Can draw, but want to go back to beginning.

I've been drawing since kindergarten and can draw from what I see, but I want to back to straight basics. I can't seem to draw from memory because I don't even have a foundation to speak of. Chalk that up to southern education. I took art classes in Junior high and high school but it really wasn't any help. So at this point I really all over the place and really at a loss. I tried doing the figure gesture drawing, but what i end up with on paper just looks like a disaster. So my question is, how and where do i start to get back on track. I really would like to get back into drawing and make a career out of it. Helpful direction appreciated.