Getting started with data visualization

Having spent the last year working a lot more with data than ever before, I have a new-found appreciation for skillful data visualizations. I have begun to explore some of the more elaboriate visualizations that are possibile with R, Excel and Processing, but I certainly have a long ways to go. Here's a good blog post from Enrico Bertini over at Fell In Love With Data about how to get started with data visualization.

How to Become a Data Visualization Expert: A Recipe

1) Study a Lot
2) Steal
3) Criticize
4) Produce
5) Seek Discomfort

I'm hoping to bring these skills to bear on future research and job opportunities, so I can advance not only my ability to draw inferences on data (social, political, or otherwise) but also present the data and my inferences more skillfully.