Simplifying design

As a new designer I have found that I tend to like the complex, meaning I dislike white space and start out with several components. My critiques have been to simplify. Coming from an art background, I created work simply for the look or feel of something. I wasn't creating my work with the viewer in mind. Now since I am going into a career of creating visuals with the purpose of guiding and helping viewers see a specific message, I need to simplfy my with them in mind. When I did some research into simple design I found that scientifically simple is best for users. Though I like the curvy intensity of colors and shapes, users respond better to less. Thus I began to look for some tips other than to just take away. How can I start simple? How can I better guide/lead the veiwer?

I found this awesome blog with some helpful tips and great examples for why this will help you and your user overall "Why "Simple" Websites Are Scientfically Better". This blog will definitely be a reference base for me.