I've met enough people who didn't know what fractals were to realize it's not about how you got there. I'm a total fractal geek but I know art lovers don't care about how complex my formula was, or how many iterations it took to achieve my level of detail, or whether or not I created my piece using a single layer or fifty layers. They care about what it looks like at the end of it all. They only care about the final product and that's all that matters. Either create a fractal or create art. However, don't create art with a bunch of magic rules, restrictions, and boundries in an effort to impress a small niche of people who may have an underlying appreciation for your work. It only puts a damper on your creativity. Be free.