Mix it up & change your life
Sometimes you get a job that ticks all the boxes – not boring or “samey” like some of the property work, it gets you out and about, and you get to meet some interesting or inspirational people. For the first 20 years of my working life, I compromised, and went with the flow in order to pay the bills. Some folk were doing the same job for 30-odd years – just counting down the years until they could retire. It’s got to be the saddest attitude ever, as being young is the greatest thing in the world, and the period when you’re fit & healthy should be the time that you do the stuff that makes you happy. Trying to do it in your sixties is a bit pointless, as you’ll inevitably be saddled with decades of a “no-can-do” attitude, and the accompanying loss of health associated with being forced to exist in a world in which you’ve accepted your fate.
Change & movement means survival. It’s a basic law of the natural world, which hates anything that is static. It’s why Wildebeest and birds travel thousands of miles between seasons. If you’re heavily overweight because of overeating, you’re going to suffer unless you change, if you smoke and drink to excess, you’re going to die early unless you change, and if you commit your whole working life to a soulless job in an office just because of a “steady retirement income”, you are going to have psychological issues for the rest of your life unless you change.
I used to have some regular gigs with the Open University, before everybody stopped promoting themselves, and turned to Twitter and all that shit. I’d cover the graduation ceremonies at The Sage, Gateshead – profiling some of the people who had changed their lives by studying part time.
I’ll not go through the entire life stories of the subjects of the profiles, but simply explain the nature of the job I was commissioned to do.
I was given 4 case studies from the Open University’s annual graduate list, and given the job of setting up environmental portraits which illustrated the changes they’d made in their lives due to their studies. They started with a new mother, who’d needed a career which could allow her the freedom to work from home, and still provide a good income for her family. She studied part time for a Computer Studies degree, and successfully secured part-time employment which paid well, and ensured that she had time to do the equally important job of spending essential time with her child. I was despatched to her home office, where she was spending the day doing coding things in her pyjamas! A few different scenarios were shot, and the images seemed to sum the whole situation up perfectly.
A graduate qualification in some sort of Equine studies, allowed my next case to pursue the dream of a career with horses. The shots were very easy to stage – with the help of some feed to keep Mr. Horse happy.
Submariner to plumber anyone? Leaving the forces can present a challenge to those who aren’t prepared for it – the shock of civilian life after the structure, rigidity, and intense-teamwork of the armed forces, can destroy some people. the lack of continued support upon being discharged seems to be one of the scandals of our age, and the instances of mental illness, drink and drugs misuse, and homelessness among ex-service personnel is well documented. This guy faced the gap in his life head on, used the skills he’s attained in the Navy, and got qualified to become an asset to a trade. I was sent to a new-build housing estate, where he was installing the heating systems throughout. Corny PR photo anybody?
I can’t actually remember what my last case study graduated with, and what she did with it, but I remember photographing her with two of her pals in the now-closed Intermezzo cafe on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle. We had a bit of a drama outside, as an old woman accidentally stepped into a very deep, wet concrete pit which had just been filled as part of the pavement extension. She went in up to her hips, and it took me and 3 workmen to get her out. She was completely covered in concrete, which we tried to remove with the paper towels from the cafe. Wish I’d got a picture of that. I ruined a whole set of clothes, and my shoes were completely knackered.
Anyway, it all illustrates the principle of mixing things up now and then to keep your life interesting. I know that responsibilities, especially children, get in the way of dreams and wishes, but even small changes can make all the difference by presenting new opportunities in the longer term. Go on holiday with backpacks on, and find places to stay along the way, go to night classes and learn Italian, give up alcohol for 6 months, adopt a nightmare dog. These guys changed their lives, I did it – you can too
