It's been almost a year since my last tattoo, though I've got a new design for my son's name that I'll be getting in a few weeks. But I've noticed a change in my attitude about life since getting married and becoming a father, and it's hard to say whether it's good or bad. I've found that I don't get excited about the less practical things in life like I used to, such as art, tattoos, etc. I still enjoy a few hobbies, such as collecting heavy metal music, dabbling in sculpture and drawing, yoga, and working on a couple of writing projects, but the passion that I felt for art, home decoration, and tattoos has faded. Of course it can be hard to find the right "crowd" to stimulate one's inspiration, but for me, it's more than just running low on inspirational fuel.
I've always been an aesthetically- and dramatically- minded person, and art, music, and movies were my life a few years prior. Now I find that the energy, excitement, and effort that I directed towards these self-focused enjoyments have now been placed on my new family. I still enjoy my old pursuits, but I can't justify spending as much money, time, and energy on these things like I used to. And the things is, I don't really mind. I'm not cynical and judging all impractical things like art as narcissistic and self-promoting but I now feel outside the scene that I was so immersed in before.
Now this sounds like a classic case of cool-dude-gets-a-family-and-becomes-boring syndrome, and perhaps it is to some degree, but I believe that as long as one finds enjoyment in one's life, the source of that enjoyment is irrelevant (unless of course it involves something perverse or illegal). Seeing my family sleeping safe and warm brings me great happiness that otherwise would have been spent on myself. People look at me and often assume I'm a hedonistic party animal, and I enjoy telling them about my simple, normal, domestic life. The course of the river has changed, but the water remains the same. And I think in a few years, I'll be able to appreciate the less practical things a bit more as well.
I've always been an aesthetically- and dramatically- minded person, and art, music, and movies were my life a few years prior. Now I find that the energy, excitement, and effort that I directed towards these self-focused enjoyments have now been placed on my new family. I still enjoy my old pursuits, but I can't justify spending as much money, time, and energy on these things like I used to. And the things is, I don't really mind. I'm not cynical and judging all impractical things like art as narcissistic and self-promoting but I now feel outside the scene that I was so immersed in before.
Now this sounds like a classic case of cool-dude-gets-a-family-and-becomes-boring syndrome, and perhaps it is to some degree, but I believe that as long as one finds enjoyment in one's life, the source of that enjoyment is irrelevant (unless of course it involves something perverse or illegal). Seeing my family sleeping safe and warm brings me great happiness that otherwise would have been spent on myself. People look at me and often assume I'm a hedonistic party animal, and I enjoy telling them about my simple, normal, domestic life. The course of the river has changed, but the water remains the same. And I think in a few years, I'll be able to appreciate the less practical things a bit more as well.
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