It amazes me how often art is similar to software engineering. We all do start by adding microstructure to code. Getting to where one wipes out mountains of microstructure and replaces it with something simple requires a deep understanding of how code interacts with reality.
As a beginner, the first artistic direction you take is always to add more microstructure detail, to make things richer and more complex -- add more tracks, more notes, spend more time on rendering. At some point, you inevitably switch to pursuing simplicity and purity.