1st year as an artist. my influence map and 4 things I did right...?

 

Things I felt I did right:

1. exploring different tools to find the ones that worked with me.

I bought and tried a lot of different pencils, pens, ink, dip pens, markers, colored pencils, a tablet, etc.
By doing this I have found the pencils, pens, methods and other things that I feel creates the most synergy with me and my art. I think its important to know that I found one of the pens I use everyday in the most unlikely way.
 I feel it is important for an artist to find the tools they are most comfortable with. that is just one of the few steps that helps prevent distraction from creativity. however i will admit that although i did this step very early in my endeavor, others may take their time finding their preferred tools. that is because all you really need is a pencil.

2. looking at artists I admired as inspiration frequently.

I often tried to mimic a lot of other artists because I knew their style was close to something I hoped to draw like one day. this is a great way to find out how to push reality to how you want it and bounce ideas for the future. I collected images online and own a lot of art books of artists I really look up to. I also follow them on their sites because I'm just a creeper. Looking at a lot of different inspirations helps supplement your life studies with a lot of ideas.

3. i drew everyday

My worst days all i drew were shapes... but thats still ok
as long as you get into the habit of drawing everyday youre one step closer for it to become second nature.. and thats what i want. you have to drill into your mind that you must have your pen touch the paper... or else itll be weird.

4. i studied from real life

I often see some young artists... if they wanted to just draw anime, all they did was draw anime.
but not only that, they would try to learn from images of just anime. while i did say i copied from other artists, anime, and other art as well, learning solely from just that one thing can cripple a beginner. in my opinion that was something that happened to me from experience. a  lot of artists get disappointed when their picture looks off when they try to study from anime
then you have to realize, all art just stems from real life, including anime.

its not often said, but there is logic to drawing
drawing is not art
drawing is actually a science, its a class, its a skill just like everything else that takes years and years of studying
drawing is a skill
a skill to make art
once you learn some things then you bridge the gap and use drawing to make art

think of any possible drawing skill you need and your answer lies irl