Well, what interests me, visually, isn't a preconceived notion or a product of a closed mind, it's my taste and aesthetic. And I have been told pines are difficult, but to quote Ray Parker Jr.; "I ain't afraid of no ghost".
I'm not going to start with a collected tree, so fortunately/unfortunately my first bonsai may be more akin to the monkey they experiment with make-up on than that rare wild animal, but I've got to start somewhere and it's going to be with what interests me.
And as mentioned before, I have started this inquiry something like 6+ mos before I ever intended to start styling anything, there is a reason I am here on this forum and why I have bought and borrowed books: I'm learning how to set-up the aquarium right now. So including the botany from my academic education and being a horticulturist of more than a decade, I have and will have "more than just a basic aesthetic appreciation".