What you’ll learn in this episode:   How Kristen decided to start the next phase of her career at Scotland’s University of Dundee Why metalsmithing and jewelry attracts people who like a challenge How creating jewelry can be like creating an opera What young jewelry artists can learn by entering competitive exhibitions  Why curiosity can help artists overcome shyness and fear   About Kristin Beeler   Kristin Beeler joined the faculty of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee, Scotland UK in 2023.   From 2002-2023, she was Professor of Art and Coordinator of Jewelry and Metalwork at Long Beach City College in the Los Angeles, California area. She is native to the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Appalachia and is a second generation graduate of historically interracial and craft-centered Berea College receiving a BFA in Crafts and Applied Design with a minor in Philosophy (1989). Her Master of Fine Arts in Jewelry from the University of Arizona (1994) was followed later by post graduate studies at Alchemia Jewellery School in Florence, Italy (2011) and  Atelier Rudee, Bangkok, Thailand (2013).   Solo exhibitions include Integumentum 2021 at Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, Maryland, Archive of Rag and Bone at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Phoenix, Arizona (2016) and Beauty and Other Monsters at Velvet da Vinci Gallery, San Fransisco, California (2007).   Additional Resources: Kristin’s Website Kristin’s Instagram Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design The Jewellery and Metal degree programme at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Instagram  Long Beach City College Metalsmithing IG:@lbccjewelryandmetalwork https://thestrawfactory.com/ IG:@straw.factory   Photos Available on TheJewelryjourney.com    Transcript:   After two decades as a professor at Long Beach City College, artist and jeweler Kristin Beeler is heading back to school herself at Dundee University in Scotland. Although any international move comes with fear, Kristin has relied on a sense of curiosity to keep pushing her work froward. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about why certain artists are drawn to metal; how she tries to create context through her work; and why some of the most important lessons she learned were from submitting her work to competitive exhibitions. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it’s released later this week. If you look at Kristin Beeler’s jewelry, she looks like she’s a risk taker, but that’s not really true. She has followed a well-worn path, but she also has risk in her work. She received her master’s and then became a professor of art at Long Beach City College. She teaches both metal arts and jewelry. She is the Coordinator of Jewelry and Metalwork for Long Beach City College. She has been at the college for at least seven years, and this is her last term there.    She is not afraid to put herself and her work out there, as evidenced by the many exhibitions and jury situations she has been in. She’s not afraid for others to judge her work, but her biggest risk is upcoming. That is to be a lecturer in the metal arts department at the University of Dundee in Scotland. We’ll hear more about this today. Kristin, I’m glad to have you on the podcast.    Kristin: I’m so glad to be here, Sharon. Thank you.   Sharon: It’s great to have you. First, what are your trepidations about going across the world?    Kristin: It is an adventure for sure. I’ve actually been at Long Beach City College for 21 years. This was my 21st year, so it’s been quite an adventure. It’s been an amazing time to spend with the students and an impressive faculty at the school. It’s been an incredible privilege, and it’s also g