We recently connected with Charissa Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Charissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
Tattooing has long been dismissed as dangerous and unlawful, marking those who seemingly reflected the failures of mainstream American society. Wearing ink in one’s skin set the wearer aside as violent, irresponsible, or unacceptable. In my years as a Tattoo Artist, I have seen and been seen as these negative sentiments. Comments like, “Well, what’s your real job?”, “You look like a criminal.” & “Why would you ruin your beautiful white skin like that?”. All of which brought me to pause at their perception of what tattooing is and isn’t.
The reality of what tattooing is exists far outside of those limited and uneducated comments. Those negative sentiments have vastly changed both socially and in perception as a new generation of Tattooers make their literal mark. My colleges & fellow artists are continuously changing the industry to reflect the craft & art form Tattooing truly is. I’m surrounded by Painters, Digital Designers, Craftspeople, Sculptors, & multi-disciplinarian Artists who use their talents to elevate their tattoo artwork. That is the reality of Tattooing in 2026 in the Eastern United States.
A classic meme describes this shift perfectly. “Don’t you know your body is a temple?” Looms over an image of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. The artwork littering those walls & ceilings is one of the pinnacles of high art, ironically housed in a literal temple. Proving our bodies are temples that we are privileged to adorn & visually reflect our personhood. Tattoos are a partnership between Artist & Canvas, sacred if that space is held. I’ve noticed the Tattoo Artists that take that sacred responsibility to create original art that reflects soul. They are not few & far between.
Time & Tide Art Collective & Tattoo Studio is the sacred space my tattoos are created. I invited you to come to Meriden, Connecticut & see for yourself what tattooing can be. Our walls are covered with paintings, lit with sunlight brimming thru green plants of all kinds. My fellow artists partner with me to create a clean & welcoming environment where design & quality tattoos are the focus. Good work takes time, just has Michelangelo & his crew took years learning & creating their craft. We take our time ensuring each tattoo is an original piece of art created for the wearer.
I hold respect for the Tattooers who came before me in dark little studios creating & perfecting their craft while American society found every reason to hide them away. Today, I get to reap the benefits of a strong Tattoo community that is proud to loudly make and wear Body Art. Tattoos are not everyone’s way of celebrating their bodies; however, I am glad to be apart of making art that breathes. A Tattoo Artist taught me early on that tattooing is art collecting, as paintings line the walls so does ink line the body. The origin of artists pouring their souls out is the same if you are willing to take the time to find the originality.
So this is my real job. If I look like a criminal, I also look like doctors, pastors, nurses, students, lawyers, teachers, politicians, farmers, parents, chefs, & anyone else I’ve touched with my tattoo machine. I haven’t ruined my beautiful white skin. I’m happier in my skin now more than ever when I look down & see the creativity & soul of other Artists. I remember the conversations & connections thru the pain of each one. I’ve deepened the knowledge of my craft thru each session. I celebrate my body in wonder as I watch my skin heal every time, locking in the ink my Artist and I worked to complete.
Tattooing is art collecting when it is given sacred space to be the outpouring of human souls.
Charissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Chorizo Rose, the owner & creator behind Little Rose Art. I’ve been drawing since I was 4 years old. Professionally, I’ve been creating art for 12 years shifting focus as a painter, designer, muralist, sculptor, movie scenic, portrait artist, & tattooer thru that time. I create original artwork without the theft of another artist’s work or the knowing use of Ai. Tattooing is my current medium of focus where I do my best to create a peaceful studio where my clients & I design their tattoos together, focusing on their vision & comfort.
What sets me apart is my intentionality to detail, where final edits or even a cup of tea is not forgotten. My tattoo designs are not repeated, insuring the wearer of that artwork is the sole owner of that design. I’m so proud to be able to partner with Tide & Time: Art Collective & Tattoo Studio in Meriden, Connecticut, USA where the same intentionality, cleanliness, & passion for art is shared. I do my best to make each tattoo session fun, comfortable & tailored to the preferences of my clients. I always try to create a safe, inclusive space for people of varying abilities, colors, ethnicities, ages, & neurodiversitys.
Check out my website Littleroseart.com to book an appointment, view my portfolio or soak up some tattoo education.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Please support local small artists! Now more than ever, this is extremely important for your wellbeing, your community, & those around you. As convenient and fun as Ai is, please educate yourself on the effects of what widespread use of this technology does. The direct influence Ai has in the art community is growingly devastating. Some tattooers are using Ai to ‘face tune’ their shoddy tattoos. Smoothed shading, solid colors, & crisp lines can all be falsified thru Ai, making it difficult or near impossible to avoid scammy tattooers & unskilled tattoos. Meaning, my artwork becomes less about making original art & more about fixing or covering existing dishonest work. This limits what I am able to achieve on the skin & is a massive safety concern to the health of someone’s skin.
Museums, hotels, conferences & businesses are using AI to create images instead of commissioning breathing Artists to create what they do best. This directly takes money from our pockets & food from our mouths when Artists are being replaced or held to the instantaneous & cheap standards of what Ai is able to achieve. The years of experience, work, passion & time Artist’ dedicate to their art forms is being stolen by a cheap Ai imitation & used for profit. I’ve seen Painters mourn the theft of their work when their paintings are fed to Ai non-consensually & produced on a mass scale without the inclusion, recognition or compensation of that Artist.
The art community is being preyed on by Ai & those choosing to use it for profit. The glossy dead sheen of Ai images pails in comparison to art with soul from breathing Artists. When communities & businesses support Artists, the economy grows, health issues decrease, and overall happiness increases. Breathing art sustains culture & strengthens minds during the creative process.
The environmental effects of Ai are the cherry on top of a growing mountain harm. Companies like Google, Meta, Amazon & Microsoft are building & have completed massive data centers to support Ai platforms. These data centers excessively use water & energy resources that directly raise costs & reduce access for local cities, businesses, & families. The output from these data centers is polluted air, unusable water, and destruction of local ecosystems that influence our food, weather, and health.
Next time you want to ask Chat GBT to generate an image, ask yourself if it’s worth the cost of an Artist having to close their business because they are not profiting off the creation of their art. If it’s worth Painter’s tears as the same painting they spent weeks creating is fed to Ai & sold for pennies. If it’s worth a family of 5 paying $400 more on their electric bill. If it’s worth dirty air, dead wildlife, & poisoned crops. This is the life we are choosing when we fed Art with soul to Ai. We choose. Do better for yourself, your community, & this planet before we don’t have Painters, Tattooers, & Artists.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
What I love about being an Artist is the process of learning, patience, dedication & reward. I get to physically see the effects of my hard work show up on canvas & skin. My privilege is to be able to connect with all kinds of people & learn what inspires them. Without art, I wouldn’t understand myself or others as fully as I do. My job as a Tattoo Artist bringing me to a place of wonder regularly when the images I create with my clients fit just right.
It’s difficult to explain when the right design clicks with someone, but I can see it in their eyes. People light up when artwork made in part by them & for them is born. It’s as if the image sings the song they previously only knew the melody for. It’s beautiful to see & be apart of daily. I’ll be a starving Artist if the world rots & burns. If only to see understanding & be understood thru art one more time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Littleroseart.com
- Instagram: Littleroseart
- Facebook: Little Rose Artwork
- Other: TikTok: littleroseartwork
Image Credits
Anka McGowan Photography