As a cake sculptor you are facing a bit of a challenge. There are times where clients tell you what they want, you make a rough sketch and off you go to your studio. However, very often you meet people who come with their own, drawn designs and then you find yourself in a bit of a pickle (these are the best times!). As a result you end up with the most abstract cakes, like the time when we got an order through for an 18th Birthday cake... of a post-party Barbie doll or a combination of characters from different TV series and films. As an artist, you have to put different elements and concepts together and make sure they work!
And of course, sometimes cakes are more subtle but simultaneously extremely time consuming, you will find this in a case of personalised figurines. Most of the cakes I do are of bespoke products, meaning that I will probably not make two of the same cakes ever. The biggest challenge is to overcome the fear of failure, which is to accept that most cake sculptures are one off commissions and sometimes it will take hours or even days to complete a project. This applies especially when you have to start all over again, three times in a row, only because it did not work out the way you planned or because you have dropped the cake when carrying it to the refrigerator. Yes, that happened to me on a few occasions.
The best thing about working in the cake shop? Cake leftovers! No, that too, but mainly it is the excitement of not knowing what project you will start next, who you will meet or who you may collaborate with. Being a cake artist allows you to continually develop your practical and conceptual skills, it is a long and fun process!
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