New Witch questions

Hello everyone, so I just started playing PoE with the Witch class and it has been really fun, what I would like to ask is that how bad would it be if I made my own build? I have looked around for some builds and guides but I find them a bit confusing.

Another question is if I decide to make it on my own which stats should I focus on? Health, Mana. Intelligence and should I put points on barrier?

Last one, if I like both for example the whole minions thing but I also like spellcasting and direct attacks, can I make it some sort of a hybrid? Or will it be bad and will lose for example important stats that if I focused on one of them would made me much stronger?

Thanks in advance!