Founder Interview With Crystal Whiteaker, Crystal Lily Creative
Photo Credit: Paige Ray Creative
Crystal Whiteaker, the Founder and CEO of Crystal Lily Creative, has carved a unique niche in the world of branding with her distinct approach. Launched after her transformative journey from the corporate world to a creative career, Crystal's venture is more than just a business; it's a mission to foster inclusivity and authenticity in brand representation. Her transition from a wedding photographer to a branding expert was fueled by a desire to see more diversity and inclusion in business and mainstream media. With a strong emphasis on social impact, Crystal Lily Creative partners with brands and leaders, helping them create genuinely inclusive environments.
During the interview, Crystal dives deeper into her journey from a corporate executive recruiter to a photographer, and ultimately, an inclusive branding and leadership development consultant. She offers insights for future LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of aligning core values with business practices. Crystal also shares more on the range of services she provides, all of which are grounded in The Aligned Values Framework™, a model she personally developed. Let’s jump right in!
Can you walk us through your professional journey and how you got to where you are today?
I've joked that I'm a corporate-trained creative hippie and have even included that in my speaking bio. I spent over a decade in roles across a few industries, including nonprofit, private education, and corporate spaces. Most notably, my time as an executive recruiter is what sent me in the direction of entrepreneurship. It was a lot like getting paid to get an MBA, though I didn't realize it at the time. When I left corporate in 2016, I had reached a point where I felt like my soul was dying, and I just wanted to be creative. I had bought a Canon Rebel the year before and became self-taught, taking pictures of everything and offering photo sessions to friends for practice.
I originally began as a wedding photographer and it didn't take long before I started to feel really frustrated by the imagery and lack of diversity in the mainstream wedding industry. So from the very beginning, I wanted to make sure all people felt welcome and that my brand had a social impact component. As I shifted towards branding in 2019, I saw that inclusion wasn't a big part of the conversation and I wanted to help change how people positioned their brands in the market. If you're serving people, you can't separate human experiences from your business and representation.
Openly sharing my opinions about inclusivity brought much attention in 2020 for obvious, unfortunate reasons. People started inviting me to speak about inclusive business and leadership. This initially terrified me because public speaking was not my thing. Fun fact: I barely passed my college speech class, which surprises people who know me as a speaker. I remember my best friend sitting with me on Zoom for over 2 hours while I practiced my first webinar with him. As it turned out, I love teaching and quickly embraced workshops and speaking as an additional component of my business. I created my signature program, Empowered Branding, in 2021, which was the catalyst for The Aligned Values Framework™.
This framework is designed to help people cultivate inclusive environments and experiences, as well as a leadership style that is focused on human values and rooted in their core beliefs. Fast forward to 2023, when I had the audacity to take all of the work I've done and publish my book, Brave Leadership is a Choice: An Inclusive Guide to Creating Belonging.
Video Credit: Tamiah Bantum
What inspired you to offer the services you provide?
When I was working solely as a wedding photographer, I was very vocal about the lack of diverse representation in the industry. I naturally built an inclusive photography brand, and small business owners I was connected with started asking me how they could make sure they were being genuinely inclusive while considering their impact. I started mentoring people about inclusive branding and leadership, and I found myself combining my corporate experience with my creative passion. Brand photography became a service people wanted from me because I could bridge the gap between written and visual messaging with an inclusive lens.
This expanded to working with other inclusive business owners to help them convey their message to draw in their ideal community. It has been important for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC business owners to have a message that resonates with people who are aligned, creating more harmonious connections and environments. As my business evolved, I phased out wedding photography to focus on working with leaders and brands that care about making an impact.
“I believe genuinely inclusive brands and leaders help lift others and operate through aligned core values while considering ways to incorporate:
- Philanthropy
- Sustainability
- Community building
- Advocacy and activism
- Education and empowerment
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
- Human-focused, trauma-informed business practices”
Now, I offer a range of inclusive branding support, including brand coaching, brand photography, DEIB, and leadership development training, and custom brand consulting. My work centers around The Aligned Values Framework™ to ensure a cohesive brand experience across all written, verbal, visual, and behavioral elements.
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your journey as a service provider, and what did you do to overcome this?
I was contracted to work with a long-term client on a series of projects for their brand. This client experienced an unexpected loss of their projected revenue, leading to unexpected budget cuts. As a result, I received an email from the CEO informing me that they would need to terminate my contract. This was a huge challenge because it would result in a significant revenue loss for my business.
At that time, I had been working with the client for an extended period. I remember feeling panic wash over me as I spun into thinking of ways to recover the projected revenue I was losing. I offered some alternative solutions that were still beyond what the client could accept, and I had to terminate the contract.
The CEO is very much a person of their word, and I knew them to be someone who considered all elements in any situation. I also knew if they could continue that contract, they would have. Several weeks later, when I needed a reference for another project I was being considered for, they provided a glowing recommendation to help me secure the project. Since then, I have been invited back to work on other custom projects for their brand and our relationship has only strengthened.
The experience was a poignant reminder that challenges in business are inevitable. The key is learning how to navigate them with grace and trust that the value and depth of the relationships you cultivate will take care of you over time.
If you could give one piece of advice to future LGBTQ+ service providers within your field, what would it be?
Get rooted in your core values and make sure all of your decisions can be traced back to at least one of them. Once you choose your values, take it a step further. Define what those values mean to you and understand how they benefit anyone who engages with you. Also, consider how inclusivity is reflected through your values, even if equity or inclusion isn't explicitly named. And when you initially choose your values, write them down. Tape them on your bathroom mirror so you can see them every day and really check in with yourself. This way, you're not just living by these values in theory, but in practice, making sure they're at the heart of each decision that you make.
Video Credit: Tamiah Bantum
How does being openly queer inspire or impact your business?
The nature of my work as an inclusive branding consultant means that my intersectional identity has a significant impact on my business. I'm not just queer. I'm also a bi-racial Black woman. I'm intentional about the way I show up in the world, the relationships I cultivate, and the environments I create. I understand what it feels like to wonder if I belong or if I'm safe in a space. I'm committed to being mindful of my impact on people who engage with me as well as the content and experiences I create.
I've cultivated a very supportive community and network around my business where I feel very comfortable being myself and being honest about my identity. As a result, people often share that they find me to be inspiring. Feeling comfortable and safe enough to be openly queer is a privilege I don't take for granted so I want to make sure I'm creating brave spaces for others to be themselves as well.
What brands or services by LGBTQ+ founders are your go-to's and why?
Two that immediately come to mind are TomboyX and Wet For Her. Both brands have gender-affirming products, offer a range of sizes, and are authentically inclusive of all races, gender identities, bodies, and abilities. It's also clear that both brands really consider comfort for their customers.
I also really appreciate Queerency for their coverage of LGBTQ+ news and culture, Cuties LA for the BIPOC queer community they cultivate, The Salt Eaters Bookshop for creating a space for book lovers to gather for more than books, and Black Being for creating a nonprofit well-being studio focused on community care.
Who is your favorite LGBTQ+ celebrity and why?
Please don't take my queer card, but I don't really have a favorite celebrity! I definitely admire Angela Davis. I actually got to see her speak last summer. What a presence. I also appreciate RuPaul and Billy Porter for their amazing, expressive style. I would have also loved to have a conversation and poetry writing chat with Audre Lorde. Really any influential LGBTQ+ celebrity who is out, loud and proud deserves their flowers, because the world wasn’t set up for us. Unless they’re problematic like Caitlyn Jenner, because the harmful narratives she puts out aren’t helpful.
“Recently I’ve been dissecting the whole idea of putting celebrities on pedestals. I do believe it’s important to celebrate their contributions and visibility, while also taking the time to understand the complexity of individuals. They’re human and make mistakes so finding that balance between admiration and critical engagement.”
Share one fun or unusual fact about yourself.
I have a jukebox brain. There must be hundreds of song lyrics in my head and more that I don't know about because I still surprise myself. At any given time, during any conversation, a single word or phrase could trigger a melody of lyrics. And if I'm comfortable with you, I'll just sing it out loud. Most people find it amusing. Some think it's amazing that so many random lyrics live rent-free in my head. I missed my calling as a music supervisor.
