When it’s difficult to see the purpose or direction of your efforts, I find it’s best to stay the course and enjoy the grind. At the end of it you’ll either find your direction again or have a bunch of useful skills at your disposal!
As for the art programs I use, I primarily use Gimp (because I have been using it for years, so I’m familiar with how it works), Aseprite for pixel art (particularly helpful for RM-related work), and I have been trying to get better at Clip Studio Paint for larger images. I also use MS Paint for quick edits.
Have you tried editing sprites? If trying to learn Aseprite in its entirety is proving too overwhelming, try just editing something that already exists with what you currently know. You’ll get a result sooner and you’ll have some space to dip into the tools and see what they do without having to come up with everything yourself or risk ruining something you worked hard on.
And why stop at RM sprites? Try bringing in sprites from asset packs and other pixel art games to see how those sprites operate. Maybe you can draw some inspiration from how those characters are made, and learn to overcome the challenges of adapting them to RM’s framework.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you continue to grow your creativity, because being able to create is a special power that gives you the ability to make dreams come true.