By Tine Roycroft

Lauren Anabela Beaudoin isn’t afraid to blow your mind with her incredible jewelry creations or pick up a blowtorch and produce a custom piece that dazzles you.? Beaudoin is an active studio artist, a metalsmith, and one of the few people who truly loves her day job.

She started out taking craft courses at the Worcester Center for Crafts and then went on to earn her BFA in metals in 2004 from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.?It was a great beginning but, as Beaudoin, 30, will tell you, the life of an artist is not easy.? ?Still,?beautiful things, such as a kick-butt ring, can come from difficult times.

“When I first graduated from college I couldn’t find a job in my career field,” she remembers. ?“I did a lot of temp work and was using a computer all day.? It got really boring and at home one of my keyboards broke.? I thought it would be quirky and funny to make a piece of jewelry using the Escape key.? The owners could think that they could escape from reality for a bit.”

From that initial boredom came an entire line, aptly named “Computer Key,” of rings, cuff links, earrings, necklaces and tie tacks that feature unique items like the “Alt Option” and “Command” key ~ all of which are available in the online store, Creative Dexterity, that Beaudoin opened in 2007.? The pieces are hip and can be worn with a fun pencil skirt to the office or with a sassy black dress for martinis after dark.? Beaudoin’s pieces are defined by fun and versatility.

Beaudoin stayed true to her art while balancing a day job. ?She is the former head of the Metal Department at the Center for Crafts and still teaches there today. ?She?was also able to break away from the temping scene and get her own studio space in Orchard Hill, which is only a 20 minute drive from her home.? The space was necessary for her for both creative and safety reasons and as soon as she arrives there each day, she flips on music and starts the creative process ~ a true labor of love ~ all over again.

“Bonjour Nino!,” another of Beaudoin’s lines, includes fun necklaces, pendants and custom ornaments of various dog breeds and shows how much of a dog-lover this amazing metalsmith is.? ?The line was inspired by her own French Bulldog, Nino.

“Nino comes to my studio from time to time but I never get any work done when he’s here,” Beaudoin laughs.? “I belong to the French Bulldog Rescue Network?and part of the proceeds from this line’s sales go to them, as well as other dog rescue networks.”

Whether you’re looking for a trendy piece that you’ll rock for the season or for a beautifully unique piece that you can treasure forever, Beaudoin is your go-to-gal.? And for this artist, the future is as bright as some of the metals she works with: she hopes to expand her studio space within the next few years and add some new tools to her growing collection.? She’d also love to add more gallery shows to her agenda and some non-functional, or sculptural, jewelry to her collection.

For more information and to check out Lauren’s creations, go to www.creativedexterity.com or www.creativedexterity.etsy.com. And come see Beaudoin’s work in person at Worcester’s stART on the Street 10th anniversary festival on September 16th.