there's a balance. especially for most of us, i think, who don't intend to be professional bonsai practitioners or artists but do want to use correct techniques and aspire to create trees that each of us finds rewarding.
I spent 2 years reading around on this forum, the web generally, watching mirai videos, etc. I learned A LOT that way.
lately i've been learning in-person with a handful of experts, and although it certainly feels like i'm learning A LOT in a very short amount of time with them (and I am!), it is obvious to me that these (sometimes costly) experiences build on and benefit from the background information that i have already acquired.
I also got a lot of 'newbie' questions out of my system by reading around here, and by asking the questions myself sometimes (wait, maples have a dormancy period? what do you mean they need water every day? what's an internode? I can't use 'earth' in the pot?)