Honestly it’s just ones that I really love and I don’t get tired of or find issues in quickly that ruin it for me. I look at them and go “wow, I drew that”. Doesn’t have to be the most amazing thing, just needs to mean something to me.

I'm learning there is a distinction between "I am proud of my technical work on this drawing" and "I love this picture". They're not mutually exclusive, but can be different things.

Exactly! That’s such a big thing.

Well that's difficult to answer, but I do have a fav: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/33094084/

I'll try though, lol. It's my favorite because it symbolizes a paradigm shift in my world. I have my down times still but this will forever be my reminder that everything is OK.

I like your assignment of emotion to your favorite ~ my default approach was going to be "technically best piece", but that may not be a genuine approach, I think.

I also like that one's composition, but you're right.

I'm curious, what's your favorite of your own?

I don't have one :/

For me, it's ones that represent milestones or live on in that good old nostalgic memory!
Some of my oldest pieces are my favourites - because I can look back at them and think 'I remember feeling amazing when I drew this.' Even if they aren't much to look at now.

That and the ones that make me feel fond of others - collaborations or gift pieces.
Things that have a deeper meaning to them other than; 'This looks good.'
Looking good is also valid and the ones that look good can also have this meaning to them.
Buuut, yeah.

I think you'll get what I mean?

I do get what you mean! "Milestones" was an excellent way to put it. When I think of my own gallery through the filter of "milestones", I can rapidly select pieces that stand out as the most important ones. The criteria for "important" is variable, but the sentiment is equivalent.

<3

Glad you do~

It's those images that feel like you've 'levelled up' in some way. You've gone from one state to another - be it technically or just because you think; "This looks so good, I can't wait to show it off."

Do you have any images like that in your gallery? Pictures that make you feel especially good, accomplished or that you love sharing?

Not really. I usually can't get past my habit of criticizing my old work. Every piece in my gallery, I feel like I can identify at least 5 areas deserving improvement. It prevents me from ever feeling too good about my stuff.

Here I am, coming back to something I meant to reply to but through a combination of forgetting, accidentally deleting it from my messages, and having low social battery for like a month never got around to actually replying to... is that alright?

Maybe giving it a bit of time was the right call as it has been insightful reading the other comments here, and it sounds like you're in sort of the same situation as me where you just don't think much of your work is "good enough" anymore, and really struggle with choosing personal favorites. Myself, I'm still tied to the mentality that if I'm not creating, I'm wasting time, but I also fully realize that "one post per day for over five years" thing really burnt me out and led me to mostly create art of the "ashcan project" variety--I'm using it so I won't lose it, but it's not very good or interesting. I will sink hours into a project, only to be highly dissatisfied with it, but it will still be *good enough* on a technical level to post, and I'll go ahead and add it to my scheduled submission queue so my entire evening wasn't a complete waste.

That said, my own two cents on the "how do I choose what to put in my Personal Favorites gallery folder" is, it's a blend of the technical and the subjective.
On the technical side, does the line-art look good, even better than usual? How did the coloring come out? The shading? The proportions? And even these "technical" criteria are somewhat subjective and scale with skill and technique and whatnot--I have absolutely (objectively/technically) garbage drawings from 2014 I still think are "favorites" because they came out exceptionally well for my skill level at the time. In that regard, I have a personal rule of generally not removing anything from the "Personal Favorites" folder once it's there, because all those weird drawings from years past, I was proud of at one point.

Then, on the subjective/personal side, things like the mood, the colors, the shape and pose of the character, how much effort went into it, composition (if I bothered to add a background), any sort of storytelling that might be happening with the picture, if I tried anything new that worked out well, maybe even what character is featured, all come into play. Even my mood on a given day might be a factor.

It may not be the case for you but I find that it's way more infuriating to realize a drawing isn't working out when you've already sunk hours into it than to just figure out early on it won't work, and as a result I find myself steering away from anything even remotely challenging anymore, and getting lazy as a result. Not to mention, the general anhedonia of depression getting in the way and turning what was something I used to love and find validation in, into something of a habit or chore or routine.
Maybe as a companion to this, you should ask what sort of things frustrate artists or make them realize a project just "isn't working", and perhaps what they do to overcome the frustration that comes with it.

Depends! As an artist in terms of growth: I look at the pieces where I really improved stuff that had to be improved. I'm looking at technical stuff and milestones I reached as an artist.

As an artist in terms of liking them: Sometimes I had lots of fun drawing some pieces. Some just draw my eye to them and I have couple of favourites.

As commissioner: I think I have couple of favourites but It also depends of who drew that particular piece because none of them Is the same!

Emotional ones are separate category! :D