Hey all, Cat Sewell here writing my first ever blog post. There's a little bit of irony here with the title, as I originally only meant it in regards to us all starting somewhere in the cake world, but for me it's also starting a new adventure...blogging! I've tossed the idea around for years but always came back to wondering who in the world would want to read something I wrote, and what would they want to read?? But all you sweet people keep asking me and asking me, so I'm giving it a go. No promises on how often I'll write or for how long I'll keep this up though! I've been blessed with finding my style in the cake world these last few years, but it was quite the journey to get here! There were many, many cakes and other creations that came before my current sugar flowers and watercolor cakes. Looking back, yes it's embarrassing, but it's also empowering to see where you can start and just how far you can come in such a short time. So, I am doing the unthinkable and digging up pictures that aren't even out there in internet land anymore, just to show you how far I have come and how far I know YOU can come too!! Not a cake artist? I'm sure you can apply this inspo to whatever area your craft or skill is in! Ok, time to start the embarrassment...
Yep, those are my cakes ladies and gents. And I delivered each one with a huge smile on my face! Hey, at least I wasn't charging at the time! I should have been proud though, it's good that I was. Without being proud of these designs back then, I wouldn't have kept pushing for my designs I'm creating now. I've had SO many nights of tears and fits, throwing sugar paste across my kitchen and swearing unthinkable phrases, all because of cake. I have felt defeated over frosting bulges, cursed at air bubbles, and swore I was done with cakes after a bad bake or a stubborn cake tilt. But I never really was done, caking has been an addiction for me. There is something so indescribably satisfying for me to first think up an idea, then sketch it, and finally being able to follow through with creating it into a real cake, almost identical to my sketch.
Sketching is something I haven't always done, as I wasn't confident in creating my own designs for a long time. At first, I copied designs that I found all over the internet, or brought to me by my clients. Sometimes the designs would be to copy a party invite or mimic a birthday outfit. Those were fun and did allow for a bit more creativity then just straight copying other cakes I found online *cough, Pinterest, cough* but still, I felt myself kind of strapped down by other people's creations. It was a huge scary leap for me when I made it official that I would no longer be copying any pictures but instead, be sketching and designing all of my own cakes. It was in that incredibly terrifying leap though, that I found my cake voice and created the style that my brand is recognized for now. So moral of the story? Take the scary leap!! Do the terrifying things!! Believe in yourself, because we all start somewhere and you're not going to get anywhere if you don't take that first step! Ok, now one side by side, "then and now" picture to leave you with a good giggle. Till next time sweets!
