We were lucky to catch up with Crystyl Jewyl Box recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystyl, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started my journey in drag the summer before the pandemic. I had been wanting to bring more joy into my life and become more of my full authentic self. Drag had always brought me joy so, after being invited to an adult drag bingo and seeing the drag queens who performed there I asked the host if they would paint my face. They said yes. When that day came and they were nearly done they asked me to go look at myself in mirror before putting on a wig and accessories, and it was like seeing a part of myself that I hadn’t seen in 20 plus years. Like, “Oh hello! There you are!” I knew then that it was something I needed to do. That Fall me and partner decided to get divorced after 11 years of marriage. I moved out into my own place that December and started to practice using makeup more and developing my craft of drag. I knew absolutely nothing and didn’t have anyone to ask so it was an uphill battle. Then the pandemic shut everything down so I continued weekly practice sessions, watched other queens paint on live videos on social media, asked them questions. Progress felt so arduous and slow coming, but it was a practice of self-love, discovery, but it was also isolating. Joining social media platforms helped me to document my journey and help find more aspects of myself through drag. A year into the pandemic I was invited to perform in my first show as things started to open back up. I will never forget the feeling of performing live for the first time. The energy coursing through my body, the nerves, the feeling of expression felt like magic, like I could finally let this light inside of me shine for the first time. That I could express different sides of my gender identity that I hadn’t been able to before. I met some dear drag family that day that have continued to support me and help me hone my skills further. The learning never stops, the expression is vital to being my whole self in the world and continues to change. I have been fortunate to do drag full time or near full time this last year, and just wish to continue to grow my craft, be all of who I am in the process, and help share that joy and love in every space that I perform in.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a drag performer in Seattle, Washington. I identify as gender fluid, and provide entertainment services performing drag, hosting events and shows, creating rhinestone shoes and jewelry, and plan to grow into offering services for coaching, and group sessions to explore the internalization of patriarchy and dominant culture that keeps us from being our whole authentic human selves. I have been a trainer and facilitator for the last 18 years and want to bring together those skills with what I’ve learned through drag in order to support people in their journey to shine.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is simply to be all of who I am in the world and help others do the same. There are often so much of ourselves that we don’t let shine for many reasons. I want to disentangle how I’ve internalized systems of patriarchal heteronormative white supremacy so it doesn’t hold me back being my full self, and I want to support others in that same journey. That can look like watching a certain performance, adding a pair of rhinestone heels to your collection, or the messy work of looking at how we’ve been shaped and socialized in this crazy world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a self-taught drag artist during the pandemic was really difficult. To feel like I was repeating the same mistakes over and over again without someone to tell me what I was doing wrong, or to give advice on makeup, application, removal, techniques, tricks, clothing, jewelry, shoes, performing, using a corset, pads, basically everything from top to bottom. Using that time of repeating failure week after week, month after month taught me a lot about why it was so important for me to do. I also felt so isolated and alone. Doing transformation videos on tik tok gave me that sense of gender euphoria of seeing and feeling myself express myself. And every now and then seeing progress in my photos on Instagram felt amazing. When I was finally able to meet fellow performers, their feedback and friendship meant the world to me, and still does. I don’t take the community aspect of drag and sister/brotherhood lightly. All we have is ourselves and each other.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @crystyljewylbox
• Facebook: Crystyl Jewyl Box
• Tik tok: @crystyljewylbox