Hi, and welcome to IIS.
Well, you're right about one thing ! Even with a 12" dob you won't see all the beautiful coloured dso stuff you see in the photo section of IIS or magazines. Of course you could move in Astro Photography later to get this level of satisfaction.
But even for regular visual stuff, there's a great deal of satisfaction to be had by taking a look at all manner of heavenly bodies -(Pamela Anderson for example - they don't come more heavenly than that
).
Some things are absolutely stunning to view thru a large dob at good magnification - like Saturn, Jupiter, the moon. Other bodies are best viewed more wide angle - like clusters and nebs where you might wish to see the whole thing.
And then, just a pair of half decent binos are great too for just panning the sky and taking it all in. There's room for all levels of observing. Even those who are experienced, and may have plenty of money will usually choose to have binos and a couple of different scopes for different situations.
I'd close with saying that if dso's and seeing them in all their technicoloured glory is vitally important to you, then forget visual astronomy and concentrate on astro photography.
Just my 2c worth
Cheers,