I love cooking, but because my mom is too much of a bimbo and my dad too much of a “manly man” to ever step into the kitchen, I never had the chance to learn from them. I grew up on delivery, takeout, eating out, and the incredible food made by the amazing woman who cooks for our family. I became deeply interested in cooking at the start of my teenage years and taught myself through the internet, books, that same woman, and other relatives.
Start by watching YouTube videos about cooking - specifically single skills like how to chop with a Chef’s knife, how to get a good sear on cast iron, how to sauté, fry, etc.
Then try some recipes that incorporate these skills.
Then once you can follow recipes alright then move on to experimenting and tweaking recipes. Try your spices. Identify what goes together. You’ll get the hang of balancing acid, heat, sweet, salty, etc. You’ll fail sometimes but you’ll learn.
Eventually start making your own combinations and you won’t need recipes (which doesn’t mean you’ll never use them).