You may have heard a rumor about me. It’s true! I’ll be moving from Ithaca, NY to Northampton, MA on August 1st, 2009. Photos from a recent trip.
Why am I moving? I'm still working on the answer to this question. Basically, I feel like I need a change in my life. It will be 24 years in August since I arrived. It's been a great town, but I feel like I've done everything I want to do here. I want to shake up my life, meet new people, write new songs, find new collaborators. I'm already talking to a puppeteer I hope to collaborate with and create an entirely new puppet show.
Why Northampton? Once I started thinking about moving, the question was, where should I go? I love the East Coast - the seasons. I don't want to cut myself off completely from Ithaca by moving very far away.
I looked around Boston, where I have friends and relatives, but didn't really find any place that felt like "home." A good friend suggested I might like Northampton, so I decided to visit. When I got there and walked along the street, I felt my heart racing. It just felt exciting and new, yet familiar. This is a place I want to be!
It's a town full of artists, musicians, students, cafes, theaters, and liberal politics. It seems like there are many like-minded people there. Even though I don’t really know anyone there yet, it feels like I can easily make new friends.
From a career perspective, I think it's a good move because Boston and other cities are close by. I'll have easy access to new performing venues.
I plan to continue doing shows in Ithaca and central New York, since it's only about 5 hours away, but I'll try to put all the shows together in a tour. Some of my Ithaca fans might not even know I've left.
In the meantime, I’ve started booking shows in Northampton, and made some great professional contacts. It seems like no one else in Northampton is doing exactly the kind of thing I do, so I should be a welcome addition to the landscape.
So far, everything has been going incredibly smoothly. The people I've met have been really inspiring, and feel like kindred spirits.
There's a lot I will miss about Ithaca. But I am very excited to try this new adventure. Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Sincerely, Tom Knight
7 comments:
I'm happy for you, Tom -- sounds perfect.
May you continue to grow, expand your business, and touch people's lives with humor and joy.
All the best,
Pamela
Hi Tom - it was a treat to meet you tonight! enjoyed your website and videos - hope to see a performance soon! good luck. naomi
we will miss you in ithaca. hope you visit often as promised. my kids will go through withdrawal if you don't. we are looking forward to seeing you in our own trumansburg elementary next weekend. good luck with the move and may you enchant many more children with your music in massachusetts as you have here in ny.
Tom, I don't even know you, yet, I somehow feel connected to you. I found your "Elephant Lullaby" on YouTube and both my 3 yr old and I love it. I decided to see what else you you did and discovered your talent. But the real connection was upstate New York. I hail from Roch, NY but have lived in the DC metro area for [quite] sometime. Ironically, I am also looking for a puppeteer for my son's 4th birthday. A bit far for you perhaps, but yet another connection. Best of luck in your new town and know that you have a new fan... make that two new fans!
We moved away from upstate NY back in 1993. That's around the time we first heard about you. As a matter of fact we were at a store (can't remember the name) on the Ithaca Commons buying your tape and you walked in!!! What a thrill it was to have you autograph our copy. Anyway, we have a brand new grandchild and couldn't wait to buy your music (just bought it off of iTunes) and introduce "Max" to the monkeys, alligators, hippos and pancakes. Thanks for wonderful memories and for making new ones :) The Coles in Lynchburg, VA. By the way, you need a facebook page so I can show you off to all my friends! Ms.Bev
Hi Tom,
We live in Northampton and have seen you at a couple of birthday parties. We didn't realize how recently you moved to the area since we're recent arrivals ourselves, but are so glad you did! Our son is captivated by your music but is worried that you'll miss your old town and move back. We hope you're happy (and that you stay) here!
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