Hey Odie,
I'm probably like Bill - the eternal student (but probably a slower learner
You have a valid point that it is one's internal drivers that make the difference. But I'd say that it requires training to reach a point where one can articulate successfully that inner vision. Kind of like the difference between journeyman carpentry and a weekend warrior. Those inputs, put to work, make the difference.
As a kid and teen, I wanted to be an oil painter, lived very near the quarter in New Orleans, and spent nearly all my time learning from anyone I could. I'd say that it was being exposed to all the different - often divergent - approaches that allowed me to develop my own aesthetic in painting. On the other hand, you're right that it can be confusing for all the same reasons: a zillion brush types, pigments, tools, techniques, and so on.
I'd say that you really can't get too much information, but everyone has pursue it at their own speed. Of course, you can become a slavish follower of one thing or style, and then the next, but that's not really anything more than copying. I think we all have to go through that process to sort of "break through" to the level at which our own creativity takes over and we focus more on the result than the method, because of the practice. You, over time, have developed a sense of purpose about your work that I'm still trying to find through classes and as much practice as I can get in.
And as you know, I surely admire your work.