When I was younger, I thought I would become an artist and make millions off of one piece of art. Now, I know that it probably won’t happen, but I still dream about it.

My parents used to tell me I drew really well, but I mean who would want to ruin the dreams of a little kid? Then, I grew older and realized my flowers actually looked like demented jellyfish and my people were barely humanoid.

In the summer before sixth grade, I started watching anime, just to pass time. I was awed by how good the drawings were and decided I wanted to draw like Hiro Mashima(Fairy Tail) or Eiichiro Oda(One Piece). Now, I’ve decided that I want to draw more like Josie Fox(Just For Kicks) or some of the other great Webtoon artists there are, but that’s beside the point.

After watching Fairy Tail, I tried imitating the art style and it obviously went well. Just kidding. It went terribly, but I thought that my drawings were the best in the world. Sure, maybe not as good as Mashima’s, but I still thought they were great. Which was a good thing because if I had actually seen how bad my art was at that time, then I wouldn’t have really made an effort to continue with drawing.

Then, halfway through sixth grade, I looked at my first attempts at anime, then at my most recent drawings. The differences were drastic, the results were great and I felt pretty good about myself. I started drawing even more than before so that I could improve faster. It helped but also didn’t. I got better, but I also became lazier because I thought that I wouldn’t need to practice as much anymore.

So, for the longest time, I forgot about drawing. Maybe some doodles here and there, but that was about it. I regret being lazy and not practicing. My drive to get better was slowly fading away. But, not to fear, I started drawing again and although I’m still not as good as I would have liked to be, I’m more than happy with my progress.

I’m still drawing now, of course. I’m trying different styles and finding different things to draw. And with time, you’ll be able to get better, too(unless you already have). All it takes is time and patience, practice and passion, and the right mindset in order to make your goals come true.