Karla Renee Williams

What inspired your most recent tattoo?

I walked into the shop in Salem to meet Kelly Doty, my artist. I had told her about myself in an online form and asked her to draw something that reflected "me" back at myself. She drew an incredible new school badass woman with a crow emerging on a branch from the heart. I could never have imagined it for myself, but it is a perfect representation of me with the moon lighting the background and swirls of vibrant color surrounding her. I was inspired by Kelly's unique point of view.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

It would be a quiet voice, a gentle and settled sound. It would tell you tales of journeys around the globe, of powerful pieces of art. It would laugh and smile and remember intimate moments with the artists and whispered secrets about our lives and dreams. It would talk about how happy it makes me, the proud wearer. It would enchant as it recounted that beautiful balance between pain and ultimate product.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would take myself on a much needed holiday away from work and go somewhere warm and still with gorgeous water. And with the remaining $20+k, I would most likely invest in new tattoos that I've been wanting - completing my other sleeve and beginning to work on my other thigh. I have two ideas that I've been excited about for awhile but need the funds to make the kind of investment that's needed for them to be done with the highest quality.