I was speaking to my mum about her imminent retirement – something that only recently has become a near possibility – and what she plans on doing once she does retire. She spoke about returning to painting, which is something she hasn’t had the opportunity to do amidst full time work. She said that she wants to spend more time around art, more time seeing the exhibitions and pieces she hasn’t seen. There was an excitement in her eyes that I haven’t really seen for a while now as she has been so focused on her full time work for such a long time, as long as I can really remember.

We spoke about her routine at work and the boundaries this routine places on her ability to imagine. The repetition of her work in administration over an extended period of time creates a routine that begins as soon as she opens her eyes in the morning and finishes only once she drifts off to sleep. It is something that is beyond her control; something she no longer questions. The thought of retirement is so jarring: when she thinks about it, it is the only time she is removed from the routine, able to look down upon it and then away to the boundless plains that spread so far in every direction.

THE FILM:

A documentary on what people are doing vs. what they’d like to be doing (not necessarily career-wise but I imagine that’s what it will gravitate towards). Including questions about what they’ve always been drawn to, what they’ve been expected to do, what they’d like to do when they retire. I will attempt to interview some children and then compare their perspective to the adults that I interview, and will include some questions about what these people were drawn to as children.

If I’m pleased enough with this project I hope to return to it down the track, interviewing the same people in a number of years’ time.