PS - this statement is crap:
Bullshit. This is what the 'experts' want you to believe. So you get immersed in their way of doing things. Its a way of perpetuating the system and it provides a sense of security for those who aren't comfortable with stepping outside 'the box'. The true innovators (which is only about 2% of the population, at least genetically) can see crap (or good ideas) for what they are almost immediately. And they start pushing boundaries for things almost immediately upon starting their craft. Anyone who tries to dissuade you of doing that isn't really interested in helping you progress. The real use of formal training, in my opinion, is merely to make sure you aren't reinventing the wheel. That, and learning some discipline.Innovation, originality etc come AFTER you learn how to do things by the book, because you need to know the craft inside out.
Again, I'm a scientist, not an artist. But I think there's a lot of creativity & boundary-pushing required for both. In that respect, I think there's some common ground.
FWIW