Been absent a long time. Just picked up Mandlebulber and created a few images.
I find the process similar to photography. When photographing: I wander around until I see something I like, I frame it, select depth of field, make choices about lighting, etc, and take a shot. When "mandelbulbing": I wander around in a virtual world until I see something I like, I frame it, select depth of field, make choices about lighting, etc, and take a shot.