Cook one dinner without a recipe. Tasting as you go is how chefs and artists both learn to trust themselves.

Following instructions produces a result without producing judgment. Working without them forces you to taste, adjust, and decide, which is the actual skill underneath every craft: noticing what is happening and responding to it rather than to a plan. The dinner is a low stakes place to practice that.

Cook something this week using what is in the house and no written steps. Taste at every stage and change one thing each time. It may be mediocre, and you will still have learned more about seasoning than a recipe could teach you.