Programming, engineering, visual art, music, writing, it's all similar. You do a lot of studies where you capture things in intricate and intimate detail, but when you go to make a product for a purpose, that history of studying tells you what to leave out to build a harmonious and compelling system.

Sculpture is probably a good metaphor for it.

Something in my brain really wants me to bring up Sturgeon's Law here, so there it is :)