/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

Art related vent, I guess.
I got into fine arts about 3 years ago, I know why I did and what I want to do with it. I don't care about careers, jobs, being famous. I did it because I want to learn to express things in a unniversal way that can touch people the same way I've been moved by paintings and other art I've experienced. Art genuinely feels like my meaning in life, not as in I was made for it but as in it's the one thing I see true value and feel real love for, and want to pursue above all else, I find no issues in sacrificing financial security, relationships or taking risks for it.

I'm lucky enough to easily get by working just part time so I have lots of time. I've worked some good discipline and practice/study between 2 to 6 hours almost every day. I am mostly self taught and have had very little opportunity to share and show what I do to anyone because I live a very associal and isolated life.

And now I've come to a point where I feel completely lost. The more I discover about fine arts the less certain I become about how to tackle and pursue things. I love and admire the human figure, both displayed with idealism or realism. But I'm also more than enamored with modernism (especially expressionism) and abstract art. I've decided for the last 3 years to ignore any specific path and focus on what I considered to be fundamentals, but I feel that made me complacent in never really trying to do anything other than «practice basics».
Now, I have recently joined a local Atelier and a teacher has been encouraging me to already get away from my academic habits, saying technique should be pursued alongside experimenting and finding myself. I have no qualms with that as I find that I enjoy letting myself go, but I feel like I'm pretentious to do so. I feel like it's dishonest for me to try to express myself and have an intention, to purposedly get away from referrences and such when I still feel so lacking in basics.

I don't know what to do anymore.