I love cooking. How do I go from fumbling around to intentionally developing my skills?

I don't want to be a real chef, work in a restaurant, or have a catering company. I just really enjoy cooking and I'm slowly gaining the confidence to cook for friends and family.

Right now I'm just jumping between things that catch my interest. I might make gnocchi one day, then focaccia another, then soups, and so on. It's fun, and stuff usually turns out well, but I feel like I'm just following recipes and not developing skills that would let me try more challenging/fun dishes. Any advice?

Edit: Wow! You guys are awesome! Thank you for such thoughtful replies and quick responses.