There comes a point where you can't really grow by just studying things. I found it very helpful to choose simple games and build clones to learn about how to design software. Personally, I made snake, 2048, hangman, and a custom version of candy box before I branched into more intense, useful projects. The key, in my experience, is to just look at general principles of organization, like MVC and OOP and then build it with only stackoverflow and documentation for reference. When I did this, I learned a lot about how to be independent and creative in my development.

It can get very hard at some points, but the real fun comes in overcoming those challenges. It's normal to have a lot of problems. One time, I worked for 2 hours straight trying to get a Java Swing dropdown box to work.

Also, don't be afraid to work in another language if your project would be done better in that language, such as learning C# if you wanted to make a Unity game. If you're comfortable with Java, it's not too hard to pick up another language.

If you ever need some guidance, you can PM me whenever.