> the process automatically becomes breaking down the task into thousands of tiny parts

One way I categorise artists I have met is engineer-type artists versus discovery-type artists.

* engineer-type artists: definite goal. The artist has a defined goal in mind for a piece of art, they plan towards achieving that goal, and they produce their artwork. Learning and creativity within some of the steps.

* discovery-type artists: no defined goal. There is a huge mount of play and seemingly random experimentation with their medium, almost searching for random discovery. Often playing within a chosen restricted domain. They might say something like “the work discovered itself as I did it”.

I am an engineer at heart, so I have really appreciated learning how discovery-type artists create. Disclaimer: not an artist.