We have that in common, Susan. Ives's music has for me an endearingly simple quality. He just seemed to ignore all debates and theories and created the sounds he enjoyed. Like naive painting - you know, those ones done by untutored artists, with lots of people doing things in busy parallel perspective landscapes - it captures one's attention at a very primitive, charmingly hypnotic level. Of course the music itself is not simple to read or execute, and Ives himself, when he wrote about music, did so with a marked intellectual and mystical overtone; very stimulating to read though. Nonetheless I think that the underlying spirit of Ives is neither complex nor complicated.
I suppose the argument about whether art of necessity reflects life could go on forever. I think some definitely does - as you say, hectic movement and automated rhythms - but some still comes from deep within the mind of its creator. If the creator is not a worldly person, and tends to dwell in fantasy, then we would expect his or her musical creations to reflect the landscapes of the mind rather than external vistas.
No, I do not like creating music after the manner of solving a puzzle either, but a great many musicians do enjoy it and good luck to them if it makes them happy..
Topic: Complexity