This is great. Why did you stop?
I don't think I've told this here.
I've always enjoyed drawing. Once puberty hit, I began drawing sexually oriented material and much of it was S&M/Bondage related. But, it was always strictly for my own enjoyment. I took some art classes in school, so I learned about perspective, shading, etc. But, I never pursued it further.
Flash forward many years and I discovered this site and others. After a while looking at other people's art, I decided to finally start showing my own. I began with the stockpile of older stuff I had hidden away in a desk drawer. This got some positive feedback, so I began producing new material. Unlike the earlier works, which were only for my own pleasure, the new material was meant to be seen by others.
The old material wasn't very polished. In fact, some was so crude I was too embarrassed to share it. Even the stuff I did share was often flawed; body proportions were off, perspectives were a bit wonky, shading was haphazard; but that was OK because I was the only one who was going to see it. When I began producing works for the community, I started paying more attention to the artistic properties of my work. I also took much more time with each one.
About three years ago, I started work on a new piece to accompany a story I was writing. But, I couldn't seem to get motivated. I would draw a bit, then let it sit a while, then erase what I had done and draw a bit more. Finally, I came to a realization. I didn't enjoy drawing any more. I had become so concerned with getting things so that others would appreciate it, that I no longer found any pleasure in the process. I spent too much time fussing over details and trying to get everything just right. It was becoming too much like work. So, I decided to stop.
So, now, I concentrate on my writing. I still enjoy that, even though I do fuss over the details a lot there too. I still draw a bit, but only for myself.
Maybe, in a few years, when I've retired and have more time, I'll return to drawing. Or I may try photo manip or Pozer/DAZ. But, for now, I'm just going to stick to writing.
If you are curious, these are the two threads I created for my crux and non crux works:
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/narakus-crux-art.1576/
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/narakus-non-crux-nonsense.1580/
(Man, those threads were buried back there.)