Step 1: I chose to think about Economy vs Intricacy.

Step 2: I chose to investigate a tree branch. Branches are often the same, dull, dark brown on the surface, but if you move closer you can see imperfections. Darker dips and lighter bumps. Bits of brown that aren't entirely the same. On a larger scale, a branch is composed of a collection of lines of varying thickness. The joints can be seemingly random or all come off at the same angle. Sometimes you have corners where it looks like one line simply bent, instead of splitting off into more. The larger, thicker lines tend to be more central and act as visual anchors, with the length and thickness decreasing as you move away, and the color getting lighter. The visual pull of the smaller pieces is less, because of this.