People's minds work in different ways. I am not good at visualizing things, and yet I can taste things before I put them together. I also think almost entirely in words.
I create my own recipes frequently, with almost every meal in fact. But I have tons of experience to draw upon. I started when I was a kid. I jsut liked to experiment and see what I could create, whether it be mechanical, electronics, home-made kites, or culinary persuits. It's just who I am.
Evey "creation is not truly a creation of something entirely new. For instance, my pancake recipe was created by using a basic pancake recipe, and playing with the ratio of ingredients until I came up with something better than I'd had anywhere else. It took some tries, but a basic understanding of how the ingredients worked together, and knowing that I can eat almost anything, gave me teh ability to experiment and suceed.
I also have an egg-roll recipe with a pineapple sweet & sour sauce that is unique. I knew what egg-rolls were, and like the lady who can go out, try something, and re-create it at home, I too have that talent. So I took the basic egg roll idea and changed it to remove the mushy cabbage. I replaced the ingredients that made the egg roll less than what it could be, and substituted other ingredients. And I can say that those who have eaten my egg rolls have literally begged me for the recipe. The sweet & sour sauce was made the same way. I had an idea of what I wanted, could blend the flavors in my mind, and then use the correct ingredients to create it. I just had to play with the ingredient ratios to get the taste jsut right.
Also, epecially with sauces, be it sweet and sour, or marinara, or hollandaise, you need to be familiar with the standard flavor. Then, you make the base sauce, and add ingredients, a little at a time, until you get the flavor you want. you test the flavor as you're making the sauce, and adjust accordingly.
And just as there are those people who have a natural talent for math, there are those who have an aptitude for cooking. I can certaninly do math, but I have to work very hard at it. I did after all complete a B.S. Electrical Engineering Technology degree, which required some very complicated math. But it requred so much work and study. Cooking come easily to me. I wish the math did.
Give your ideas a try. It gets easier as you practice, even if you're not naturally gifted as a cook. I believe we train ourselves to be good at things. nobody is born knowing how to do anything.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North