1.) Name the one thing/element you think helped you "get better" the best? (This could be anything from a technique, to a teacher, to an epiphany etc!)

not sure I can pick out just ONE single thing... hmm... probably pushing myself to try things I'd normally be intimidated to do! I still struggle with this a lot -- giving up before I even start, basically -- and when I do try something different I generally fail the first attempt, but I can learn a lot, too. kind of a vague/nebulous answer, oops.

2.) Do you feel that you're confident "drawing in the round"(Ex: Able to draw a character in a convinceable 180 degree turn-about-sorry this question is here because it's what I struggle with the most!) ? If you are comfortable(-even a little bit) what do you think helped you the most? What sort of exercises helped you the most?

goodness, no; but it is a skill I'd love to develop. I pick at it when I can!

3.) What REALLY inspires you the absolute most/best?

the creative works of other people. no, really!! reading (published works - fiction or non! - and even fanfic) or music or quite often, other artist and crafter's work! browsing someone's art can really get me pumped to create! when I find an artist or piece I really like and wish I could make myself, I try to really study it and pick out just why I like it so much, rather than ragging on myself for being unable to render the same thing.

4.) Why DO you draw?

it's a casual hobby thing for me. I try to draw for fun/have fun when I do it; when it stops being fun, I quit doing it for weeks or even months at a time. I just like to create: writing, art and crafts are about the only methods I can do this, and drawing is usually the most natural-feeling and fastest way for me to create.

5.) Do you believe that anatomical study is important or do you feel it is overrated or gets in the way of style?

whoa whoa... overrated? no no no noooooo anatomical study is seriously super important, even if you prefer to draw in a style that really pushes anatomy!! it is really important to have at least a basic grasp on underlying anatomy, and it can make a lot of difference even with a style that's really cartoony or such.

6.) Is having a unique/recognizable style important to you?

it used to be, but since I've quit caring so much about making sure my art has a recognisable Look, I've found I have more fun with it. sometimes I just like to play around with it and push my style.

7.) If you do have a style, can you look back in your learning process and think of the elements that influences it the most?

I don't feel that I have a particularly outstanding style, but mostly it's just been influenced by... a lot of sources. I used to draw total anime junk when I was a teenager, and as I got a bit older I decided I wanted to develop my own style, and then I spent several years trying to keep to a single, consistent 'feel'. then I started to care less about that and just started doing whatever -- a lot of imitating things that I liked in other art styles for practice, then keeping what I liked and adapting it into the rest of my art; and also just finding what feels 'comfortable' for me to work with (though that has more to do with technique, but that affects the overall look too!)

8.) How do YOU, personally break art blocks? (if you even have them!)

I get them frequently. if I get too discouraged or frustrated, I sometimes just quit drawing entirely for weeks. I don't often try to push through art blocks*; I just put it off until inspiration grabs me by the throat and makes me draw a thing again.
(*see also why I infrequently take commissions)

9.) What do you think makes a successful artist? (Hard working? Productive? Skill level?)

cheesy answer: someone that's happy with what they're doing -- whether they are making living wages off their art, or just doodling Pokémon in the margins of their notebook or whatever. I don't think that productivity, skill level or amount of money earned necessarily indicates success.

10.) If you were free to emulate an artist's style here on Weasyl without being judged, who would it be and what is their style that is so attractive to you?

-beefyrae has a wonderful way with character expressions
-dimespin's capability to relay so much mood and personality in everything
-amagire's way with character interaction and ability to render textures (and also inking)
-nambroth and eskiworks's ability to render transparency in feathers/skin
-neogeen's flexibility in style

11.) Look back at the artwork you've done over the years, is there a "phase" you went through that sticks out as being "weird" or interesting?

well as mentioned earlier, there was that whole anime period as a teenie, which I find kind of hilarious because I feel my style is pretty far from anime these days!
also there was that period for several years where I refused to draw eyebrows for some reason (and I think I was still drawing animu eyes on everything)

12.) Art college: Have you been to one and in your mind, was it worth the time and $$ in your opinion?

I've never had any kind of formal training outside of two years' worth of high school art classes.

13.) Do you feel artists should stick to one another and teach one another? or do you feel that artists are just in one big competition for customers?

nope, I definitely think artists ought to support one another! cutthroat competition doesn't really help anyone in the end IMO. I don't think artists should necessarily have to trip themselves to help each other, but a friendly community is much more helpful. teaching one another is great! and even just things as simple as politely directing clients to follow artists when you are full up on commissions and the like

14.) Do you feel the internet (and the possibility of digital art being stolen/reused/etc) more of a blessing (exposure) or a curse(competition)?

absolutely a blessing. there are most certainly negative aspects, but I feel the ability to get world-wide exposure as well as view the art from (and even interact with!) artists all around the planet is a pretty powerful thing... not to mention the amount of resources readily available online.

15.) If you suddenly woke up and had superhero powers, (you wake up with the physique and everything) what would you do?

probably spend a lot of time freaking out at first uhhh. I don't know. I'd probably use my powers for selfish gain. oops.

16.) If you could tell/give an young aspiring artist (maybe yourself when you were young) a "tool" that would boost their skill significantly going forward, what would it be?

just do what you do! have fun, make it fun! don't be afraid to try something! NEVER be afraid to look up reference! and always cite your sources!

17.) This isn't "tagging people to make them do this" but if there was an artist here on Weasyl that you'd REALLY love to hear their answers to these questions, who would it be? :) (Can be a few people if you like!)

no one I can think of in particular, honestly, but I'll definitely read any of these that go by on my watch list!