We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Davina Rocha. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Davina below.

Davina , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

“You can either live a life of comfort. Or a life of purpose. It’s up to you to choose.” My grandmother once told me this, ironically enough in a dream years after she passed and it’s a statement that has profoundly impacted my life. Life is all about choices. Small every day choices like what kind of coffee you order from your local coffee shop, or what outfit you’ll wear today, wether or not you snooze that alarm that rings at 5:45 am to start the day or sleeping in an additional 15 minutes. And big scary choices that are completely out of our comfort zone. 2020-2023 has been 3 years of exactly that for me. A year of impactful choices. When covid hit, I dealt with severe anxiety and panic and it took finding out that we were expecting our 4th child for me to finally seek help. I began medications and connected with a faith based counselor who help me in my journey of healing from supressed past trauma. During this time I struggled with the decision of staying home or going back to work. Thankfully, my husband (who has been my #1 supporter) was earning enough income for me to be a stay at home mom. During this time my counselor suggested I should begin a hobby that would help keep my mind occupied on something productive. I’m so thankful I began working with polymer clay and it became a productive outlet for me to go to when I was feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It was definitely my “me time”, a time when I was able to put on my headphone, listen to worship music, and tune out all the rest of the distractions that were competing for my attention. Friends and family expressed interest in my pieces and after countless conversations with my husband, tons of prayer, and thoughtful consideration, I began our small business, Clay + Noble. It was by far one of the scariest but most exciting choices I’ve ever made. I definitely took a risk with this small business because of the fact that it is faith based and centered on Christ, and it’s something we are very open about. For the most part, people have been supportive about it but there have been others who have not. It has even been a bit of a struggle with business opportunities because some do not like or support the fact that we are faith based, but it’s something I don’t ever plan on changing.

Davina , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! So I am the owner and creative designer of Clay and Noble, which is a small business that specializes in creating handmade clay jewelry and accessories. What makes our pieces different than the rest, is the fact that our items are meaningfully made. Behind every piece we create, has a story to share. Whether it’s a pair of earrings, a necklace, bracelet, trinket dish, or car ornament, they’re created with a purpose of encouragment. For example, our signature collection, The Noble Collection, is inspired by impactful and influential women who are found in Scripture. Some of the pieces we have like the Jael, Rebekah, Hannah, or The Woman at the Well earrings, share a unique story of each women’s lives. Whether they were fearless warriors who got the job done, or prayer warriors who boldly came before the throne of God and shook heaven with their very prayers, they’re inspirational testimonies that we can take and implement in our lives today! We are able to relate and to find common ground with these women of the past, as mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives. Our mission is to not only encourage women but also to inspire the younger women and girls to be unafraid to step out of the cultural norm and stand up for their faith by courageously sharing it. We know that that sometimes means being deemed “unpopular”. Often times those who do share, are considered “unpopular” and are sometimes socially outcasted. Our heartfilled desire is to build them up and hope to instill in them a self worth that nothing and no one could ever succeed in taking a way.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Phew, that’s a very simple but loaded question. Yes, it makes me feel both amazing and humbled that someone would like my work. But truthfully, what the most rewarding part of being a “artistic/creative business owner” is when a person reaches out to me to let me know how they have read the story of personally related to the particular piece and how it has significantly impacted their life. That to me, is most the “icing on the cake.” Knowing that because of a single pair of earrings made a woman feel like she’s “not alone” in her season of life or that a car ornament that has a bible verse on it helped a young girl when she’s had a horrible day, that is the most rewarding thing in the entire world.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my personal view, what society can better do to support artists thrive is to not reject them just because of their personal beliefs differ from theirs.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clayandnoble.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clayandnoble
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clayandnoble