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Japan and Greece. The common denominator is more than just the cost of living. It’s a broader alignment: alignment between how people work and how they want to live. But is the grass always greener elsewhere? This is certainly not a given.

Interior designer Calum Wilson moved to Morzine in the French Alps in 2020, partly because his French partner was returning home, partly because the pandemic had wiped out his savings and the visa window was temporarily open. Five years on, he’s candid about the real costs of living in France.

“It actually makes everything more difficult,” he reports. “Financially, emotionally, professionally. It took me five years to feel fairly stable and reliable, and the only reason it was because I was stubborn enough to want to maintain this lifestyle.”

His office is adjacent to a ski lift for lunchtime skiing, and Geneva provides quick links back to London and Bristol (where his clients are based). This was his dream, he has achieved it and he will encourage others to do the same. “If you want something outside the UK, whether it’s more sunshine, a culture or a hobby, I’d say go for it,” Callum said. “The worst thing that could happen is you move back.”

At the same time, the places that appealed most to Samuel – Brisbane, the Gold Coast, parts of California – also offered something special. “It’s not about escapism; it’s about coordination,” he said. “We wanted to know whether a different environment could unleash new dynamics. Sustained sunshine and warmth may seem superficial, but psychologically it changes pace, optimism and social culture.”

When the visa is not approved

But in reality, the challenges can be huge. Take artistic director Bethia Connolly, who freelanced in Melbourne for two years and came close to staying permanently. She completed the highly regarded Australian Advertising course, ranked in the top ten, and formed a copywriting partnership. But in the end, the visa route was repeatedly closed, not because of a lack of talent, but because of the paperwork.

“I had some possible sponsorship opportunities, and I knew the creative director was advocating for me,” she explains. “But ultimately it’s a matter of red tape. When I found out it wasn’t going to go ahead I was relieved but also heartbroken. They’ve been put off by a large number of administrators, which I’ve heard many times.”

Returning to the UK, she says what she misses most is Melbourne’s blue skies: “It’s not the temperature that affects my mood, it’s the light.” But more broadly, “living abroad changed my perspective. It gave me confidence, resilience and a clear sense of my values.” As a result, she no longer sees home as purely geographical. “It’s a mindset, something you consciously shape to fit how you feel.”

travel business

A recurring theme in these stories is the institution or studio detached from a single location. For example, Ben Jory moved to New Zealand after running creative agency Jory&Co in the UK for eight years and, to his surprise, found his business growing. Half of his team stayed in the Northern Hemisphere; the other half worked with him in the Southern Hemisphere. “We basically built a business that’s not based in one place and has access to the best talent around the world,” he said.

However, the global nature of such operations can make it all a bit emotionally complicated. Take Liam Houlihan as an example. He went to Amsterdam to found Within Design Studio.

“Amsterdam definitely feels like home,” he said. “Things moved pretty fast, actually. My partner and I moved during COVID, so ‘home’ became very literal. That being said, I worked in both New York and London for quite some time, and every time the wheels hit the tarmac, I would feel a pang of homesickness or nostalgia. It made me feel like there was still a part of me in all the places. Home is no longer singular to me, it’s layered. As parts of me form in each place and each chapter I spend my time, they don’t disappear with a new move.”

go home

Traveling abroad isn’t always a one-way trip. Graphic designer Freddie Hall moved to New York when he was 22, working at studios RoAndCo and Red Antler, and creating what he calls an important chapter in his life. Then his niece was born and things changed. He went home. On the face of it, his views on Britain are surprisingly warm.

“Anyway, living outside the UK has made me appreciate how easy our life is here,” he explains. “Grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments, tax returns, even mundane things like returning a parcel felt slightly more complex overseas, and unnecessarily complicated. I knew the UK was far from perfect: the weather, the trains, Nigel Farage… but it wasn’t until I left that I finally fell in love with it.”

He is not alone. Brand designer James West spent five years in New Zealand and returned to Somerset to discover what he had left behind: closer proximity to the people he loved and the ability to jump to another country in a matter of hours. “Home is where the heart is,” he said; a cliché, he admitted, but one whose truth is gained through distance.

What else is there in Britain?

It’s a feeling I’m very familiar with, having lived in Japan for three years from 2004 to 2006. I loved the experience and loved the country, but it also made me realize that there are a lot of things the UK does so well that you don’t notice until they’re gone.

Elizabeth Dewar is another person who can appreciate these subtleties. She grew up in Scotland and the Gulf, built her career in Europe and the UAE, and is now preparing to return to the Gulf with her brand consultancy, Violet Rae.

What is her opinion abroad? “Britain has courage,” she enthuses. “Bad weather and worse political decisions produce dark humor. This keen intelligence is everywhere. There is huge creative freedom in people’s willingness to experiment without polishing everything to perfection. British creativity thrives in the nooks and crannies of life: in pub conversations, street art and the music scene, which feels raw and vibrant.”

However, it was a different energy that drew her back to the Bay. “Here, if you say ‘I’m building something,’ the response isn’t narrow skepticism or a change of subject,” she explains. “It’s: ‘Great, tell me more, how can I help?’ That combination of optimism, curiosity and willingness to act is priceless.”

Main points

The UK has always been a world-class place for manufacturing, collaboration and careers. But for a generation of creatives who can literally work from anywhere, and whose purchasing power and career space is quietly tightening, they are asking the question with urgency and, increasingly, taking action.

Therefore, these honest reports are neither fairy tales nor cautionary tales. Like most decisions in life, in a sentence, “it’s complicated.”