How I got into making characters

I'm a digital artist who doesn't have a lot of experience writing stories or characters. I usually drew anime characters and tried to copy photos as best as I could, until 2020. During quarantine, I used to watch a lot of art tiktoks and people drawing/creating their characters. At the time I was just entering Highschool. I decided to make my first OC and slowly started creating their backstory. They went through so many changes til now and I slowly made more. I was so interested in building oc's that I decided to join a creative writing class and thoroughly enjoyed it and wrote some decent stuff (that i've sadly lost including a 'short story' of about 20 pages). I was inspired by an anime I enjoy watching (still do) and wanted to study the writing style so much but could never sit down and really annotate or anything.

Art account and struggles

I had an instagram account where I posted my drawings of anime characters and Oc's. I deleted it recently like a year or so ago because I felt it was mostly friends and people I met instead of people who actually enjoyed my content. I made a new private account and a new art account and told no one what it was. I'm rebuilding slowly but surely. One problem I face is that I don't do well with building an audience. I struggle with making insta stories and attempting to connect. I'll answer and like comments but stay mostly quiet. On top of that, I also struggle with routine and may not post often though I try.

Interests in character development

I'm usually interested in animes with funny and goofy main characters that grow older, tougher, and more serious. (Probably a lot of shonen if not all). Weirdly though, I prefer my characters do the opposite. The villains will be noticeably happier and free while the heroes are more depressed and serious. I attempt to have every character have different problems they slowly grow through and turn happier. I put parts of myself in a lot of characters but usually get ideas from songs, pinterest, and power ideas. This site was meant to be a project where I could sit down and really push myself to organize info into one place and build my characters.

Goals

I'm not really sure what I want to do after I compile everything and fully build everything. whether I write the story, its sequel or even the made up religion I made, I can't be sure i'd really be satisfied. I'm just going with the flow and have mini goals. I want to see those numbers grow but also, knowing myself it's best I focus more on the story I want to build. Currently one of my goals is making 2026 sort of my silent year. A year where I take time to build myself, Save towards changes I want to make, focus on projects, heal my mental health, and stop forcing myself through things that exhaust me. The 'silent' part comes from me stopping myself from telling people every update and upgrade i've made and just enjoying my progress as I grow.
I also had the idea of becoming a pngtuber even though it could be short lived. I know myself and that I should take it slow if I do become one. I'd do it on a small platform, not push myself to have a schedule, and just enjoy being a little guy in the corner drawing and mumbling to myself.