For me, "quick and easy" AKA jelly roll or charm square patterns don't interest me. I'm drawn to pinwheels, HST, fading colors from one block to another, applique and almost anything that is done on point. But those are also the techniques that are challenging for me. My color choices are not necessarily the best and I have my daughters double check that for me. I too have learned new techniques to make what ever pattern I choose easier to cut and piece.
That being said, some days everything falls in to place and it is indeed "fast and easy" and I'm amazed at how much I've accomplished in a short period of time. Other days, everything goes wrong and I have to walk away and find something else to do (housework?). As long as I continue to enjoy the process, I'll keep challenging myself and striving for the next block to be better than the last.