Answer is "it depends". A long waitlist doesn't necessarily mean that the artist is super-best. They could just be scheduling one client a day or some weird thing like that. My artist is awesome and I was surprised at the customer service provided and just pleasant demeanor compared to A LOT of others.
If I remember correctly, you're from the B-more area, looking for an arrow/vine tattoo right? So it looks like that artist will give you what you want, but I'm *absolutely certain* you can find someone to do something just as good and maybe even better in less than a year. If, say your personal or professional schedule didn't support then, fine. But, meh. Get what you want without a list. This isn't a Birkin Bag.