If you're hungry and I give you fish you'll be satiated for the day. But if I teach you the method of fishing, you'll provide for yourself always.
Yes, but nobody ever drowned by staying at home and sitting on the couch.
I feel like every artist has their own version of a "generic" face, cliches usually related to their own visage. I've noticed that a generic face and one "drawn without reference" tend to go together. For instance, if I draw two portraits -- each depicting a person from a very different walk of life, there will be some remarkable similarities. Usually, it'll be things I don't consciously vary, like the appearance of a philtrum or the depth of a nose bridge where it meets the forehead. When drawing from life, the artist acts as an interpreter, so a portrait becomes less of a collection of design choices.
Reading this, it seems obvious (and an underwhelming observation), but maybe someone can glean something out of it.