im an excellent cook as a matter of fact, no i dont follow recipes and i know that erks you but i prefer to be original and take chances.
There's a great deal to be learnt from the basics. Classic (but not per se common!) combinations will help you develop your palet. It will teach you about textures and how to contrast these. Cooking techniques are covered by the basics, knowing how to make a good custard or a beurre blanc is a joy. You'll not go back to the prefab stuff. There's so much more to cooking than flat-out taste: mouth-feel, proportions, layering etc.
Nothing wrong with experimenting at all, but learning the basics will increase your understanding of ingredients and gives you a large variety of ways to prepare them. This is a great asset to creativity!
