some advice

Saw this amazing little comment on reddit today (Dani if you see this, I'm saying this all too often, damn), that is something to think about.

don't be too focused on making 'pieces' all the time. one thing a young artist has difficulty grasping is the impermanence of their work, and that being impermanent is a good thing.

remember when you were a kid and you were learning to draw? this may not be your experience, but i have found it very common. you probably would tear through reams of paper. discarding drawing after drawing. you weren't concerned with getting your work on the fridge, or on the chaulkboard at school. you were just drawing because you loved it.

learning requires you to come back to this place. where you can draw, without the external influence of what people may think. this will allow you to work more objectively, and open the gates of learning.

read this:

Discontented with his own accomplishments and extremely anxious to please others with his art, he tends to give up original creation and personal expression.....Further development of his visualizing powers and even his capacity for original thought and for relating himself through personal feelings to his environment may be blocked at this point. It is a crucial stage beyond which many adults have not advanced.

Miriam Lindstrom, Childrens Art 1957

sound familiar?

its okay to crank stuff out, but don't expect the mona lisa if you do. what you can expect is to learn quicker. in the future do studies with an objective. say to yourself 'today i will study eyes' and make dozens of drawings of eyes....then throw them out. you don't have to be making great art all the time. in fact you should only be doing that maybe 50% of the time. the rest of the time is for studying.

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People usually expect most pieces in sketchbooks to be amazing. This is partly the reason why people don't like to show their sketchbooks - it may disappoint this expectation. When you go to an artist's website, you may get the impression that this person produces awesome work all the time. Which just ain't true most of the time, cause everyone creates hits and misses. We just don't show the misses.