I once read an interesting historical fact that before agreeing to teach anyone, Leonardo da Vinci made his students draw independently for a while, just to find their own unique style. To me, this seems like the only sensible approach to learning, as any knowledge makes a person a prisoner of implanted ideas.
Like a mathematical model that leaves no room to go beyond its function, the human brain is wired to operate within the limits of familiar neural pathways. I mean, I don’t have an academic art background, and I’m not planning on getting one (quite an perfect advantage, right?)!
But seriously, I’ve been drawing since childhood. There are many artists in my family, and I’ve dedicated a lot of time to mastering graphic design as well as photo editing. This explains a lot about my style—the geometry, the layers, and the color aesthetics.