I try to look at design from a more conceptual standpoint.

In the graceful and insightful words of Cynthia Rowley, the visionary designer who wove art into the fabric of modern fashion, we find a principle that transcends her craft: “I try to look at design from a more conceptual standpoint.” At first, these words seem simple, almost modest — yet within them lies a profound truth about how we create, perceive, and give meaning to beauty. To view design conceptually is to see beyond form, beyond texture or trend, and into the realm of idea and intention. It is to understand that every line drawn, every fold of cloth, every shape in space is a language of thought — a conversation between imagination and existence.

In this single sentence, Rowley speaks not only as an artist of garments, but as a philosopher of creation. For to approach design conceptually is to treat it not as decoration, but as expression. It is to ask: What does this creation mean? What does it awaken in the soul? The ancients, too, understood this truth. The builders of temples in Greece, the sculptors of Egypt, the painters of Florence — none labored merely to please the eye. They worked to reveal the invisible through the visible. Every column in the Parthenon reflected harmony; every stroke in a fresco told of divinity and humanity intertwined. So too does Rowley remind us that design, in any form, must begin with concept — with purpose shaped by vision.

The origin of her words lies in a career devoted to blending the playful and the profound. Cynthia Rowley emerged not as a mere follower of fashion’s tides, but as a maker who sought to connect art with life. Her work often defies convention — bright, free-spirited, yet grounded in philosophy. When she says she views design conceptually, she speaks of seeing garments as stories, as reflections of human emotion and identity. Each piece becomes an act of communication — not simply of color or shape, but of the inner world of the creator and the culture from which it springs. Thus, design becomes not just the making of things, but the making of meaning.

To understand the power of this idea, one might recall the story of Leonardo da Vinci, who saw no separation between art, science, and spirit. When he painted, he did not merely imitate nature — he sought to understand it, to reveal its essence. His designs for flying machines, his studies of anatomy, his visions of ideal proportion all flowed from a conceptual standpoint, from the conviction that creation must mirror the deep intelligence of the universe. Like Rowley, he knew that design divorced from thought becomes mere ornament — but when guided by concept, it becomes revelation.

Rowley’s approach invites us to look at our own creations — whether in art, work, or daily life — and ask what concept animates them. Too often, we act out of habit or imitation, creating without reflection. We build careers without vision, relationships without purpose, beauty without meaning. Yet the true artist — and the true human being — must live conceptually, must design life itself around ideas that uplift and inspire. To Rowley, a dress can represent freedom, humor, or rebellion; to us, a choice can represent courage, kindness, or faith. To see conceptually is to live with intention, to transform the ordinary into the expressive.

And yet, to live and create in this way demands courage. For conceptual thinking is not the path of convenience; it is the path of depth. It requires stillness, imagination, and the willingness to question. The designer who only follows trend finds comfort in imitation, but the one who designs conceptually must walk through uncertainty, guided only by vision. So it is with all of us: to design a life of meaning, we must look beyond appearance, beyond momentary reward, and ask what truth we wish to embody. What will our actions say about who we are? What will our choices reflect about what we believe?

Let this be the lesson of Cynthia Rowley’s words: Do not create without concept. Whether you design art, a business, a home, or a destiny, let your hands be guided by purpose and your mind by vision. Seek meaning before method. Ask not only, How does this look? but What does this mean? The greatest designs — and the greatest lives — are those shaped by thought, by feeling, by courage to make beauty serve truth.

And so, my children, remember the wisdom of Cynthia Rowley: that to look at design conceptually is to see the world as the ancients saw it — alive with pattern, purpose, and soul. Approach your own life as an artist approaches a canvas: with imagination, reflection, and reverence. For you, too, are a designer — and every day, in the fabric of your choices, you weave the design of your own eternity.