I got started a looooong time ago. Like I discovered the fandom as a kid in the late 1990s. I’ve never been an “it’s just me but furry” furry, I’ve always tried to come up with a context of some kind for the character, even when the character is still sort of an idealized self. I just like the opportunity to be something other than myself. For all my first characters I built on top of a setting of some kind, e.g. fan characters. Later on I started coming up with more of my own stuff, and collaborating on shared worlds with online friends. As you get more practiced in it, it will get easier to make up new characters. Don’t sweat it too much about this first one.

When I was younger I really loved roleplaying as a way to build up and define characters, if you can find a group where you feel comfortable playing. If that’s not your thing, you could try writing stories, or attempt another art form. Even if you never developed drawing skills, you could try making a collage (digital or otherwise), which can give you ideas. Remember, this is all for you, you don’t have to share it. The idea is to have fun thinking about your new little guy.

Most people’s first fursonas are just themselves ++. I don’t think that is a bad thing and would recommend that’s where you start. What are your interests? What clothes would you where if you didn’t worry about social norms and body type.

Now for the visual representation of your fursona. You said that you have a species that’s good. The next thing I would figure out is color palette. I would recommend coolors it’s a website that uses color theory to help select colors that work together. Then I would look for f2u bases on furaffinity and use a photo editing or drawing software like gimp or krita to then color the fursona. You can also use an app like fursona maker to create a Sona. What ever you try save multiple copy’s along the way and play around with the colors and patterns you wanna add. It’s ok if this is turns out not great just aslong as you think it communicates your sonas vibe you can then find an artist you wanna commission to make a proper ref sheet

You’re doing a lot better than I did. Despite exclusively having used e621 and Furaffinity for like. Six Whole Years, I wasn’t sure if I counted as a furry (thanks, school trauma!) and I was never really sure how to integrate into any community for fear of rejection, but I eventually reached the conclusion that yeah, I would rather be a dragon dude in my interactions, and… honestly, if you say you’re a member of the community, you’re a member.

Well, you don’t necessarily need to be able to do art to be part of things here. I can’t draw using digital tools to save my life, but I can do pixel art. But even without that, there are a lot of methods of creative expression that you can use to bring your fursona into reality. You can even have more than one fursona, so don’t go feeling paralysed by indecision if there are several options you like.

As for actually building my own fursona… It was actually a while ago, before I realized there was literally nothign stopping me having multiple fursonae. The first thing I decided to consider was all the things that I liked- In my case, they absolutely had to be a dragon wiith durable scales, but I wanted them to have some fluff. I also wanted them to be predominantly blue, since it’s my favourite colour, as well as reasonably athletic, since I’ve always wanted that but never been able to achieve it. Once I knew what main things I wanted, then it became a matter of taking all those things and just figuring out how to connect them all. For example, finding a secondary colour to pair with blue (I found white hit the right vibe for me), where to put some fur on without disrupting the scales (replacing the frill down the back of the neck with a mane, complete with tail tuft), and what sort of outfit design could accomodate a tail and wings well with that physique.

So anyways, what species are you into? There are obviously all the real animals, then the fandom classics, but I should say there are some slightly more obscure original species if you get into the fandom proper, and some of them are really appealing.