Can Never Think Of Ideas for portal maps, Should I give up?
It always helps for me.
Personally giant brains shooting lightning always gives me ideas.. of running. Away from.
I think you should have a break, stop it for a short period, like a week.
Ideas will come from themselves, for me it does work like this, maybe not for you.
I make levels for lot of games (more than 10) in the same time and when I'm out of ideas, I just leave the editors alone for a time, i make something else and only after that an idea came to me (it can be..1 week, 2 week later...3 days...) then I open again the editors.
If you build maps just to build maps, they may not be interesting and not much people will "remember" them.
Don't listen to my above sentences, this work just for me and maybe not for you.
This is just some "advice" but don't follow it necessary
First, it is always good to play a lot. Play all the maps you can so you can gain experience about how big is this game when talking of puzzles. There are millions (maybe a little less than that!) of ways to face a puzzle, to solve it, to avoid it... etc. Also it's good to watch other people playthroughs, that increase your experience as well.
Secondly, my advice would be: do not ever stop thinking of puzzles. I am all the day (from home to my work place, while shaving, having a shower, driving,....) thinking of puzzles (it's the only way you come to good ideas); I use to imagine different ways of playing with a puzzle element. For example, the light bridge... if you would have played as much as I did (which I don't know), you could think of many other ways than just putting a whitel panel at the end of it and then use it to get through to pass ther level: you could make the player have to use a fling to reach it, you could paint it with some of the gels in order to multiply the options and reach some previously-unreachable areas, you could make them be active/inactive by a laser_catcher that can only be reached while flinging or being catapulted... Don't know! but try to take one puzzle element and play with it in your mind. Forget of hammer in this stage.
(what mentioned above could be considered as chicken said, a brainstorming.... hehehe, funny picture btw chicken!)
Next I discovered is that you can make more complex your map as you continue with mapping. Sometimes you would like to simply give the player a cube... but sometimes you can think "why would I make it that easy?", and then put the cube in places where the player at least have to open a few portals, reach certain areas, pressing some buttons (timed or not-timed), etc. Maybe you can only make a simple or easy puzzle by now... but you can always go there and remake it harder as you progress with your map and new ideas come to your head...
And I'll tell you one thing, dude: THAT kind of auto-criticism you are showing which is leading you to question every puzzle you make and valuate your own maps detecting when your job sucks or not, is in fact the kind of thinking that will lead you to make a good map! seriously: you'll notice one day that suddenly, a map made by you has passed throught that filter you have in your mind, and boom! you will realize that you have your first good idea, your first good map! And that feeling cannot be paid with money, mate.
So, just do not give up! ever! there is no other way for improving your skills and becoming better than continue! Again I tell you: you already have the hardest thing to get, a good filter! Some people make bad maps but they don't even notice!
Good luck!
So, ill take a break from hammer and start thinking about puzzles, thank you so much! 
I find it helps to play other maps for inspiration. Look at how other people utilize or re-purpose game elements in their maps, then turn your attention back to your map and get creative. Take plenty of breaks. If you're constantly stressing about making the perfect map, it will never be complete.
Your map doesn't need to be incredibly challenging or complex. It just needs to be fun.
Like you, I'm currently working on my first map. The main element involved is aerial faith plates and flinging. This was my favorite aspect of playing through Portal 2, so I wanted to focus on it. There is a puzzle to be solved but it is not at all difficult. I'm just doing what I think would be fun. My goal is to just wrap it up and kick it out the door. If someone else finds it fun as well then I'll consider myself lucky.
ManicVelocity wrote:
Nobody writes a great novel on their first draft.I find it helps to play other maps for inspiration. Look at how other people utilize or re-purpose game elements in their maps, then turn your attention back to your map and get creative. Take plenty of breaks. If you're constantly stressing about making the perfect map, it will never be complete.
Your map doesn't need to be incredibly challenging or complex. It just needs to be fun.
Like you, I'm currently working on my first map. The main element involved is aerial faith plates and flinging. This was my favorite aspect of playing through Portal 2, so I wanted to focus on it. There is a puzzle to be solved but it is not at all difficult. I'm just doing what I think would be fun. My goal is to just wrap it up and kick it out the door. If someone else finds it fun as well then I'll consider myself lucky.
THank you alot! I am also working on a map with AFP's I brainstormed and took everyones advice, and now I'll have my first map! Thank you all sooo much for your feedback, it really means alot to me. 
Try Anything Twice by HMW
12 Angry Tests by CaretCaret
Portal Pro by Mevious
Portal:Prelude by Nyk018
PMK5 by mazk1985
LoveGlados by Graxthal
Ren Tests by RenStrike
Sorry, no links because I'm lazy. There are literally HUNDREDS more, these are just some of my favorites. Check the Community Spotlights.
One thing that I base most of my maps off of is making the player do the chamber more than once under different conditions, ala Try Anything Twice.
or, you can start w/ scenery, and just build a story around that, or just make an exploration map.
wrathofmobius wrote:
LoveGlados by Graxthal
That was one of the first custom maps I played. Your mentioning of it brings back fond memories!
A few others that come to mind, puzzle-wise:
- Rexaura and Dyad by Mevious
- BoxyTrixy by Glovis
- Angrybombs by MissStabby
- Motanum's Main Four by Motanum
- PMK6 by mazk1985