Many pages back someone shared a link to a company that sells starters.
I purchased a few to compare to my own locally started. There is a flavour difference and performance different with different starters. My point is they can be bought online and are very easy to get going. Skip the drama and just start breeding. And the rule of equal parts, by weight of flour and water works for me every time.
I now only feed 2 times a week and save wasted efffort and materials. But your culture must be well developed before you start skipping days of feeding..
Here’s one site that sells starters, but not the one I used .
https://breadtopia.com/store/sourdough-starter-dry/