Does Anyone Else Feel Inferior?

Decorating By bobwonderbuns Updated 21 May 2007 , 7:58pm by beachcakes

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bobwonderbuns Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:11pm
post #1 of 96

I look at the pix on this site and I'm sooo amazed at the talent that I often feel inferior. I have a vision for my work but my skills aren't up to the task just yet and I see work that is so "perfect" it not only inspires me but depresses me at the same time. Does anyone else experience this?

95 replies
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NewbeeBaker Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:18pm
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OHHHH YES I DO!!! The talent of the CC members just amazes me every single day. Between the skills they have to make these cakes, to the way they can "design" cakes from their own ideas. I feel lucky to get to hang out in a crowd like this! Jen

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doescakestoo Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:18pm
post #3 of 96

All the time. One of the reasons I haven't posted any pix yet. But I do know that I am willing to learn all that I can. So I stick it out here and learn.

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rezzygirl Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:21pm
post #4 of 96

Yes. I feel that way most of the time! I know my decorating skills need lots of improvement. I'm thankful that my customers don't see the fabulous cakes on this site and they appreciate my work. But when I see other ccer's cakes I know I have a lot of work to do to improve. Especially when someone posts that they don't think they are good enough to be paid for their cakes, then their gallery is amazing! Then I look at my paid for cake pics and think... HUH!!??? LOL. icon_confused.gif

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NewbeeBaker Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:21pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doescakestoo

All the time. One of the reasons I haven't posted any pix yet. But I do know that I am willing to learn all that I can. So I stick it out here and learn.




Ohh hun, post your cakes! Every single on of these awesome CC cake decorators started somewhere!! Don't be embarrassed=) The one and only cake I posted is my WORST I have made so far, but all the others I forgot my camera for=( My family took pics and swore to get them to me, so I don't have only one bad cake showing. 6 months later and I am still waiting for those pics lol=) Jen

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bobwonderbuns Posted 12 May 2007 , 5:22pm
post #6 of 96

Glad to know I'm not the only one! icon_rolleyes.gif

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revco Posted 12 May 2007 , 8:22pm
post #7 of 96

Completely green here! Such amazing talent on this forum I must say. I still post my crazy photos and try to learn from the pros.

Post your pictures!

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jsmith Posted 12 May 2007 , 8:56pm
post #8 of 96

Definitely. I'll work on a cake and then upload it here, all excited to show it off, but then it ends up next to some amazing cakes and then I don't think it looks so good after all. icon_smile.gif The crazy thing is that people who don't know anything about cakes think they're great. If they only knew about some of the perfect cakes out there...well, there's no sense telling them that. icon_wink.gif

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Tarabell Posted 12 May 2007 , 9:00pm
post #9 of 96

All the time, I can look at a cake and think, wow, that's darn good, come here and realize I still have a long way to go. I think as long as I am doing the best I can do for each and every cake I make, can't ask for more. One day I hope I am as good as the people here.

Tara

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missyek Posted 12 May 2007 , 9:03pm
post #10 of 96

I feel like that too, sometimes. But I know that with each cake I do, I get better (hopefully I'm not regressing.... icon_lol.gif ). We all have to start somewhere and as long as we are willing to make the committment to learn and practice all the time, we can be just as good, if not better! thumbs_up.gif

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wgoat5 Posted 12 May 2007 , 9:38pm
post #11 of 96

I feel like that all the time bobwonderbuns...I look get depressed get excited and want to bake all the time. I know in time ( L O T S OF T I M E ) I will get a little better, HOPEFULLY before I get arthritis so bad I cant do it anymore icon_sad.gif

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MamaBerry Posted 12 May 2007 , 9:48pm
post #12 of 96

I too sit with shame in the envy corner. *sigh* icon_razz.gif Though I am happy and proud of all the talent on this board! icon_biggrin.gif My turn will come and when it does I hope someone can wish me well as I do them right now. thumbs_up.gif

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Tomoore Posted 12 May 2007 , 10:31pm
post #13 of 96

I can relate...although I feel good about that fact that we're all friends here and willing to teach eachother. Those "amazing cakes" will be our postings one day because the super talented folks that create them are usualy willing tp share their secrets!

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hoped Posted 13 May 2007 , 1:11am
post #14 of 96

I also feel like I have a long way to go when I am admiring others' great cake decorating talent.
However, I do feel very comfortable posting my less than perfect pictures, because the cc community is very positive and encouraging!

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Rosie_from_MD Posted 13 May 2007 , 3:03am
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Everyone one on here is soooo talented and amazing!! icon_biggrin.gif I can only hope that one day, hopefully not tooo far in the future, that I can be 1/2 as good as everyone on here!!!

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Doug Posted 13 May 2007 , 3:10am
post #16 of 96

it's so easy to get into a self-pity/envy party.

yes...some can make cakes that even Collette, Mike, Scott, Nicholas and Duff would stand in awe of....

but.....

each of us brings something special to CC and to this world (passion? obsession!) for caking.

and while my cakes will never ascend the heights of some I see on here (oh the names I could list!) -- even my attempts, just like MANY OTHERS', have inspired some so it would appear.

my whole "world view" is wrapped and based in the world of theatre. in that world EVERYONE has a place -- and sometimes the most important ones are:
gofer (go for this, etc.) and "holder" (here, hold this while I.....) so much depends upon these gracious individuals who do such seemingly meanly -- but actually vital tasks.

---------

so --- your cakes, my cakes, may never be FoodTV ready -- but they are ready to inspire others, delight others and generally make life just a little bit more fun and happy.

Keep on cakin'!

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Dustbunny Posted 13 May 2007 , 3:17am
post #17 of 96

All of the time! Sometimes its depressing and I say why do I bother but then I say get back to it and you will be just as good one day. I feel like I get a little better with every cake so one day I will arrive icon_smile.gif

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ShirleyW Posted 13 May 2007 , 3:24am
post #18 of 96

For some people I think they start out with the talent to do beautiful cakes on the first try. For me it has taken years to get to what pleases me in my designs. And I thought I would never be able to come up with an original idea on my own. I could see a design and copy it, but just didn't seem to have the inspiration to create my own designs. I'm telling you now, it will happen for you if you have the desire to learn, to practice and to look around you for ideas. This is of course a wonderful place to come for ideas, but also look at greeting cards, wallpaper, fabric designs, walk up and down the aisles of Home Depot, look at all the gadgets and think of how they could be used for a gumpaste or chocolate mold, the paint section for things that could be used as an impression mat, the woodgraining tools work great with melted chocolate on a piece of Mylar or Plastic acetate for a chocolate wrap. Ask questions, take every class you can afford. Join a cake club, go to an ICES convention or a bridal show. Some top notch cake decorators are willing to share a technique, other's are very private about how they accomplish a design. But you won't know unless you ask them. And as you progress take pictures and save them, go back and look at them over the years and you will be amazed at how you have grown, how many new techniques you have learned. And most of all, don't compare yourself to other's. Create your own style and you will be happier than struggling to be someone else.

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MamaBerry Posted 13 May 2007 , 4:22am
post #19 of 96

I have always been extremely hard on myself. It's not something my parents had to instill in me. I remember not being able to tie my shoelaces and I was so frustrated because my hands could not match my mind.

I was 3. Yes, three years old.

I hate every single cake I've decorated but I am aware that my perceptions are off so I ask someone I trust for the real deal. I'm a writer first and foremost but I am so hard on myself my pieces, fiction and non, may have never seen the light of day if it had not had been for my Critique group and belonging to the NJRWA.

I'm going to keep trying with cakes/chocolates and my writing and hope that one day I can see the "reality" that others see with my artistic pieces.

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gateaux Posted 13 May 2007 , 4:38am
post #20 of 96
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsmith

Definitely. I'll work on a cake and then upload it here, all excited to show it off, but then it ends up next to some amazing cakes and then I don't think it looks so good after all. icon_smile.gif The crazy thing is that people who don't know anything about cakes think they're great. If they only knew about some of the perfect cakes out there...well, there's no sense telling them that. icon_wink.gif




So true, It's pretty easy to put your cake photo up and when it shows up next to an amazing cake it looks terribly enfantile! Oh well, we all have to start somewhere. thumbs_up.gif

I keep on posting most of my cakes. There are a few old ones that dont need to be recognizes so I will keep those to myself. icon_redface.gif

We improve with each new cake so it's good to show them off and see the progress. icon_rolleyes.gif

I also agree with the cakes that we prepare for our family and friends, they love them, that's because they have nothing to compare them too at the time!
We just have to not be so critical of our work! icon_cry.gificon_confused.gif

Good Luck.

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dabear Posted 13 May 2007 , 4:45am
post #21 of 96

[quote="ShirleyW"] And I thought I would never be able to come up with an original idea on my own. I could see a design and copy it, but just didn't seem to have the inspiration to create my own designs.

This is how I always felt. I too used to get almost depressed looking at all the wonderful talent displayed on CC. I thought I would never do anything but "copy" other decorators ideas. But lately I am finding inspiration in the stangest places and actually try to design my own cakes. I give the credit to the members at CC, I would of never tried had I not seen the talent here!

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Mac Posted 13 May 2007 , 4:51am
post #22 of 96

I have been decorating for 30 years (the last 8 semi-professionally) and ALL the talent here amazes me. Never be embarrassed by your cakes. We all had to start somewhere...that's why there are so many Wilton course I classes.

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CarolAnn Posted 13 May 2007 , 5:01am
post #23 of 96

Doug and Shirley, Thank you, we needed to hear that! I don't want to be someone else. I want to do what I like and be happy doing it. My biggest problem I think is my confidence. There is so much I want to do and learn. I see so many wonderful cakes here and on different sites and just say "wow". How'd he/she do that!?! I've been looking forward to taking a class this summer with a very talented sort of local lady. I hope I'm good enough to go and learn what she's going to be teaching. I do very well when I see a thing done so I'm thinking, "well, maybe I can fake my way thru...". Silly I know, but dang. Mostly I think that I'm not doing enough, so that when I do take an order it's like starting all over again, with the routine I use. And now, since my friend and cake buddy Becky died I feel alone in my passion for cakes.

I don't feel inferior. I know that we all have our various talents and levels of talent as we go along. Some of us will go on to bigger and grander things and some of us won't. I want to improve and learn all the neat things I love seeing in other's creations, but mostly I want to do what I love and enjoy it as I go. My dream isn't of making a million, it's having the most fun and being as creative as I can be and having as much business as I want, and no more. I won't allow myself to become over loaded with orders at a time because I want to control the stress in my life, not have it control me. And that's not to be taken as a criticism of any of you busy bakers who can handle a dozen or more orders a week. I admire you all! I may come off sounding kind of lazy to some because I've turned down orders because they weren't something I already do, or don't want to do, or I already have an order for that week. This isn't my livlihood so the minute this becomes only a chore for me I'll stop.

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itsajeepthing0196 Posted 13 May 2007 , 5:27am
post #24 of 96

Im always amazed at the work that I see here on CC from all the talented designers, but I try not to beat my self up about things. Im only in compitition with myself and as long as the cake I work on now shows improvement from the last one I made than I know I have made progress. Its like trying to compare a chihuahua to a great dane. you cant, they are simply too different. but you can compare the chihuahua to itself and the great dane to itself to see if they are the best of that type of dog. Sorry, that a weird analogue.

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Sugarflowers Posted 13 May 2007 , 5:42am
post #25 of 96

I was terrified to post my first photo. I saw so many great works that I was afraid that mine would be considered sub-par. This still happens. I have a few new cakes that I haven't posted yet because I don't think they are up to snuff.

Maybe some day I will have enough nerve to just post without worrying, maybe. icon_smile.gif

Michele

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Jopalis Posted 13 May 2007 , 5:42am
post #26 of 96

This site motivates me. There is so much support and enthusiasm. Everybody has to start somewhere. I can see my progress. If you look at some folks pics, you can see their progress too. Gives me inspiration. If we were all at the same level who would tell us how to do new things? I felt nervous in the beginning and sometimes I look at a cake I love and try and figure out how they did it and think "I can do that!".... Post your cakes... ask for feedback... grow...

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lepaz Posted 13 May 2007 , 5:57am
post #27 of 96

bobwonderbuns!!! Your email took the words out of my mouth. I, too, often feel like a small fish here. Until a few months ago, my cakes were solely frosted with Betty Crocker frosting. Now, I have moved on to butercream!!! Yay! Fondant, here I come!!!
When I feel the way you do (too often) I tell myself not to get discouraged because there is only one way to go from here, UP!

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joanmary Posted 13 May 2007 , 6:06am
post #28 of 96

[quote="ShirleyW"]For some people I think they start out with the talent to do beautiful cakes on the first try. For me it has taken years to get to what pleases me in my designs.

Quote:
Quote:



My dd and I took 2-1/2 of the Wilton classes together. That was 2-1/2 years ago. Her cakes were absolutely beautiful and inspired right out of the gates. Me, I'm still limping along. I truly wish I had come to this earlier in my life - I seem to take so long to figure things out - and, I know, a big part of that is fear of not being able to do it.

That being said, I do think I am finally showing minute improvement. This site is wonderful - the talent is inspiring - the members are so helpful.


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JoanneK Posted 13 May 2007 , 7:05am
post #29 of 96

Oh I never think any of my cakes are nice. I have to say I still get shocked when someone asks me to make a cake for them. But they do and I'm happy about that.

I've learned so much and have loved every minute of every cake and class I have done.

So I've stopped putting myself down like I used to and allow myself to believe others really do enjoy my cakes. I figure everyone who has one of my cakes can't be a liar..............can they?

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cake_freak Posted 13 May 2007 , 7:39am
post #30 of 96

my first cake was done just recently as many of you know and herd my was no where NEAR where i wanted it i was not happy with it i wanted to do more but then i went back a re did it and it may have not been big like i wanted it but hopefully with time (the dang on roses i will get better at once i get a new shortning and ect) but i dont feel inferior i look at it and look at mine and see what new book or new video i can watch and learn how to make mine better(i know that sounds soo wrong but its how i look at it) in rotc i was taught you want some ones rank take it (which meand work your tapedshut.gif off and take it im now a sgt and hopeing to steall s-4's job which is like 6 ranks above mine!!) lol but its oke to take ones idea and improve it i do all the time!!

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