It's true that you can't think and improvise simultaneously.
But the greatest composers of all time - Bach, Mozart, Beethoven et al - were all superlative improvisors. Sadly, most of Bach's music was improvised, and so is not recorded. Beethoven would turn up to parties and improvise around just about anything - his talents were legendary, and little 6 year-old Mozart could dash off a tune easy as wink. This fact is recorded in the Royal Society Journals, which make fascinating reading if you're really bored...
The difference between improvising and composing is not as different as you might think - it's only a different process to those who have to think about composing, and if you have to think about composing, then you need to practice that. Theory is as important as practical - you cannot separate the two.
The thing all these had in common (apart from being sickeningly talented)?
They practiced often and hard.
They learnt from the masters - they did all the thinking behind the scenes, so that when they "went on stage", it would appear as if they were making it up as they went along.
Hendrix famously wandered around everywhere with his guitar - even to the toilet. He just couldn't bear to be parted with it, and he played some monster covers as well as writing in his own highly imitable style.
You cannot produce music from thin air, you can only elaborate on what you have already heard, and the more you elaborate, the more different ways you think of to recycle the same old stuff, until it starts sounding new.
If this wasn't true, then we'd all happily be reeling off Mongolian nose flute music or Chinese gamelan music rather than sticking to the pentatonic and diatonic scales we are brought up listening to.
So it's "easy".
1. Practice hard, often and methodically, revisiting stuff often until you know it, rather than have simply played it a few times.
2. Play. Play with the ideas, play other people's tunes - improve them, if you can - try incorporating some of the technical ideas you've been working on, just for fun. Yes. It's fun. Really. Really, really.
3. Show off. At any opportunity, simply play something you've learnt well, and muck about with it - incorporate a technical idea, switch suddenly to a different tune, whatever - enjoy the music, and simply improvise - don't even think, just feel it.
4. Because once you've put the work in, like those bluesmen did, like the classical guys did, it'll come more and more naturally. No-one was born knowing how to play an instrument - you have to know technique, licks and tricks.
...or just do your own thing. If you can just stroll up and play, all power to you. It's an enviable talent. The rest of us have to take the long way home.
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