Before Starting Crystal W Design
Education and Professional Experience
Growing up Creatively
My mom homeschooled my two siblings and me, and it was the highlight of my childhood with self-initiated craft and sewing projects, frequent field trips, one of my favorites was the natural history museum and hikes at nature centers, baking at home, and caring for animals. My creativity was nurtured. Transitioning to public school at age 13 wasn’t easy, but art was my escape.
In my art classes, I found mosaic, patterns, gouache, linoleum block printing. I started dreaming about being an independent creative when I grew up”.
Growing up, as an aspiring fashionista, my grandma and I frequented thrift shops and yard sales to treasure hunt in New England. For me, that was clothes to tailor to 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 and I wrote my admission essay on thrifting with my grandma.
I attended RISD as a transfer student in textile design. My sophomore year started the day before 9/11; it was a memorable and horrific beginning. That year, I often felt lost and overwhelmed. I ended up with friends who I was deeply connected by our shared experience. Completing the weaving, dyes, and silkscreen classes, I was excited to finish exploring digital printing for my degree program.
After college, post 9/11, the economy wasn’t great, but I had a professor who mentored me post-college and helped me get my first job in fashion and then I designed wallpaper for a while. Eventually, I moved across the country to the design capital, Los Angeles, to further my design career.
I worked in fashion, home decor, and stationery before starting Crystal W Design. My last full-time design job was at a stationery company in Los Angeles, CA, in 2015, before I started my business.
I worked out a freelance arrangement with the stationery company to continue working remotely on a contractual basis. That helped buffer the gap before I started making money in my business. I continued doing projects for them for another 2 years.
Grammys treasures
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.