Survey for French Players

I am currently creating a repertoire for myself, and have chosen to study the French as my response against 1. e4.

I am curious about the opinions of intermediate-advanced French Players on a few questions. Answer a few, or all of them however you want:

1. Why did you choose the French
2. What is your favorite variation(s) to play in the French
3. What is your least favorite variation(s) in the French
4. What variation do you face most in the French at your level
5. How did you learn the opening. What resources helped the most (videos, books, courses...)
6. What do you like to play against d4
7. Any other insights on the French?

1. I used to play the Dutch but didn't want to deal with the Staunton gambit, so I'd play 1 ... e6 against 1. d4. Obviously I needed to be okay transitioning into the French. I stuck with the French because, to me at least, it offers a nice balance between positional and tactical play. There's just the right amount of both.

4. Most common (in no particular order) are advance variation - Paulsen attack, 2. Nc3, and 2. f4. Exchange variation is not rare.

6. I play 1 ... e6 against 1. d4. A fair amount of time white follows with 2. e4. 2. c4 Nf6 and a Nimzo or Queen's Indian almost always follows.