Step one - Learn the difference between shutter priority and aperture priority.
Step two - Learn about depth of field. Play with the extremes.
Step three - Think about getting a lens that goes to F2.8 or lower. You should understand why after 1 and 2.
Step three a - Go get the 50/1.8. It's like $140 (I'm guessing). Having a fixed focal length will make you focus on composition. Will make a great portrait lens too.
Step four - Focus on composition and what the light is doing (take photos early in the morning or at night or in the rain)
And all of this assumes you understand the basic operation of the camera e.g. where it meters the light from (should be set to spot or partial mode) and how to focus it properly.
Try to avoid massive cropping and colour correction in photoshop unless it's for a specific effect. For example sometimes I take a photo knowing I'll crop it into a square later. In other words don't use the computer as a crutch or you'll get lazy. The shit in, shit out rule always applies. You can polish a turd but it's still a turd. Etc.
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