I can't design anything unless I'm excited by it, meaning I have

The words of Rachel Roy—“I can’t design anything unless I’m excited by it, meaning I have an urge to wear it”—speak to the sacred bond between authenticity and creation. They reveal a truth that the ancients knew well: that the truest art does not come from obligation or imitation, but from desire, from the inner fire that moves the heart before it moves the hand. Roy, a designer whose work blends elegance with individuality, reminds us that passion is the lifeblood of purpose. Without excitement, there is no spark; without connection, there is no soul in the work. Her words are both confession and command—to create only what one truly believes in, to give birth only to what one would live by.

To be excited by one’s creation is to feel the pulse of life within it. For the maker and the made are reflections of each other: what one builds must echo what one loves. When Roy says she must have an “urge to wear it,” she speaks not merely of fashion, but of integrity. She will not design from distance or pretense; she designs from the self. Her craft becomes an act of communion—between the artist and her work, between inspiration and embodiment. This is the essence of authentic creativity: not to produce for applause or profit, but to give form to something that feels true in the body and the soul.

The ancients taught that creation is sacred only when it springs from alignment—when the mind, the heart, and the hand move as one. The poet Homer wrote of the artisan Hephaestus, god of fire and forge, whose work burned with divine fervor because he poured himself into every blade, every shield, every form he shaped. So it is with Rachel Roy: her excitement is her sacred flame, her urge to “wear” what she designs is the measure of her truth. For what creator can give to others what they do not themselves desire? To craft without connection is to carve lifeless stone; to craft with passion is to breathe soul into form.

Consider the story of Coco Chanel, who, like Roy, refused to separate art from life. Chanel designed clothes she herself wished to wear—simple, free, and strong. Her revolution was not born from market study or public demand, but from personal conviction. She dressed the world by first dressing her own spirit, saying, “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” Her work transformed not only fashion but the idea of womanhood itself, proving that when an artist creates from genuine love, their work transcends style and becomes timeless truth.

Roy’s statement is a quiet rebellion against the age of imitation. In a world that often prizes what sells over what inspires, she chooses to follow feeling over formula. To be “excited” by one’s own creation is to trust intuition more than approval—to allow the inner compass, not the crowd, to guide the hand. This is not arrogance, but humility of a higher kind: the humility to serve one’s calling honestly, without pretending to feel what one does not. The artist’s greatest betrayal is not failure, but falseness. For while trends fade, the authentic heart endures.

Yet Roy’s words also hold wisdom for all who seek meaning beyond art. Whether one is a teacher, builder, parent, or dreamer, the lesson is the same: do not labor in what leaves your soul cold. To live without excitement is to exist half-asleep. Whatever your craft, find what stirs your spirit—what makes you say, “I must be part of this.” The ancients called this eros, the divine passion that moves the world forward. It is the same force that drives the lover toward the beloved, the thinker toward the truth, the artist toward beauty. Without it, effort becomes emptiness.

Let this, then, be the teaching: create only what excites you, and give yourself wholly to that joy. If you cannot feel it, it is not yet yours to make. Wait until your heart stirs, until the spark returns—then act boldly, for what you love will carry your strength farther than duty ever could. Surround yourself with what awakens you, not what merely sustains you. For the one who follows passion in their craft will never grow hollow, and their work, like Rachel Roy’s designs, will bear the living mark of truth.

In the end, to be “excited by what you create” is to honor the divine artist within—to remember that creation is not a task, but a form of love. When you work with joy, the world feels that joy in what you give. When you create from what moves you, your work will move others. So live as Rachel Roy designs: with passion, with honesty, and with the courage to wear your own creations—not only on your body, but in your life.