#44: Stories of Transformation: Part 2

In this episode of The Jeweler's View, Courtney Gray, a metalsmith educator and business strategist, reflects on the impactful 'Transform' course she created, designed to bridge the gap between creativity and business. She shares inspiring stories of women from diverse backgrounds—scientists, retirees, fine artists, and career jewelers—who have taken the course and experienced significant personal and professional growth. From gaining business structure and confidence to reigniting passion for their craft, these women illustrate that transformation is possible at any stage of life or career. Courtney emphasizes the importance of community, support, and continuous learning. She invites listeners to join the next cohort of the 'Transform' course and offers free masterclasses to help them start their journey.

Transcript

44- Stories of Transformation: Part 2

[00:00:00] Welcome to The Jeweler's View. I'm Courtney Gray, metalsmith educator and creative business strategist. After 25 years in the jewelry industry, running one of the country's top metalsmithing schools, coaching artists, advising companies and organizations, and hosting interviews with some of the best in the craft.

I finally created the kind of support I wish I'd had from the start. This podcast is a part of that. Each week I share the lessons I had to learn the hard way so you can build a rhythm that supports your creative work, your values, and the life and business you actually want. Find tools, coaching and my transform course@courtneygrayarts.com and let's get to work.

Courtney Gray: Hey there. Welcome back. Last week I shared part one of our transform stories. This week, we continue the celebration. Why [00:01:00] did I call this transform? What I'm hoping to do is take you from the beginning of your vision all the way to how you can succeed in that vision, a true transformation.

But this has been way more eyeopening than I ever imagined. It's been so well received, and everybody I've talked to has gained beyond what I expected from it. What an honor and what gratifying work. So thank you to all my students who've put that trust in me who are signing up and handing over their hard-earned money, to participate in this. And the community factor, I've gotta tell you, this is probably one of the best parts. There's nothing like aligning and connecting with other people who have done, who are doing, and who are striving towards the same things that you are. There's no competition here.

It's all about collaboration i'm loving this whole experience and seeing them continue in membership, where they get to go [00:02:00] into the transform circle and become official transformers to stay connected, meet up monthly, hold each other accountable and , and make progress alongside other makers instead of trying to do it on your own . Can you tell, I'm freaking proud of this course. Enough about that. The whole point here is to really honor these people who are showing up for themselves in a whole new way. 'cause guess what?

That takes freaking courage. It's uncomfortable, it's real. And a lot of us have been putting it off for a long time.

There's nothing like watching people accelerate their growth right in front of you. So I have to share some of these stories. One, because I always smile really big when I hear the commonalities, the common struggles between those trying to really move their business and their creative side forward.

So last week I shared part one of our transform stories. This week, I wanna continue the celebration what you're about to hear are [00:03:00] stories of women who brought decades of experience, both in jewelry and in life into this course.

Some were already accomplished makers in the craft for years and years. Some were reawakening dormant practices that maybe they had to put aside for different reasons. Some were simply ready to claim their creative work as more than just a hobby. Each story is unique. Each one is human. And what I love the most is they prove transformation is not reserved for beginners or for the completely fearless.

It's for anyone who's willing to show up, face themselves honestly, and take the next step.

Let's talk about . Brenda Waddoups Brenda's from Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by training. She's a scientist having spent 35 years working in safety and occupational health for the military. When a friend gave her [00:04:00] a pair of silver earrings, she realized she couldn't wear them.

She went online looking for a way to make them wearable, and that sent her down a slippery slope of jewelry from beading to chain mail to metalsmithing. Brenda has steadily expanded her skills. She told us by education. I'm a scientist, so I look at things a little differently than those I call real artists.

I've been in search of my artistic side since 2008, and with the help of folks like you, I found quite a bit along the way. Brenda came to transform, not as a beginner, but as someone seeking clarity, confidence, and some structure. She admitted she takes classes not just for technique, but because I get inspired and motivated and usually end up flabbergasted by what I learn from my fellow students.

As well as the instructor. Her takeaway from Transform was that systems matter as much as creativity. [00:05:00] She said I had systems in place, but they were just analog and not in one place. Having everything in one spot has been immensely beneficial. Brenda's story is a reminder that artistry isn't about labels. She may call herself a scientist first, but she's also an artist and now she's got the systems in place to carry that forward. I have to note, Brenda also shows dogs, and she teaches and hosts fencing tournaments, so anything but free time, right? But she found a way to show up for herself anyway.

I'm so impressed with these women. Now let's talk about Sherry. Sherry has worn many hats, programmer, technical writer, real estate agent, bookkeeper, and military spouse. She even ran the office for a rural trash company before retiring Recently, her jewelry journey began back in 2007 when a friend in Alaska taught her to [00:06:00] bead a bracelet while she and her husband were work camping, she said.

She said that just became an obsession for me. At first, Sherry dreamed of selling beads from their RV as they traveled,

but once they settled down, she sold off the beads and shifted her focus toward lapidary and silversmithing. Now at 62, she told me, after spending thousands of dollars in the last 10 years of this trade, I want it to give back to me. I finally found a lifelong passion and now all my time is mine.

It's time to go from hobby to real and focused business. Sherry was also candid about the self-doubt. Yes, I still feel like a minnow and a sea of multi-talented folks in the industry, but if they can do it, so can I.

Through Transform. She began putting real business structures in place, shifting her language from giving pieces away to [00:07:00] asking customers about their budget and exploring gallery and boutique opportunities, and finally recognizing the value of her work. Her story is about timing. At 62, she's not slowing down.

She's doubling down, getting her business built and ready to fly.

Now let me tell you about Yvonne. Yvonne came into transform with more than a decade of experience in the fine art world. She's taught sculpture and jewelry at the university level and built a career that blended research with practice and developed a body of work with real depth and meaning.

But she found herself at a crossroads while her sculptures carried deep stories. Authentic to her cultural background. She felt a pull toward jewelry, a medium that could carry those same ideas into something wearable and more [00:08:00] intimate, her vision was strong, but still abstract. She didn't yet have the scaffolding for a business or clarity on how to translate her academic work into a line of jewelry that could reach collectors and customers directly.

She put it this way, I had this idea that I wanted to do something with jewelry, but it was so abstract. Week one of the course hit hard. It forced me to slow down and actually define what I wanted. It was definitely growing pains, but they were necessary Throughout transform, Yvonne leaned into both reflection and action.

She began to define her direction and carve out regular studio hour. She restructured her calendar recommitted to her creative time, and even reconnected with past collectors and colleagues

finding both validation and energy in those relationships. All this while raising a young child. [00:09:00] She told me taking the course was a milestone. It helped me prove to myself that this is something I'm doing. I'm not just thinking about it. And I realized if I can make time for this class, I can make time for studio work and grow my business.

By the end of the program, Yvonne was no longer sitting in an abstract dream. She had a clearer path for bringing her sculpture and jewelry into dialogue rather than treating them as separate worlds. She began reworking her website to reflect her dual practices.

Started building a collection of wearable pieces as extensions of her larger body of work, and leaned into the community that she has around her already. Her reflection says it best. I came in with an abstract idea. I left with a plan. The growing pains were necessary.

They were also powerful. And for the first time, I can see how my jewelry fits [00:10:00] into my story and how it can become a part of someone else's. Yvonne's story is proof that transform is not just for beginners. Now, when I built this, I wasn't sure, is it for beginners? Is it for advanced?

Let's find the middle ground and make it for everyone it's for artists at any stage who are ready to bridge the gap between creativity and business by slowing down, defining her path and building structure, Yvonne has begun turning her wearable art into a sustainable soul filled practice.

I love the line that she brought to this from research to wearable. Okay. Let me tell you about Jeanette Caines . Many of you may know her from her YouTube channel, and she's the director and lead instructor at JA Jewelry Art in New York City. Jeanette is not new to jewelry by any means.

She's a teacher a Bench Jeweler and [00:11:00] someone who's been in the industry long enough to see both its struggles and its magic. When she heard about transform, she did not hesitate. She said, I've known Courtney a long time. She's a real badass bitch and someone I really admire.

The moment I heard she was doing this class, I was like, oh my God, how do I sign up? Get me in. What Jeanette wanted most was objectivity, she put it, it's weirdly hard sometimes when you're in the middle of your business to try to be objective. Transform really gave me a fresh pair of eyeballs to look at everything.

She wasn't stuck. She was building, teaching and creating, but like so many jewelers, she needed a new lens on her systems and the courage to reimagine what wasn't working and the accountability to lean into change. With the fire that she naturally carries anyway and change, she did. Jeanette says, everything feels more [00:12:00] fucking exciting right now because of what I did with Transform.

I got this huge idea, which I'm so excited about, I could lose it. And whenever I have a new idea, I get completely insane. And so I'm in that state right now, but I feel really good about it. Her biggest shift wasn't just clarity, it was energy. She started seeing her business with more structure, more possibility, and more willingness to adapt.

She said working in transform really helped me to look at the parts of my business that weren't working for me so well, and not only come up with an idea to fix them. To actually dare I say, transform them into what could be the best part of what I'm doing. It's really powerful stuff. By the end, Jeanette had what She came for a fresh perspective, bigger ideas, and unapologetic confidence to shift.

She left with momentum, ready to refine her teaching, build out a [00:13:00] membership, and rework her systems. So she could continue to build a business that excites her instead of drains her. Her words sum it up perfectly. If this course had existed back when I was getting started, oh my god, I would've paid a billion dollars for it.

A billion. Having tested advice from someone that isn't myself was incredibly helpful. I knew with everything Courtney has done. The person that she is, her advice would be worth following, and it absolutely has been. Oh my gosh. Thanks Jeanette. What a shout out. And my favorite, there are few people in the world whose opinions I value more than Courtney's, so I'd sign right the fuck up for this if I were you. Talk about a testimonial, right? Jeanette's story proves what happens when experience. Meets fresh perspective with new tools, honest reflection, and a fierce energy. She didn't just tweak her business, [00:14:00] she reignited her passion for it.

Finally, let me tell you about Maggie. Maggie has been immersed in jewelry for over 30 years. She trained at the prestigious Revere Academy and was taught by some of , the best in the industry. Her craftsmanship is rooted in decades of skill and tradition, but while her technical mastery was never in question, the business side of her practice told a little different story.

Over time, especially during the last decade, Maggie found herself stepping back. She described it as kind of crawling under a rock she was still creating, but without consistent systems to share her work at the level that she wanted. When she joined, transform, Maggie admitted in her words, I had systems, but they were just analog and not in one place. So this has been immensely beneficial. She also confessed with a laugh. I'm doing my inventory for the first time in about 27 years. Yikes.

[00:15:00] Throughout transform, Maggie started putting the pieces together. She consolidated decades of scattered notes and paper records into something cohesive. She shifted her mindset from treating jewelry only as an art to treating it as a thriving business again, and she leaned into the circle community after the course, both finding support and offering it to her peers.

Her encouragement to Angela summed it up beautifully. Just take one step at a time. My advice to myself is to focus on my designs and working at the bench. Then add all this other foundational work in smaller increments so I'm not feeling overwhelmed and breathe. But perhaps the most powerful shift for Maggie was internal.

She told me I feel like I've crawled out from underneath a rock. I've been under for the last 10 years. I'm like, wow, where have I been? Now I'm front loading everything on high speed to [00:16:00] make up for time. I'm really grateful for this course. It helped me immensely. Maggie's story proves that mastery of craft doesn't mean the journey is over.

Even after 30 years at the bench, there's always room to refine, refresh, and rebuild. Today, she's reemerging not just as a skilled jeweler, but as a business owner with structure, clarity, and renewed momentum and passion.

These are just a few of the incredible women from our 2025 transform cohort. A scientist, a retiree, a fine artist, a career jeweler, and so many others. Each came in with decades of life and work behind them at different stages, at different ages, and each brought courage, honesty, and a ton of heart.

I'm so impressed with these women. I had to share their stories their stories are reminders. You're never too [00:17:00] experienced to learn something new. We'll always be learning. You're never too late to start again, and you are never alone on this path.

If you've been listening and thinking, this is exactly what I need, I wanna feel this kind of transformation, know that I'm running it again. One more time this fall, we'll start at the end of September. There's still room for you, you can find details on the payment plans and all the things at courtney Gray arts.com or email me, reach out and ask questions.

And don't forget, I'll also be offering a series of free masterclasses to lead into the course. You can sign up for those in the same place. Until then, I hope these stories encourage you to honor your own path, whether that means reclaiming, reawakening, or reinventing. You belong here too. Come and join me inside Transform when it makes sense for you. But don't wait too long. This kind of [00:18:00] shift takes time to truly take form I look forward to seeing you next week. Where I have an exciting guest coming on, so stay tuned.

Be sure you've subscribed and I'll catch you then. Until then, keep showing up onward and upward. 

Thanks for listening to The Jeweler's View. If today's episode gave you something to think about, consider sending it to a friend or share it on social and tag me at Courtney Gray Arts. You'll find tools, coaching resources, and the transform course@courtneygrayarts.com. And if no one's told you this lately, remember you're not behind.

You're becoming exactly the kind of maker your business needs and that kind of depth. It takes time. I'll be back next week, same time, same tough love, onward and upward. I.

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