When I first started tattooing, most people visiting the shop would pick from designs on the wall. If your tattooist was an actual artist, they could draw up a design for you. But mainly, peoples inspiration was on the wall. To be more specific, most peoples choices were on the first three rows of images on the wall. We'd have to change around the flash sheets every once in a while because people would often just choose from the first things they saw without exploring any further. Over time, people gradually abandoned the wall and it was almost taboo to pick from flash... images that thousands upon thousands of people were already wearing on their skin. People were excited that they could do something different... overjoyed that their artist could draw up something custom that would be made special, and no one else would have it. As it should be. But it seems that most people can't be as creative when left to their own devices. Countless amounts of people think nothing of going to Pinterest, Google, Facebook or Instagram and stealing artwork. Sometimes it's insisted that I just plain copy a tattoo that has already been done on someone else. It can't be something similar, no. It has to be exactly. like. this. one. Even if it's on someone already. Or millions of someones, which is now more often the case. I'd rather give you something original.
I have some news for you. You're severely missing out. You're selling yourself short. Sure, that tattoo might be "perfect"... but it was perfectly designed for someone else. If you ask ten different artists to draw you something specific you're going to get ten very different drawings even when they're all the same subject matter. A tattoo is a personal form of self expression. It's a bit of your soul translated into an image and set upon your skin for all to see. Don't you deserve something that's all your own?
What does that say about you if you're just a sad copy of someone else? You're missing out on an opportunity to wear something that sets you apart from everyone else. If you've done your research and picked the right artist you might wind up with something much better than the first thing you saw; something that really says something about you and who you are.
While it's not a bad thing to find inspiration wherever you look... the first place you should look is in your heart and in your head. Other images might convey what style you're looking for or the type of detail you'd prefer. All of that reference helps quite a bit when your artist is preparing your idea. But at some point, you just have to trust your artist, sit back and let the magic happen. :)
My intentions for this website are simple. This is my online gallery and I put it here so that people can get an idea of what type of tattoo work I do and the styles that I am capable of working in as well as subject matter that I favor. This makes it easier to judge whether or not I'd be able to draw up and execute a tattoo to your liking. This is what an online portfolio is for. These images aren't to be copied outright. This is not your flash.