Are there any recommended spells to make at a spellmaker when starting out?
Oh yes there are!
First off, know this:
1 to 2 + 1 to 2 per 2 levels. This is the easiest-to-cast version of any spell. You may be able to make a more efficient spell later on, but for spells from schools you aren't good at, this is the way to go. It's small and of short duration, but repeated castings will just help you advance your skill faster

Now, some good spells to make are:
Water walking + water breathing. Remembering, of course, that water walking is not like it is in MW/OB, but rather lets you walk through water as if it were air (ie, without having to swim) You can still ascend and descend as if swimming, of course. Basically, it's like levitation but in water.
Open. Even the simplest version will open ANY exterior lock in any town. Not very useful in dungeons, but that's what bashing is for
Levitation. 'Nuff said.
Heal health. Also a duh.
Create Item: awesome spell. Creates a certain item for you, which you get to keep permanently. Of course, you usually get the poorest quality of any item type, but it is possible to summon yourself some gear of higher material quality. You can summon yourself more arrows, which is what I use it for primarily.
Recall. Works just like in MW, Just note that your anchor goes away each time you recall, so you'll have to reset it each time. Still, setting one at the entrance to a dungeon or right in front of your quest giver makes for an easy escape.
These are basically the first spells I make with any given character.