Go both ways
I've made many quilts from patterns and create some quilts as art quilts. Original designs are challenging but the outcomes are surprising and successful so far. I want to pursue more original plans as time goes on. Here's one that was based on the panel fabric being fussy cut to feature the pictures at their best. Everything else was 'fill in' and 'complement'. The custom quilting by Laura Jansen made this a really special work.
I hope the photo fits in the window to view!