Improve flow for user action (increase conversion)

I'm not sure if this question fits here but I have a flow on my website that I'm trying to improve, my website is https://simonkomlos.com

I have 2 specific questions, but I'm open to all feedback:

  1. The main metric that matters to me is a) % of visitors who send me a doodle, and b) % of visitors that sign up for future project updates.

    Currently a) is at 6% and b) is ~75%

    I'm thinking about making the email field optional, as an attempt to increase the 6%.. the reason being it might seem less "sales-y" and more as just a fun project but I would love to hear your perspective on how you would increase that 6%.

  2. Secondly, I receive many lovely doodles.. here are a few: https://imgur.com/a/YORIKpB I would love to showcase them, how would you incorporate these doodles in the current website?

I'm curious for your feedback :-)