Thank you very much for reading and commenting on my post. I couldn't agree more with everything you said. A person is not really qualified to change anything or even formulate a new art unless they understand the fundamentals of the art as a whole.

Change and evolution should happen naturally, not forcefully, it should take a long period of time through diligent study and hard work.
I look at each Kata as a system unto itself, so a person needs to know those systems inside and out, then they need to decide where THEY want to go with it, what aspects do they want to stress based on their understanding and what works for them?

Ultimately they will blend well in live-fire situations and Randori if the person does, indeed, posess such understanding and utilizes their insights to suit their strengths.
You have to have a starting point, however, I think this is a good reason for standardization, you use it as a spring board from which to gain insight, then you go from there.

Again, excellent post! Nice to come across a like-minded individual.