I don’t practice, I just draw a lot and think a lot, and happen to have come this far doing whatever I like because I got lucky. Copying what I did might not help you because it’s probably not what you need seeing as you are not satisfied with your results from years of independent learning.

If you find yourself unable to understand how to draw something for a long period of time (ie. years) maybe you should consider choosing a different approach? Doing studies and copying photos is great for practice, assuming you’re actively thinking about why each element in the image works with everything else and you aren’t just trying to replicate the image. It may also be the case that you need a teacher and guidance, because not everyone learns the same way and you’re just at a loss as to what to even begin doing. Some people are better at exploring and learning on their own, most of the time people work wonders when they have a teacher and some directions.

Good luck!