Welcome to the boards Caseb, glad you found us!
I was a happy solo quilter for years and years (yikes! 40+), especially since I started young and rather intimidated by the "little old quilting ladies" that I've since become. Joining a guild, and a small work group -- and the forums here have made a big difference I am refreshed and inspired by seeing what other people are doing around me, even when their styles of expression are very different than mine. Plus, it's just nice to be around people of similar interests who can understand the work and more that goes into a project.
For me, the planning and design (and fabric collection) parts of the process is my favorite, I joke that my favorite quilt is "the next one", and there is usually at least one point from design to finish that I am just bored to tears with the current project... but I have a very good record of "no UFOs" (un-finished objects) but some are in progress for a long time! And it helps that I consider a finished top as a finished project -- just not quite a quilt yet.
I think in many ways starting when and how I did (solo, young, 1970s) was an advantage. I didn't start in the era of designers and classes and such, just with black and white block illustrations with no yardage or setting instructions, much less "how to". I think it can be hard for many beginners to take the leap and select their own fabrics and their own design sense instead of copying others. Not that there is anything wrong with making/copying something that is exactly what you like!
We do have many standards and ways to do things... some of these are worthwhile things to know. I flout the "quilt police' because I press open instead of to one side. I think with machine quilting that is becoming more accepted. I quilt a lot less than is currently popular (because long arm quilting machines make it easier). As I watch some of my older project get used, some of my earlier pieces did not have enough quilting to hold them up with repeated washing and such, but I'm ok that my quilts get used and used up! I am not passing down heirlooms, I'm making blankets that will get used, pets will be on, and sometimes things will be spilled. On a previous board, I used a tag line something like "It can be made of 3 layers, but if you can't wrap a sick baby in it -- it's not a quilt!" I got tired of explaining/offending art and heirloom quilters that my tag was not a personal attack, just my vision of what I do.