Meet Maryna Kravchenko | Tattoo artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maryna Kravchenko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maryna, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is a feeling you have to get used to. I feel Like I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life. I blindly moved to New York from Ukraine when I was 18 knowing very little English . Then again to Miami. Tattooing feels like a huge risk in itself but following a passion is definitely worth it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a self taught tattoo / visual artist. I specialize in hand poking ( non electric, machine free tattooing). Hand poked tattoos are the same as machine tattoos except that the tattoo needle is powered by only the hand creating an image dot by dot . They hurt less and heal faster, and yes sometimes it does take a little longer than traditional machine tattoos. But it’s easier to be lower waste with hand poke than machines, and sustainability is one goal of my art practice. Plus, I find the process very soothing.

I knew that to become a tattoo artist you have to draw a lot. Dedication and discipline are key. When I started tattooing I was still working a side job and had very little time to develop my style. But I started drawing for only 20 minutes a day and it quickly became a daily ritual. Slowly I started practicing on myself until I gained trust from my friends to practice on them.

A lot of my art is inspired by my memories from Kyiv, Ukraine and Brooklyn NY. I have been exposed to diverse tattoo cultures and love bringing my varied perspectives into my artwork. A lot of ideas for my designs come straight from my personal journal. I like to explore the line between real and surreal, trying to find fantasy in the mundane and have fun with it .

With time I learned that you’re never going to please everyone. I try and try again but always have to remember this.
Another important thing for me is to be able to provide a safe space that didn’t feel intimidating to my clients. Tattooing is a very intimate process so I want to make sure everyone is comfortable, including myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I recently went this place called Paradis Books & Bread. They have a great collection of different type of wine, absolutely delicious bread and other snacks, they also have vegan options which is important in my opinion.
It’s a great chill spot. I heard the owners also hail from Brooklyn, which is a sweet little coincidence.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to give a shoutout to one of my most favorite spots in Miami: Tropotrope in Little Haiti. It’s an art center that provides amazing art classes for kids and adults and they also provide a donation based event every Thursday where they invite different local artist to share their craft with others. It was great to find such place where you can truly express yourself, learn new skill without any judgments, meet amazing artist and make friends.

Instagram: @_krasatatt