I rarely cook these days. Mainly because I am a) too busy, b) too lazy, c)living on my own and d) have a kitchen the size of an undergrown walnut.
When I had time, inclination a big kitchen and tended to entertain more, I cooked a lot. When I do cook I am good at it. Baking however, passes me by. I don't tend to do recipes much, though have used cookbooks as a way of learning what goes with what and what kind of proportions tend to work. Usually I am an instinctive cook and experimenter