Reading what you have written there are a couple of points I would make.
Photography is, for me at least, all about balance, in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focus are the "technical" variables under your control, but there are a myriad others, ranging from lens choice to where you stand, from time of day to how high off the ground you hold your camera. Each decision made, consciously or subconsciously, has an impact upon your end result - your composition.
There are many books on composition for artists, never mind photographers. This has been a topic of debate ever since Ug painted a daub on a cave wall and Og said "Mammoth not look like that..."
Buy a book, read it. Understand about the Golden Section, about perspective, etc. Learn the "rules" - then apply them or not as you wish.
A couple of technical points.
Work a subject. Take a number of photos. Step forward and back, portrait, landscape - give yourself post-processing options. Similarly shoot jpg & raw so you have not burned your boats with in camera settings. Use framelines, and composition grids. Use the level.
Ultimately you have to decide if you want the image you present to be dissonant or not. The image is simply a means to trigger a reaction in the viewer. Decide what you want that reaction to be and work backward from there.
Hope this ramble helps!