Being a Father

It is inevitable to talk about your children once they are yours, But I let the kid live a private life so I will talk about being a father. Being a father did not hit me when we first laid eyes. That was clinical and every look was so to make sure that the baby was okay. When it finally did hit me about 6 weeks later, it was transcendent, and there were tears. That happened exactly once.

But what no one ever told me was about the unrequited love between a parent and child. Yes, you may love each other, but it is in different ways, and certainly not always at the same time. The first look that let me know I was uncool put me in dismay. The convoluted history of being a un-cherished generation synthesized with a glance.

And very well fortunately, that is my situation, and one that I expect to shift as the baby gets older. I need not specify the hardships confronted to gain these tender mercies, not out of politeness, but out of the fact that, in playing with baby, my inner child has been fully brought forth. We cannot remember the hardships.

You might know me from my vocation in Music as an Art, and I will easily address that. I had bought into the narrative that you needed to commercialize your art into a product and turn the whole thing into an efficient business, and that the way of the starving artist was romantic propaganda. There is a 3rd path, of the self-funded Artist. I suspect even most of you whom are reading this can fit into this category. Simply put, in childlike terms— you are a sort of pirate—But a nice pirate, who does a job, does it well, and makes cool things after you clock out. These cool things even shake the foundation of corrupt systems like an earthquake does. Neat!! I fill my house with sorted objects, invest in bespoke furniture, work with woodworkers, hang my friend’s art on the walls. We make a room POP!!! Having this private practice has enriched my life and has fit cleanly into its proper role as a vocation. But mostly this true culture born from the spirit of a thirst for the truth, has given baby a rockin’ home inheriting the gospel truth through art like a fish swimming through water.

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Tre Shortland