@ DarkOwnt: It does work that way. What you were saying makes perfect sense regarding creativity being enabled through a fuller knowledge of technique and subject matter.
There was another component in the mix that I was also addressing that hits many artists -- not feeling motivated, where the spark of joy just vanishes for whatever reason and they lose interest (or life happens). That can happen no matter how good someone is. The trick is to reconnect with where the real satisfaction lies in doing art. For some people it's as practical as making money. Others it is esteem, still for others it's communication or persuasion or to get some kind of reaction or in touching people. For others it's in expressing something in a perfected way and bringing something inside to be more tangible outwardly. Plus there are a lot of other motivations not least of which with it being a focused activity that's just fun (until the mystery is gone -- a pitfall of limiting one's self to a simplistic approach to doing art).
You can look at all of those situations and imagine a moment when an artist just doesn't see the good of doing a proficient painting being worth the bother of mechanically completing what amounts to a technical exercise or simply going through the motions because the artist can already mock it up in their head and have the answer without the bother of painting. (ie. no mystery.)
The joy in doing Art is still in there to be had, but it may not be in doing things the same way over and over. And presumably because doing something over and over means you're going to get better technically, the technical expertise may not be enough to spark new interest.
Often finding the next challenge is a way to overcome that, and a change of consciousness about it may do the trick to get the artist to refresh and carry on. And looking for some of the other areas that have been perhaps overshadowed by just learning technique may be the thing that brings the Joy back.
Technique is really clear cut and easy to get a handle on the steps one can go through to get better. It's measurable. As such all it takes is diligence and hard work and you can power through it easily enough. But then, the next level up can be a brick wall and a stopper because it's about what you're doing with the technique that is really all important. And it may cause the artist to question the worth of why they're doing it all anyway.
Because they may not have ever really created anything original, or may not have gotten used to establishing essential questions that lead them to being a complete creative artist and doing something based on their own ideas, whether coming up with a new or personal style, or new voice, or whatever. That is one of the ways to minimize the risks of running dry. If the Art is a reflection of one's inner activity, it's an endless fountain. And again, mystery makes doing art a "page turner" like reading an exciting novel. You have to motivate yourself with wanting to find out what is hidden behind the white of the blank canvas.
But the challenge in becoming that kind of artist is that there aren't so many measurable things to set as a precise goal (unless you're on a roll zeroing in on something you're trying to do). Generally speaking, it's more a direction than an end point. And yes, of course, during all that heady stuff, one can be working on their technique and absorbing how Greek villages look so that when it comes time to do one with some freedom, one is experienced enough to know the components.
While studying guitar, I once heard that one guitarist's hand is the athlete because of the physicality of it and the other hand is the artist hand because it creates nuance and expression. It's arguable on which hand is which for that illustration. But the concept of dualistic parts is a good one for Art as well. Your technique is the athlete. Your voice and inspiration and creativity is the artist. And you have to keep your athlete in condition by practice so that when you go to express something, you can do so without mechanical snags. And I think that's what you were asking. And that's the context in support of your comment -- with maybe a little more to factor in to the artist's experience.
"Not a bit is wasted and the best is yet to come. . ." -- remembered from a dream