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Maybe what i'll say counts as milleage, and it'll prob be something you already know yourself and i'll feel silly, but here's the reasons why i think i improved so much the last few years:

First is that I take every single opportunity to apply knowledge i've learned browsing the internet or that i came up while drawing.

Im lazy when it comes to learning, so i never really go out of my way to search for ressources and tips when it comes to drawing, but i do still often end up accidentally hearing or reading tips, and when i do, i hold on and never let go, and keep it in mind until i managed to master it in a piece.

If i feel a piece is the right environement for me to try and master something, i'll keep at it until i do understand it or at least have a big breakthrough in understanding the logic.

(which has been useful for me but has made me do some pretty unprofessional things, since I still have that mindset when doing comissions, and made a few clients wait up to a year because i couldn't call it done until i felt satisfied with what i learned, smth im rly not proud of uwu')

But even when it's maybe not the right environement, I do always at least try a bit to apply everything i know on a piece, look at what im doing wrong or good, and then try to think of a solution or a way to make it even better.

Secondly, it's not really about technique, but simply my environement, until recently i was living with my family and had all the time in the world to focus on what i wanted.

I doubt i'd have been able to grow at the pace I did if at that time I was mentally exhausted every time i came back home after my job. I often push myself to or near a burnout, but I always had the time and environement to let me heal from that and then get back to it.

Third, while i don't spend as much time online as people would expect, I have been surrounded by art my whole life and i am always looking at art in some way or another, and if I like it, I simply have no shame in stealing.

I don't trace, I don't blindly copy, but like i do with trying to master a thing during a comm, i can get stuck on capturing something from the style of an artist or most likely, a mix of different artists.

I don't do it often, but when i do, it sticks, a good exemple of that is how i currently draw 4skin, which is inspired from these three artists: Smollrainbowgoat, Darkgem, and ModeSeven.

Im not proud to say it, but it's the truth so i will: If tracing, copying, hell even using AI were things that i'd consider would help me become a better artist, or specifically become who i want to be as an artist, i'd use em all. Because that's simply the only thing I currently think about.

Before i move on to the next thing, while i do use the word steal, I obviously try to make it my own and something different than the inspiration, it's just that I use the word steal because it reflects more how possessive i can feel toward capturing something i see of worth haha.

fourth and final thing: I don't draw just to draw, just to get better, im not an artist in that sense, i feel more like an artisan, which to me feels fondamentally different no matter what the official def is, all artisans are artists, but not all artists are artisans etc etc.

For me i have FUN drawing and being in the zone, but it doesn't fulfill me, what fulfills me is creating stories, big adventures and long plots that can immerse me into a different world.

I know it's probably not what ya were asking, or maybe it's just a stupidly long way to say that it's mileage, the reason why i feel i can't say its that is simply because im lazy and i don't draw a lot, mileage makes it sound like i work day n night but i frankly don't !

I use all of my brainpower while drawing, but most of my actual thoughts and life is about either my daily life, games, or mostly, the stories i wanna make.

Im deeply sorry for the stupidly long answer to a simple question, but i do hope that at least your curiosity was satiated haha.