Seeking advice

Hi everyone, I’m looking for honest advice from artists, especially those who create original characters, stories, etc.

This all happened in 2022-2023

Years ago, I was in a very difficult period of my life. I saw down on myself. Crisis situation with money. While that was part of what was going in, I don’t want to use it as an excuse for my actions. During that time, I relied heavily on other peoples artworks, references, tracing even combined parts of different Oc’s into my own designs. Looking back, I realise that what I did crossed ethical lines and hurt other artists.

Today, I’m also an OC creator myself. Having put so much time and emotions into my own characters, I now understand how painful it feels when someone copies or takes from your work. It’s made me reflect a lot on what I did in the past. I kind of want to reach out to the people I have done this to, but I’m also aware that they might not want to see me.

I’m not here to ask for validation or be told it is/was okay. It was bad. I know I can’t change what happened. I’m going to have this with me the rest of my life, probably.

I want to ask.
As artists, what would you consider the right thing to do after crossing boundaries like this?

Is there a way to rebuild my own integrity and create responsibly going forward?

I’m trying to improve and become a better artists. I know I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this, but I’m at least proud that I’m not hiding behind a brand new account and actually standing up for what I’ve done.

I would appreciate honest perspectives, even if they’re difficult, as long as they’re respectful. Thank you