I am Crystal Walen of Crystal W Design. I have been designing patterns for textiles since 2005.

My design journey started with a formal textile design education, followed by 10 years designing for fashion and home decor before starting Crystal W Design in 2015.

Renaissance

From Motherhood to Masterpieces: A return to the canvas with New Perspective

While I was raising my child, in the last few years, business went on autopilot and became passive.

In review, I created a thriving pattern design brand, and while I was away, some things changed, warranting updates, including elaborating on my story. My vast library of work that spans 10 years has continued to garner interest because of its timelessness.

What remains the same is that I continue to create designs for feeling, using flowers and nature as my muse. Evoking sentiment in hand-painted art, an art form that is more relevant than ever in a world of AI-generated art. The layered nature of emotions comes through beautifully in watercolor paint.

This next chapter is about curation, capitalizing on knowledge and experience, and celebrating my work coming into its most refined era yet.

Inspirations

Nature and flowers are a muse and a canvas for mood. The words I don’t have become colors and flowers, encompassing a vibe, a look, or a sentiment in design.

Discovering Digital Printing

In 2012, I learned about print-on-demand (POD) sites from college friends. One was using Spoonflower to prototype portfolio samples, and another joined Society6, inspiring me to join.

I saw digital printing as a gold mine to capture the delicate layers of watercolor in a way never done before. Digital printing seemed like an opportunity to create a cleaner textile industry, one that was less wasteful, more efficient, and opened the gates to small businesses.

Visiting my grammys house and playing dress up

Growing up Creatively

In my earliest years, I was homeschooled, and it was the highlight of my childhood because it nurtured and grew my creativity.

Growing up, as an aspiring fashionista, my grandma and I frequented thrift shops and yard sales to go treasure hunting, and then tailor my finds for the latest trends. I was drawn to print and pattern, tactile pieces, velvet, beadwork, and bright embroidered garments. My Grandma encouraged me to apply to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and I got accepted with a scholarship.

I’m a New England native and moved to Los Angeles to pursue my career dreams in my mid 20s. Soon after moving, my mom became ill and passed away. In my work as a designer, my mom has often inspired me.

Me in my 20s, with my visiting parents in Los Angeles

Still Reading?

“For a person who has the [poetic] spirit, everything he sees becomes a flower, and everything he imagines turns into a moon...” - Matsuo Basho 1644-1694

“You cannot put together a life willy nilly from odds and ends. Even in a crazy quilt, the various pieces, wherever they came from, have to be trimmed and shaped and arranged so they fit together, then firmly sewn to last through time and keep out cold. Most quilts are more ambitious: they involve the imposition of a new pattern. But even crazy quilts are sewn against a backing; the basic sense of continuity allows improvisation. Composing a life involves openness to possibilities and the capacity to put them together in a way that is structurally sound.”

- ‘Composing a Life’ Mary Catherine Bateson