I used to try and work completely digitally because I thought I had to but then I realized most of the people whose work I liked didnāt even work fully digital so I switched back and itās been 100% more enjoyable for me. I can actually draw everyday and finish things in a timely manner as opposed to trying to finesse one little thing over the course of a week or two.
I also have kind of stopped using sketchbooks. Thereās something about them that makes them feel like Iām supposed to do something presentable on every page even though I fully believe a sketchbook should be kinda unfettered with those conceits n you gotta have a space for pure experimentation w/o the fear of someone flipping through it. I started using just pocket sized muji notebooks and use them for sketches, doodles, to do lists, quick ideas, note taking (if Iām at the movies or hanging out with friends), recipes, quick journaling, etc. If thereās a good piece of artwork or writing in it then I just move it to a real project and let it live outside of the notebook.
The notebook change was really one of the biggest, most important things for me. Because Iām constantly putting in ideas in it, messy or otherwise, I havenāt really had to think about what I have to or want to work on because itās all right there. Thereās all these ideas and thoughts I thought were dumb when I wrote them down but then might apply to a project the next week or month or year. Itās wildly useful.
When I look back at when Iāve kept proper sketchbooks thereās usually all these drawings I tried to make look nice but they donāt benefit me nearly as much as how I keep notebooks now.