Definitely agree with what everyone has said so far. I struggle with pretty bad executive dysfunction combined with what feels like a 2-3 year long burnout and it is absolutely the worst. Definitely don't put too much pressure on yourself! Learning to draw, especially perspective (heck, I've been drawing for my whole life and have avoided perspective way too much because it's scary and hard, lol!), is a huge process and requires lots of patience and determination. You gotta give yourself grace when you think you've made mistakes or don't see your progress, because at the end of the day you are practicing, creating, and above all learning, and that's what matters. Majority of people never even try! They say "you drew that? I can't even draw a stick figure" without putting a thought to picking up a pencil and TRYING to draw a stick figure, lol. All I can say is don't give up!!! The next time you try to sit down and draw, put on your favorite "getting sh*t done" music or whatever gets you going, and just start making marks. Doesn't even have to be real studies, just squiggles. It will get the gears turning again might be the boost you need to work on your studies again. Even if you decide you're not ready to do more studies, at least you will have created something. I'll leave you with this graphic that I've posted in another topic before. It really puts to words and visualizes that feeling we get when we feel stuck with our work.

Also for the record, I just looked at some of your posts and album photos and I wouldn't say you've failed spectacularly at learning how to draw. I think you've already learned a lot. That being said, if the whole process is making you feel miserable, that sucks. Only you can decide if it's worth it in the end.

Seems like perspective is your your Achilles' heel. Maybe find some private coaching/mentoring specifically for that instead of having to figure it out by yourself (even with tutorials and guides). A good teacher will try different approaches to help your understand. I used to ragequit gesture drawing classes. No teacher at my school were able to help me with this. Proko's videos helped me understand the basics. I copied a lot of Stan's demos because my own judgement was terrible at first when I was drawing directly from photos. It was and still is a frustrating journey at times, but I'm miles from where I started. It's never going to be my strongest suit, but I'm getting results that I find acceptable now. Had to develop a strong sense of humility and patience though.

Hi there! I'm really sorry you're feeling this way, especially after putting so much time and effort into learning. My advice would be to take some pressure off yourself. You don't have to master every exercise before moving on, and there's nothing wrong with taking a break or drawing something just for fun! And don't let those notifications make you feel like you're falling behind. There's no deadline, and the course will be here whenever you're ready. Struggling with perspective doesn't mean you're incapable of learning it. It's a tough subject! Be a little kinder to yourself and give yourself some credit for how much effort you've put in. :) Kimberly

Hey Michael. Been a while, man. Sorry this is still happening to you! Sounds like a horrible time. I mean, I think everybody goes through feelings of burnout or hatred towards their own stuff to a certain extent. It's perfectionism that gets me. Mark Carder calls it the artist's curse, describing it as his inability to look at his artwork without hating all the perceived mistakes. I feel that in my bones as well, and sometimes it stops me in my tracks. I recently "ruined" a painting I started and haven't been able to work on it for a while now. It fills me with revulsion just to look at it. But I'll get over it and move on. Because I have to do it. It's a compulsion. Another form of neurosis, basically, haha. Speaking for myself, when I treat the things I am passionate about as an extension of my personal identity, it makes it super tough when I don't perceive I'm doing well in them. It's like, if I suck at this thing, then by extension I must also suck. Then it makes me hate doing that thing because it makes me hate myself. Not trying to get all armchair psychologist here... I don't know if this is how you feel. But this is a deep insecurity I know well, and I know how it feels when that gets bruised. It's like taking poison every time you expose yourself to it. Except the thing is, what I've come to realize that's helped me, is that the things we are passionate about are not us. Being "bad" at art means nothing. We're basically just carefully rubbing different kinds of dirt on paper. It's not special. It's a skill to "get good at," for certain styles, sure, but why does one skill versus another matter so much? What you can do skill-wise doesn't change who you are as a person. I know it sucks when you really want something and can't get it... but that's just reality sometimes. Not everyone was meant to be a great artist. My grandma would say, "If everyone liked the same thing (or in this case was good at the same things), life would be pretty boring." Now, what I'm trying to say is... You might try to give yourself permission to give up art/drawing and try something else, something that you'll be way better at and enjoy more. Try to be okay with being bad at this and try to forgive yourself because it's not a reflection of you, it's just a thing like any other. Like, I know how that sounds, but is it so bad when you hate drawing and it seems to hate you back, haha? There are plenty of other skills I'm sure you're amazing at and can develop into mastery. For instance, you appear to be a gifted writer in your posts. Maybe go headlong into that? Plenty in the comic industry can't draw a thing but write amazing stories. Food for thought... You seem like a good guy, Michael. Take care of yourself and give yourself some grace. You deserve it. And good luck with whatever you decide.