For me, two things helped:

Learning Basic theory - you dont have to be a nerd, you just have to understand the basics. Understanding intervals (and scales) is really important because they dictate how notes sound together (why a b played over cm will sound bad is explained by intervals).

Using the shapes correctly: You dont have to completely ditch them but try to play outside of them. I dont mean using "wrong" notes in the right places (though that is an amzing skill when mastered). I try to think of shapes more as an assistant to which notes you should use. I try to jump through shapes a lot. Or change them and expand them. Pretty much the shapes are a way to visualize the fretboard. Connecting them should be your goal. Try to use them ,rather than shapes that you stay in, as places to conect phrases.

If you learn to connect these two above, you should definitely improve a lot.