The part you're missing (and keep forgetting) is that everyone on "our" side (and it's stupid how this becomes a tribal thing that has sides) already knows how to paint.
To get away from yet another pointless metaphor, everyone here knows how to run a "living world". It's honestly one of the easier ways to play, and works well for a wider variety of players, because you need much less player buy-in. Saying "The duke you wish to talk to is a devout member of the Pumplegimp sect, which go on religious pilgrimages every spring, and this he isn't available to talk to, but you can talk to his chamberlain who's (rolls Perception) actually a member of the Asmodeus cult, because you see a carefully covered tattoo on his left wrist" isn't some spiritual moment, it's just using your notes to push the game in a certain direction.