Bermudian tattoo artist Mario Johnston moved to the US eight years ago — on one hand to hone his inking skills in an international market, but also to be closer to a woman he fell for while on a cruise to the Caribbean.Lucky for him both his career and relationship plans worked out.He is now married to the woman of his dreams and running his own tattoo parlour, called White Crane Tattoo, in Sharonville, Ohio.Since opening the studio two years ago, he said it has become one of the busiest in the city. Not only are his artists’ wait times exceeding one month, but people also have to book eight months in advance before they can sit in Mr Johnston’s chair.If that’s not enough the budding tattooist has also won around 14 or 15 awards for his designs at tattoo conventions across the US and Canada. His work has also been featured in a few magazines, the latest being Tattoos for Men’s July/August 2013 publication.Mr Johnston will be celebrating his ten-year anniversary in tattooing this month. He said it was still rewarding to this day, to give clients a piece of ink that they are happy with when they first look in the mirror.“People usually get something done that makes them feel better about themselves,” Mr Johnston said. “It’s nice to know I have a small part in that.“You take their idea and just have to transfer it onto the skin.“It’s great to know someone appreciates the art work and you have done something they can be proud to carry around with them for the rest of their life.”Mr Johnston began drawing and daydreaming when he was old enough to pick up a pencil, but while art and English came naturally to him, other areas in his academic life were a struggle.“Art and English isn’t really enough to get you a diploma,” he said. “After I dropped out of high school I thought ‘What do I do now?’ and ‘What does life have for me?’ So I took night classes and got my GED.”In his late teenage years he was initially adamant about not becoming a tattoo artist.Some friends had encouraged him to look into the field and would ask him to design tattoos for them, but it wasn’t until local artist Joe Mathias (of Smokin Joes) offered him an apprenticeship that he changed his mind.“I was initially hesitant because there is no eraser with tattooing and you don’t get the opportunity to mess up,” he said.“It isn’t like paper you can’t throw it away, but Smokin Joe changed my mind.“When I met him he was working by himself at the time and talked me into it by saying it was different from art work, airbrushing or painting, because people wear this and it lasts longer than a lot of other things you can buy.”Mr Johnston decided it would be a good way to make money after knocking off from his day job at World Distributors. He also liked the challenge of creating new designs.But then the time came in 2005, when he wanted to take his career to the next level. He had seen amazing tattoos styles in magazines that he wanted to practice, but the local market wasn’t as advanced at that time.After moving to the US he worked at someone else’s tattoo parlour for six years, until he decided to open up his own space in 2011.“I found a town nearby, not too far from there, maybe ten minutes away, and they had never had a tattoo studio before,” he said.“The town has been around for a while, and to me it seemed perfect.“We went from being a brand new shop, and people tend to be wary of new shops because they assume the artists are new and haven’t been working too long and people are scared and think they might mess up their skin, to a successful business in two years.”Within the first week of opening White Crane Tattoo they had new customers coming in from off the street to inquire about their designs.And in their first year of business not a day went by that they didn’t see someone new come in, Mr Johnston explained.“Our reputation started growing quickly and to the point that everyone got much busier than we thought we would be,” he said.He admitted it was “massively flattering” to see such a long waiting list for his tattoos. “It’s overwhelming at times because we never expected it to happen and be successful and always wanted it to be, and when it worked we thought ‘What now?’”Mr Johnston doesn’t just tattoo other people, he is a fan of collecting work on his skin from other tattoo artists he admires. He currently has between 20 and 23 tattoos.His next professional goal is to come back to the Island and work alongside his former mentor, Mr Mathias.“I hugely owe that man a great deal because, as much as I encourage people to graduate from high school and get a diploma, he was someone that saw potential in me despite my situation.”He said it was “a huge sigh of relief” being ten years into his career, because many people thought it was just a phase or rebellion.It is also nice to be in a place in his career where he is getting a little bit of recognition, he added.To see some of Mr Johnston’s designs, visit www.whitecranetattoo.com or visit the shop’s Facebook page: White Crane Tattoo. To get in touch, you can also e-mail the artist directly at info@mariotattoos.com.