TTC ToyConUK 2015 Exhibitior Interview #27 – Crystal Jade Vaughan

CJV: I’m Crystal-Jade, I’m from the UK. My dream legacy is to create believable and filmic stories, that can translate beautifully into quality toys and much more. I’m a training pilot, lover of history, aerospace and industrial design.

I don’t originate from design directly. I started off as an imagery intelligence analyst, working on security and surveillance systems. I deferred my place at Oxford University to study English language and Literature, so I could continue further operations and training. I was interested in weaponry, AFV’s, aviation, and other confidential areas of defense. It was a dream career, but there were aspects that made me realize it wasn’t sustainable. I studied to be a filmmaker, later graduating with a degree in traditional 2d animation. I worked at Shepperton Film Studios as an assistant art director and concept artist. Later going on to Microsoft’s Lionhead Studios, Disney Consumer Products, and Microsoft’s London studio as a video game concept artist. It was a natural ascension and dream to develop my own franchise and intellectual property with 3A. It gave me hope that outside of a mass corporation we could do things differently, and still reach a like-minded people.

How did you get into the Designer Toy scene?

CJV: I left my job at Microsoft and went to work for the only person on the planet that I believed shared a similar vein of taste and philosophy. Someone with a powerful talent, heart and work ethic. That was Ashley Wood. His work is absolutely breathtaking and stunning. Phenomenal. I love designing toys at 3A, it’s like art to me. I enjoy what I do so much, it really brings the greatest feeling of hope and sense of wonder. To bring any element to life, be it a character, story, or world, it’s just so pure. It’s pure happiness. Holding those toys in your hands after creating it, it’s like a silent but deafening epiphany. It’s such an instinctual and raw feeling. The biggest happiness imaginable. There’s never been a more exciting time, it’s the very beginning.

What is your ‘go-to’ tool when customizing/creating?

CJV: Mind and Imagination. The sharpest tools for any artist!

If you could collab with any artist(s), who would it be?

CJV: I would like to evolve Beaver Industries into a feature film. I think it would translate beautifully to screen.

To have a multitude of artists work together to bring it to life, would be the ultimate collaborative project.