Nice post, very useful advice. I've realized the same principles about learning to see colors and shapes in the world around us after I read Fantasy Art Techniques by Boris Valejo. He did not go into much detail, but he mentioned the same things you did.
And congratulations on working for Blizzard, you deserved it!
thank you :D yes, it is part of the same skill / realisation to start observing the world around you in a different way. Once you get that down, the progression will probably only go faster :)