[Vaughn]

...hcb didn't set foot in a darkroom and it seems that
his body of work shows he had the chops and speaks for itself...

And Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity, so why can everyone come up with an earth-shattering theory?

But I agree that no one way is best -- some have the self-disipline, some need it enforced, some may not need it at all.