I found the game very charming to play. Seeing you steel your resolve going forward sounds like a pretty good plan.
The art will come. Making a good base line of background code and systems will be the first thing you want to do. Making sure that there's a system to easily replace art is something to keep in mind as you practice.
I'm looking forward to the next iteration. Don't beat yourself up, give yourself time (sounds like you need a deadline to get you in motion, but if that does not work try to make a rhythm to pace yourself) and try to have fun making the game again.