It was 1981, twenty years before I started drawing and painting in earnest.
I was a very young mother and wanted to draw my daughter. (There was desire in my heart.)
I decided to take a drawing course at the Fort Worth Children's Museum (now the Museum of Science and History).
The course was six weeks and the instructor was Daniel Blagg, whom I did not know, or know of, at the time.
After my first portrait sketch (top photo), he walked over and said, "Not bad." I took that to mean it was excellent of course so I kept coming back and never gave up on the dream of being an artist - some day. (There were skills to be learned.)
The bottom photo is a sketch of Dan himself - from the same course.
Well, Blagg was correct! Your earliest stuff was "Not Bad." You've come a long way since. Hope that you are enjoying the challenge that you have given yourself.