Meet Sonia Davis: The Jewelry Instructor, Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonia Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonia, how do you think about risk?
I truly believe that taking risks will do either one of two things, propel you to the next level, or teach you valuable lessons. I took a risk when I quit my job at the Postal Service to further pursue my career as a Real Estate agent. In doing so I was given the opportunity to work as little or as much as I needed to in order to create a lifestyle that allowed me the freedom to choose where to go from there. Real Estate has its perks, and it has it’s challenges. I needed a balance, so as an outlet, I would take a “Time Out” to create. I made jewelry in my spare time, and even sold some pieces. Therefore, I took another risk & started a Creative business that allowed me to showcase my long life passion of Jewelry making by teaching others to make jewelry as well. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a jewelry artist. I create jewelry using glass beads, and gemstones. What sets me apart from others is I love creating outside of the box. I would learn a technique, and then I would put my own twist on it. My favorite technique is Beaded Kumihimo. I have created several original patterns using this technique, a few of them have been published in different trade magazines. I started my creative journey in Kumihimo back in 2012. I taught myself the basics and from there it was history. I was so excited that I wanted everybody to learn Kumihimo, so I created as many patterns as I could and taught whoever was willing to learn. I began to teach at bead conventions, and I would also travel to different states to teach for other Bead shop owners. As a mother and a wife it wasn’t easy to pick up and travel as much as I desired, so one day I decided to take the risk and open my own studio. I opened The Jewelry Instructor’s Bead Bar in November of 2018. The following year (2019) we were off to a great start, but in March of 2020 we temporarily closed due to the pandemic. I immediately vamped up my online presence and continued to teach online. We re-opened in October of 2020, while still in the midst of social distancing. So we transformed the studio to conform to social distancing guidelines by adding sneeze guards, smaller classes, hand sanitizer, masks, and finger gloves. I have learned to be flexible, and resilient throughout my business career, and I have also learned to take a “Time Out”, reflect, and revise! The Jewelry Instructor’s Bead Bar is a joyful place where individuals, groups, and organizations take a “TIME OUT” to create! We are building relationships, “One Bead at a Time”!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had friends to come to visit, we would start off with a hearty breakfast at The Breakfast Club at 3711 Travis. We would next visit the Arts district, and the African American Arts Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts. Of course I would suggest a late lunch at The Turkey leg Hut on Almeda. Then we would grab some wine and head to The Jewelry Instructor’s Bead Bar in Spring Street Studios to wind down, and have a little creative fun, making a bracelet, after being inspired by all of the art around us. The next day we would head to the Kemah Board Walk to eat lots of seafood, enjoy a little shopping, and listen to live music with Ron Davis on Keys, with the Mambo Jazz Kings at Jackie’s Brick House. We would relax for most of the next day, and have a quiet dinner at Lucille’s on Labranch. We would then visit the Bar 5015 on Almeda. We would finish off the evening relaxing. The next day we would start off with brunch at Taste Bar + Kitchen 3015 Bagby, then we would go on a shopping spree in Houston’s Galleria. We would finish off the week by having a quick breakfast at home and then we will head over to a really cool studio for a cooking class. The studio is called Well done Cooking classes on Airline. We will finish off the evening with dinner and wine at home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are several that I can give a shout out to. First I want to start with giving kudos to my Mother, Evelyn Corbin, who has been a creative entrepreneur all of my life. She was a seamstress, a hairstylist, and an avid crochet lover. She showed me early in life how to balance work, family, and still find time for self-care. I also want to thank the owner of a former Bead Shop in Spring, TX by the name of Glynna that allowed me to teach a lot of my creative beading classes to her customers. Lastly, I want to give a big thanks to one of my former students Kathy D, who encouraged me to get my Kumi-Hoops earrings published because she loved them so much. She stayed on me until I followed through.

Website: www.thejewelryinstructor.com
Instagram: @thejewelryinstructor.com
Linkedin: @
Twitter: @thebeadbar
Facebook: @the jewelry instructor
Yelp: TheJewelry Instructor
Youtube: The Jewelry Instructor
Other: Online classroom: alwayslearning.thejewelryinstructor.com