Musings on creativity in craft

So, my journey to re-enter the world of craft has led to a dress and a hat (posts and photos to follow) but has also got me thinking about the creativity of craft. I come from an art background and remember discussions at university about art vs. craft. The basic premise that people seemed to have in their heads is that art is creative and craft is not. However, the resurgence in the craft world that has so inspired me is inherently creative. I don't think anyone can argue that creating an embroidery, or dress or cake, from scratch, without a pattern etc is creative. But, where does that leave me? I have always created from patterns, wether sewing, knitting, crocheting and always considered my art and photography to be the creative element. But, my mind is slowly changing. I have not crafted for a long time, at least five years, but I have found the creating process, even using a pattern, to be so creative. Making decisions about fabric, colour, embellishments, sleeves, hem and so on has been incredibly rewarding, my hat is my own, my dress is exactly what I envisioned. I have not felt so fulfilled in a long time. My photography is no longer my only creative pursuit. In saying this though, I do want to get to a point where my knowledge is such that I no longer need to follow a pattern, that I can turn the ideas in my head into reality, I just need to hone my skills first. But in the meantime, making, even if following a design or pattern is making me very very happy.