OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — When you see Clarissa Knighten's jewelry, you're going to want to talk about it.
"One of my tag lines is, if you don't want to talk, don't wear my work," Knighten said. "All of my work brings a conversation about."
It's a conversation piece that's been a lifeline for her.
"I battle with clinical depression, and I've had an eating disorder," Knighten shared. "My doctors wanted me to do something different with my hands. I love charcoal — at least at that time, I loved charcoal — and we used charcoal for therapy. They wanted me to do something because I needed to keep moving my hands, and jewelry is what came out."
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What started as a form of therapy turned into a livelihood.
"Nineteen years of my life was in Corporate America, and I lost my job seven years ago," Knighten said. "I thought, how am I going to do this? How am I going to survive? Am I going to have to go out into Corporate America again? But I didn't, I found the art."
Knighten has been a full-time artist for the last seven years. Her studio, Rissa's Artistic Design, is located inside the InterUrban ArtHouse.
Knighten's work is showcased on runways in fashion shows, museums and on the hit series "Bel Air."
The pieces she designs share the stories of others and her own healing.
"Art has saved my life, twice," Knighten said. "I've tried to commit suicide twice, and I openly share that. I openly share that. If I don't create, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't, I wouldn't be alive to create the new things and to celebrate who I am."
She's embracing her artistic expression and giving others permission to do the same.
"Art heals in any form of art, whatever your art ... brings you a new light — and that's what was helping me to get better and to find a new way, a new path to deal with it," Knighten said. "Never discount your journey. Never ever discount your journey."
And she knows her story is always evolving.
"I know that God has something big in store for me, and I just keep walking it and keep putting one foot in front of the other," Knighten shared.
Knighten will be honored at the Kept Woman of God 10th annual conference in Independence, Missouri, for her commitment and dedication as an entrepreneur and artist.
"That is a big deal to me because I was with them from the very beginning," Knighten said.
Her goal is to have her pieces displayed at the Met Gala, where she'd also be in attendance.
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