The big rub on that is that often those things that go outside the "standard" or the generally accepted as good often turn into the next big thing, fad, or someone being heralded as the next great artist. Art - the most subjective thing on the planet. I think it has been the impetus of more online flame wars than there have been actual wars. In stead of people arguing about someone's taste in what they do like, I find it better to have a meaningful conversation with them to try and understand what it is about the piece they do like. You still may not have the same appreciation for it as they, but at least you'll (a) have had a positive conversation with another human being, (b) get an understanding and potentially and appreciation for what and how another person thinks.
Artistic ability is just like every other skill. The more you intentionally practice it, the better you get at it. I always tell the students I have or the people I mentor when they get frustrated is that they have to go in waves. Before they master the basics, they get frustrated because they don't know how to make the images they want. They don't look like the ones they see elsewhere. Once the basics are mastered, then you have the skill to concentrate on better compositions, looking for the gesture or that perfect scene. then, because they are not worried anymore about what f/stop, shutter speed or ISO to use or if they do or don't want motion blur or how shallow the DOF should be, they can put all the effort into the artistic side of the images. There is truth the HCB saying that your first 10,000 images are your worst. I'd fathom to say that my first 50,000 are my worst. I'm a slow learner sometimes.
