I'm going through my studio, cleaning up artwork I don't want, and seeing what new artwork I want to put up for sale.  Combing through the batches of painted paper and canvas (I haven't gone through the drawings yet) I was reminded of the dedication it took to get to where I am.  These are all uninstructed alla primas or plein airs (one go, paintings done directly from life ranging from 10m to 3 hrs and never touched again, their purpose being to study and improve).  There is actually one set of photos where my goal was to paint 90 portraits in 90 days in gouache since that was something I thought I could improve upon, and I did another 90 days of gouache still lives, etc.  Being responsible for your own education and growth is probably going to have better results with a strategy, so, such is life. It's been one hell of a journey so far.

They say practice makes perfect.... but there's no such thing.  Practice makes way for improvement, and that's a pretty great step in the right direction.