u already answered ur own question.
差距 is our best friend. The only time I have experienced a leap in
photography, I was super frustrated about the 差距, was stuck at the 瓶颈. I
went on an internet hunt on how to articles.
Now i am stuck again, probably because i think i am good already and not
frustrated, hungry or eager for improvement. Not going to improve if keep
doing the same thing.