The first phase is driven from the pure joy of using the tool. This is aimless exploration, finding out what is possible, exploring technique.
The second phase is applying this knowledge to the expression of an idea.
Sometimes I see people that want to jump directly to step two. They have an idea they want to express, but don't know how to go about realizing it. They get the tools people tell them they need, but get frustrated quickly, because everything is complicated and getting in the way of what they want to achieve.
Sometimes I see people stuck in step one. They love their tools, but never make the transition to putting the tool in the service of an idea.
You have to have both phases, in the right order.
image by jef safi Some rights reserved
