In my last post I published a video where I had a timelapse of me getting my new tattoo in Madrid. And now I want to share the thoughts and the story behind this very new ink that I’ve added to my body.
But first I want to shout out to Tattoo Magic Calle Colon for making such an amazing piece! I love it to bits and it’s just what I wanted. If you’re ever in Madrid, looking for a place to get inked, I would highly recommend that you check them out!
http://www.tattoomagiccallecolon.es/
Now let me tell you how the idea came to life. Well firstly, my relationship to traditional style tattoos and the colors that I’m going for these days, started with the tattoo that my sister and I got in Las Vegas. We got a set of matching birds that says “big sis” and “lil sis” on them. I love that tattoo so much. Every time I look down and see it, I’m reminded of how much I love my sister and how much fun we had on that trip. The colors and the style just felt very me, instantly! And the idea of getting tattoos as souvenirs was born.
Almost two years would pass before I got a new inked souvenir. This one I got when I went to Texas. I wanted an anchor with flowers, and these are both symbols that represent my dad. He’s a sailor at heart, and him and I used to live on a boat when I was a kid. He has that hard shell of a sailor, but he’s also the softest, most creative and romantic person I know.
Now my latest addition to the collection represents the journey I’ve been on for the last two years or so, and is also a reminder for me to strive to do the things that I love.
When I became single again about two years ago, I really discovered myself anew. It was an interesting process, and one that I needed to go through. I learned to love myself in a whole new way. I started to take care of my body in new ways. I made lists and plans for what I wanted to do, just for me. And I started to truly put my focus into my creative work. I wrote more, made more videos, and then I started to travel more. Not long trips (because I don’t have the money for that just yet), but new adventures none the less.
I realised that if I wanted to be the kind of writer that I aspire to be, I have to tell great stories. I can’t write great stories unless I live a great story.
I’m not sure how that sentence came to me, but I ended up writing it on the wall in my living room, just so that I would be reminded of it every single day. And then when the opportunity to travel to Madrid with work came along, the idea of getting my next souvenir was pretty clear. I knew I wanted the text because of what it has meant to me so far. How it defines the life that I want to lead. I also wanted the globe, because one of the things that I’ve discovered the last two years is my love for traveling alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel with people as well, but there’s something very special about going on adventures by yourself. Part of wanting to Live a Great Story, is to expand my own mind. One of the best ways for me to do that is to travel to new places, get new impulses and see new faces. Get to know people along the way. I love it so much that sometimes I struggle to find the words to say how important it has become for my wellbeing.
So I got the tattoo, and it is now a wonderful reminder of where I’m headed as well as where I’ve been. And then my tattoo ended up sending me on a new journey. There’s a wonderful community of people that aspire to Live a Great Story! And through Instagram they discovered my tattoo and my story. And now I can proudly say that I’m a season 3 LIVE Ambassador for Live a Great Story! I will share more about this in another post soon!
I’m very excited about 2018, and I have to say that it has come off to a great start already!
I hope all of you had a good start to 2018 too!
Talk to you soon lovelies!
Christina de Vries 