Aw, thank you so much for the detailed and awesome comment! :)

Lol, I don't often do b&w for the same reason you mention! I mean I combine bw with color all the time, but leaving it JUST black and white is really difficult for me cause the contrast has to be spot on, and everything else too, and that's intimidating really! D: But lately I've been trying some bw stuff, inspired by this awesome guide by absolutelybatty who makes some of the best bw icons there are. Glad you like the bw in that icon, but I know I still have a lot work to do to really nail b&w ;) maybe one day. In distant future.

And text! I have such a rocky relationship with it, sometimes (like in my previous set) I want to use it but can't come up with anything and everything I try looks bad D: but then sometimes it just happens on its own and I have so much fun with it, idek! There are tons of fantastic text guides around, but then again for me the best way has been to just stare at everyone elses gorgeous text icons (some of my text idols: phaust_, theotherayn, neversleeps, wickdshy, library_of_sex, calrissian18 and pamkips) in awe and try to sort of analyze which components about the text make it look good, and trying to apply that to my own stuff in some way, idek.
Also theiconquest has definitely motivated me to do more text cause I have this obsession to get even amount of points in all the classes, which are (roughly) icons that focus on coloring, simple icons, complex icons, and icons with text. It would be fantastic to see you there one day too, it has no deadlines so it's pretty laid-back, 'do when you have time' type of thing :) (can't say I've done that much for it this far either, but this battle was a good step forward!)