I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I intend to pursue that career. Or, any other career for that matter. So.... what I do, in the privacy of my own home, with a consenting photograph, is my business...
I like Photoshop. I like Photmatix. I like Paint Shop Pro. And, I like Picasa. I produce photographs as a hobby and part of that hobby is experimentation, like over-baking, replacing natural colors, and anything else I decide.
Creativity is the fun part of photography, in my humble opinion. Waiting two years to expand that creativity is counter-productive. It's your camera and it's your time. Do what pleases you. Not everyone likes everything all the time. If I get one pleasing (note I didn't say good) photograph out of 100 taken, I call it success.
While I can understand the purpose of the article, I completely disagree with its premise. If we all follow the same rules and guides, what does that say about our reasoning for being "photographers" in the first place?
I don't sell my photographs. So, you get what you pay for. I do it for my own personal enjoyment. I don't like sushi either. Does that make me a terrible person?