I've seen so much advice saying that you should have a tattoo idea planned out for months before you get it done or you won't like it. That advice, while usually helpful and accurate, wasn't something I followed. I talked to my favorite artist about a few things I wanted, giving her free reign to create it. I didn't see the final piece until I walked in for my session.
Sounds like something you could NEVER do, right? Maybe, but consider the following.
1. I didn't know what I wanted, but my artist did.
I had honestly no clue what I wanted, I just knew I wanted it to cover an old tattoo. I had a Pinterest board made and hoped that it would be enough to give her an idea of what I wanted to be included. She took the (very little) amount of inspiration that I already had saved to my boards and created a custom piece.
2. An artist created a custom piece for me specifically.
No one else has this specific tattoo. This one was created for me and me alone. That's pretty cool. Your artist can do the same.
3. Tattoos mean what you make them mean.
Even though I personally didn't plan my tattoo design, that doesn't mean that my tattoo can't have meaning to me. It means as much as the tattoos that I planned out have and is better executed than my planned tattoos.
While it may seem daunting to get a tattoo without seeing the final design, you should give it a chance once in your life. Find an artist that you trust, and let them design you an art piece.