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I think you should do whatever feels best for you. I didn’t use a pick for many years and just strummed with my fingers/nails. It is certainly a little easier and it hides some of the mistakes.
I’ve only recently started to use a pick because I feel like it is another “tool” in the tool belt of playing guitar. It challenges me because it does require a little more string awareness and technique to hit the exact strings you need to play, but that’s why I’m in this program.
A pick will give a cleaner sound, but it certainly isn’t a requirement for something to still sound good. I think a lot of my playing (depending on the type of song) sounds better without a pick cause I’ve created my own finger/hand strumming style.
My advice… play around with both techniques as I think you’ll appreciate having the pick in your tool belt as you continue to progress. But yeah, play without a pick if it makes you more comfortable and you feel like you are progressing quicker without it. Maybe you spend 80% of your time without a pick, and one day a week you mess around practicing with a pick. I think in the long run it will help you become a better player if you don’t completely ignore it.
Also, I’d recommend purchasing a variety bag of guitar picks (any music store or Amazon would carry them). There are thinner ones (.4 – .6 width range) that I started with that are more on the flimsy side which are much easier to strum with. Medium ones (.6-.8) are not too thick or thin, and the heavy ones (.9+) are better for picking notes. I’m not sure what kind of pick you are using, but playing around with various sizes/shapes might help you find something that feels better for you.
Most of all, have fun!