Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Tarakanova.
Hi Diana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Mukachevo, a small town in western Ukraine known for its centuries-old castle overlooking the city. As a child, drawing became my way of exploring the world long before I could express it with words.
I started tattooing as a teenager, and over time I realized I wasn’t just creating tattoos I was building a world.
That world became Shoekids: a universe of original characters inspired by childhood imagination, curiosity, and nostalgia. Through tattoos, illustrations, and storytelling, I explore the idea that growing up doesn’t have to mean leaving playfulness behind.
Over the past few years, I’ve traveled as a guest tattoo artist across 45 U.S. states and throughout Europe, meeting hundreds of people who connected with these characters and made them part of their own stories.
Today, Shoekids has grown beyond tattooing into books, prints, enamel pins, and collectible art. My goal is to create work that reminds people to protect the imagination they had as children even as adults.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all.
For a long time, I thought my job was simply to make beautiful tattoos. Eventually I realized I was trying to build something much bigger a universe with its own characters, stories, and values. That shift took years.
One of the hardest parts has been learning to trust my own ideas instead of chasing trends or outside validation. Building an original world is much slower than following what’s already popular, but I believe that’s what gives Shoekids its identity.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a tattoo artist, illustrator, and the creator of Shoekids an original universe built around recurring characters and storytelling.
While tattooing is my primary medium, I don’t see each piece as a standalone design. Every tattoo becomes part of a larger world with its own visual language, characters, and emotions. Clients don’t just collect a tattoo they become part of the Shoekids story.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I believe we’re never too old to play, imagine, or tell stories. Shoekids is my way of keeping that part of myself alive, and I’m grateful that so many people around the world have chosen to become part of that journey
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tattoodiaz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarakanovaink?igsh=MTZjeGoyaWZsMzE3NA==
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tarakanova_ink
- Other: https://x.com/shoekids__?s=11
