Crystal Wyant

Give her a follow and say hello!

1. Tell me a little bit about you, who is Crystal outside of work?

I live in Bellevue, WA with my husband, two cats, and turtle. I'm passionate about animal welfare, and am a huge fan of true crime and the paranormal. I'm an INFJ and Enneagram 3. Being the introvert that I am, I don't like to get out of the house often, so it may come as no surprise that my favorite indulgence is binging TV shows and movies. Two of my favorite shows are The Office and Broad City, and my favorite movie is Step Brothers!

2. What do you do for work?

I'm a graphic designer who specializes in luxury wedding invitations and signage and small business branding. I'm also a contract calligrapher and glass engraver, and engage in brand activations with Nordstrom, Jo Malone, and Burberry several times throughout the year. Some career highlights include calligraphing the addresses for Whitney Port's baby announcements, and creating plaques for APL's 2020 holiday boxes... one of which, ended up on Khloe Kardashian's IG stories!

3. How have you been staying creative/inspired during a pandemic?

I'm not going to lie, this has not been easy, but things like reminiscing about past vacations, pursuing interior design Instagram accounts, and keeping up with fashion trends have been giving me sparks of inspiration. I've also been participating in a few socially-distanced photo shoots, consisting of staged weddings (minus the guests). While weddings haven't really been happening, it's been fun to dream up new ideas for when they return.

4. As a female, what are some of the biggest obstacles you have faced within your industry / the workplace?

It's been interesting talking with people about what I do, especially those outside the wedding and art industry. I've received a lot of positive feedback, which I am so grateful for, but every now and then, I'll hear things like, "... so what does your husband do?" and "when are you going to get a real job?" People are shocked to learn that I am the breadwinner of my household. If I'm being honest, I don't think these reactions come from a place of malicious intent. There is just a huge misconception about what modern entrepreneurs are capable of, especially those in newer fields. I'm doing my best to help change that!

5. What women in your life inspire you and why?

I've been lucky to be surrounded by many self-made, independent and strong friends. A majority of them have a similar background to mine, in that they were raised by immigrant parents. These women became first-generation university graduates, first-generation business owners, and some, even first-generation homeowners. Financial and academic success are admirable, but what it took for them to get to this point, and how they have faced obstacles with grace is what inspires me the most.

6. What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a new life direction -- whether that be moving to a new city, pursuing a new career path, starting a side hustle or choosing a new major in school?

This is such a good question. Here are a few things:

- Prior to pursuing the decision, if you can, interview someone who is already doing what you want to do. Ask them, not just about the good times, but the hard times. The internet can teach you a lot about something, but there is nothing like learning from someone else's personal experience.

- Starting something new can be scary, but don't let failure, or the fear of the unknown stop you.

- It is important to have realistic expectations and allow yourself the freedom to change your mind (this is different than giving up, by the way!)

- Flexibility is a must because more often than not, things may not go as planned.

- Most importantly, don't forget to believe in yourself. You've got this!

7. How do you balance a job, personal life and passions? Is there such a thing as balance?

Being in the wedding industry, work-life balance is extremely difficult to achieve. Stationers typically work hard year-round. Fall and winter are dedicated to invitation design, while the warmer months are for day-of goods. It took me a long time to figure out how many weddings I could take before I was considered "full" vs "overworked".

The pandemic was extremely devastating, but one positive thing it allowed me to do was take a step back to re-evaluate what I wanted my day-to-day to look like. It didn't take a lot to see that I was overworking. Changing that meant being more selective about the jobs I took on, setting minimums, raising my prices, and being ok with possibly making less money (a huge blow for my Enneagram 3-self).

Setting more boundaries have guided my workload in the right direction, but finding balance continues to be a work-in-progress.

8. What are some ways you implement self-care?

Binging shows (particularly those in the horror genre), sleeping in, indulging in junk food, and talking on the phone with friends. Outside of the pandemic, I used to love getting facials, travelling, and trying out new restaurants with my husband... I'm excited to get back to those things one day!

9. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders, movers and shakers?

Find a good support system, have confidence in what you do, believe in yourself, be open to constructive feedback, remember that good things take time, be a trendsetter, lift others up, ask questions, and don't forget... you are worthy.

10. How can women advocate for each other?

There are so many ways, but one of them can be speaking up about personal experiences, both good and bad. Even today, a lot of situations are seen as taboo. Talking about them can only help normalize or shed light on the subject and encourage change, if necessary.

Years ago, I went to graduate school to become a therapist, and during my time there, I had an internship supervisor whom I experienced several instances of racism and ageism with. I not only informed my school about it, but also shared my story with other classmates. Two more people came forward with similar experiences, and although I never found out what happened to that supervisor (because I had left), I found comfort in knowing the three of us helped spark an investigation.

11. What is your power color and why?

Hands down, black! During my teen years, and even in my early 20's, I wore a lot of color, but as I've grown more into who I am, nothing compares to a chic, all-black power outfit!