I think you can balance both.
I learned by doing both at the same time - writing, and studying. I have 2 craft books I recommend to all fiction writers. Between these two books, you can get a very comprehensive education.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. You can get this in most bookstores, or they can order it for you. This book will teach you all the craft basics like POV, show vs tell, etc. It's very easy to follow.
GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. Purchase from
www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com . This book will help you learn how to provide a strong structure for your story by exploring what your character wants, why he wants it, and what's keeping him from getting it. Excellent, excellent book! (I don't get kickbacks on either of these books, but darn, I wish I did.)
Another book specific to romance, and very interesting because it was done by a romance editor is
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger.
Writing does need to come from your heart to make an impact on your readers. I am known to sit here and weep with my characters when they're sad, and it's by doing that that I'm able to convey that strong sense of emotion on the page and transfer it to the reader. (FAB, you were likely channeling your own pain and getting it onto the page, and that's why it connected so well with the readers.)
But if you want to increase your chances of getting published (and maybe you don't want to be published, which is fine.) you need to know certain things. A writer who hasn't mastered POV is not so likely to sell something until they can demonstrate that mastery in their work. There is no reason a writer cannot tell a story of the heart while telling it in a way that applies the lessons of craft.
So I recommend you do BOTH. Start writing, keep writing, but also begin educating yourself.
Good luck!
Susan G.