Since Rio was a destination I dreamt of for a long time, I wanted to do something memorable to mark the occasion. When my friend expressed interest in getting a tattoo, I took it as confirmation since the idea had crossed my mind a time or two or three. Before we went away, we both ordered a temporary tattoo from Imprint so that we could have a few weeks deciding if we really liked our tattoo ideas. I always think tattoos sound great in theory, but liking them when they are actually on your body is a different thing altogether. However, that’s why a lot of people do say to get a tattoo that means something to you. By doing that, it would be difficult to hate it. One of my friends actually got a tattoo of a Russian nesting doll the other day. That’s a beautiful expression of art to have tattooed on your body. It has significant meaning to her because the matryoshka dolls are symbolic of mothers, so getting a tattoo of a matryoshka doll would show love for your mother. She seems to really like her tattoo and its meaning. Whilst that’s a lovely idea, we’ve already planned our tattoo fonts and designs. I’m glad we did reflect on our designs beforehand, as it reassured us both that we loved our designs. Unfamiliar with the tattoo scene in Rio de Janeiro, I began to search the internet for reviews and recommendations and found a couple of shops that caught my eye. Unfortunately, they were booked solid for days ahead and we only had a couple of days left in Rio. Then we came across a shop in Ipanema called Carnificina Tattoo and after looking at some samples of their work, we felt comfortable with them and once working out the cost the only question left was what to get exactly.
I knew I wanted something that was representative of travel but not in an obvious way. I didn’t just want a plane, compass or a passport stamp. I’ve seen amazing versions of tattoos of these images, but that’s not me. I am a lover of good, powerful and meaningful words so when I said, “going going gone” aloud it just made sense. The “going going” represents all the time I spent making plans and never seeing them through; watching everyone take the trips I’ve dreamt of and being content in that. But “gone” signals change. When I said, enough is enough and embarked on my adventures, and I haven’t looked back since. Here’s to staying gone…
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