About Kristin
After receiving a BFA in Cinematography from the University of Arizona in 1989, I moved from Tucson to San Francisco to work for the best independent filmmaker I knew of at the time. I landed a job at Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope. I worked as a receptionist there and learned a lot about the film business during the making of “Godfather III” since all communications to the building were handled by me first.
In 1992, I received an MFA in Museum Education from John F. Kennedy University. I worked at American Indian Contemporary Arts; Oakland Museum of California; Bay Area Discovery Museum; and Lindsay Wildlife Museum.
Later, I committed to homeschooling our three kids, kindergarten through eighth grade, a process which took about twenty years. Due to homeschooling, the merits of self-directed learning became obvious to me. I decided to invest in my own interests. I taught myself the new digital film technology and produced my first short doc, “Steve Shirley Shark Tagger.” The 11-minute film was an official selection in four film festivals. It was screened for school groups as well as adult audiences; at nature centers; and it was featured in a six-month shark exhibit at Marine World.
I’ve been working on my current documentary, “A Sound Life” film for over five years. It’s a profile of Richard Beggs, a sound designer / mixer for Hollywood films for forty-three years. Beggs followed his interest in painting, classical music, and music recording, to work in post production sound for film. He received an Academy Award on his very first film, “Apocalypse Now.” As retirement looms, Beggs shares insights about creating motion picture soundtracks. The film includes behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews with award-winning film professionals such as Sofia Coppola, Barry Levinson, Walter Murch, Gary Rydstrom, Randy Thom, Lora Hirschberg, and Skip Lievsay in locations around the country.
“A Sound Life” aims to demystify post production film sound. A motion picture soundtrack is critical to a successful film experience, but audiences, film students and many directors know very little about what goes into its creation.
Intrinsic Lifestyle Productions is basically ‘me’ working out of a sod roof root cellar in our lot in Oakland on my passion film “A Sound Life,” which has The San Francisco Study Center as a fiscal sponsor.
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Select the Follow button on the right column of my home page of my WordPress site for infrequent but important updates about my latest documentary project.
INTRINSIC LIFESTYLE PRODUCTIONS 
22 Responses to “About Kristin”
Thanks for following my blog! Your bio reads very easily and your life sounds very interesting, looking forward to reading more of your blog Kristin!
Hi Billie,
Glad you like it. Happy New Year in 2014!
Kristin, your approach to life and work is hugely inspirational. I’m also a filmmaker and have done a lot of work with kids and using film as an educational tool (particularly with children on the autistic spectrum.) Looking forward to following your blog and the progress with your work. Lovely to meet you here! Michele
Hi Michele,
Thank you for your warm sentiment. I noticed you have been doing so many things right up my alley. I followed your blog immediately. I’ve been interested to find WordPress bloggers like yourself and I’ve been enjoying your posts through an email subscription. I admire your regularity in writing, poetry, and photography.
I am happy we’ve connected.
Thank you do much for taking an interest in my blog. I know it’s still in its infancy but thank for seeing the potential and subscribing.
I can’t wait to check out your blog! Cheers.
Hi Benny,
It seems we both have new blogs. And we seem to be interested in learning going on out in the world and fostering the development of our own learning as well. That is why I am following your blog and I hope you will follow mine.
I’m slow to post because it takes me awhile to make my own documentaries. Since you look like you are into health, I invite you to watch my most recent video about “The Raw Food Guy.” LMK what you think.
Followed your link back from The Daily Post to check out your “background” and found I really like your blog as well!
Fantastic! That’s what I like to hear. I’ll be following your blog as well and looking forward to your new posts.
Hello Kristen. It is lovely to find someone else that is interested in the process of learning. At one time I hoped to bring my work into art therapy for developmentally disabled adults and children but I found that path was too emotionally demanding for me to stay on and so instead I share my process whenever possible.
I have read many studies that say the best motivation comes from intrinsic learning and exploring so you are certainly on to something. I am now following you. I look forward to more interesting posts.
Yeah! Thanks for following me.
Kristin, thank you very much for following my blog, discovered in play, and for checking out my very first video entry. Your blog looks fascinating (I LOVE the idea of intrinsic learning)– I can’t wait to dive in and learn more about it. The San Francisco Bay area happens to be one of my favorite places, too. :)
Since you’re an educator and homeschooling parent, I think you also might enjoy another blog I write for: SunflowerBlog.org
Sunflower Creative Arts is a nonprofit in South Florida, currently celebrating 20 years of empowering families through play, nature and the arts. We’re big fans of intrinsic learning over there too. :) Enjoy!
So glad you are interested. I will check out your other blog as well. Thanks for sharing info. about it.
You have a very useful and colorful website Kristin. I’m glad I got here. I’m actually quite interested in homeschooling my 1.5yr old daugher twice a week but I’m not really sure how to go about it because she’s too hyper to sit still. What do you suggest I teach her?
Hi Artisticmilestone,
I’m glad you think this blog is useful. I have another one directly related to homeschooling and life at our urban farm called West Vista Urban Farm School.
As far as what to do with your 1.5 year old–here’s a few suggestions: let her play as much as possible and she will learn a lot! Give her time for many years to develop her imagination. Be in nature and around animals as much as possible. Visit playgrounds and encourage her to climb and use her body. Read to her. Take her to a story time at the library. Join a play group at a park and rec. center and meet other Moms with kids her age. It’s good she’s active! Go with that.
Sent from my iPhone
Thanx for your suggestions :) Sometimes I just feel that all her time in playing isn’t really helping so thanx for the assurance on that.
Yeah. When you see that your daughter is totally engaged in something, she is learning. It’s proof! The hard part is *trusting* that she is doing fine🌻and trying not to interrupt her and distract her to your agenda.
Sent from my iPhone
And I’d like to add that many of my ideas about learning have been influenced by Jean Piaget (developmental learning), Howard Gardner (styles of learning), and John Holt (learning from play) to name a few.
Hi Kristin, glad I came over to your blog (I saw your interchanges on the Daily Blog post comments)f. Love your focus on self-directed learning and your bio. I moved from the city to a truly rural farm and have been pursuing a lot of self-directed learning, as you can imagine building a life of sustainability and self-reliance, out here in the Appalachian Mountains of VA.
Hi There Beauty,
I’m glad you found me too so that I may follow your site with its rich photography, an interest of mine.
Here’s a thought for you or any of my readers: if you have a photograph which shows an example of intrinsic learning, please consider sharing it with me. I may be able to use it for a post. Between my larger profiles I like to interpret the learning in a single photo in a quickie post.
If I use your image, I’d provide a link to your site with your blog’s name below it.
Sounds good, Kristin. Do you have any particular themes in mind?
Welcome Back “Beauty,”
Here is a description that may be of help. I am looking for photos of a person of any age doing something on their own accord, just because they want to. It doesn’t matter what they are doing or where they are doing it, as long as it’s self-directed and the person looks totally engaged (and as long as it’s not R-rated) I will probably like it. Obviously, the photo will need to be good as well, but I don’t need to explain the “elements” of an artistic photograph to you.
I’m thrilled you’re possibly interested and I hope you will follow up with a direct message to me at Facebook.
Chow for now!
Kristin – how do i find you on FB?