People love the stuff I do but sometimes I dont feel satisfied and content with the final outcome. Is it just me or are you the same way?

Thanks

I completely feel the same way. I think it's because when you work on something, you know where all the flaws are. That and when you work with cakes all the time, I think that sometimes I forget how people who don't see cakes all day every day look at cake. I am definitely my worst critic.

I am the same...I don't like it. I think some of the elements are nice but once they're on the cake, it all changes to ugh.

I hated the last cake I did. there was so much I could have done better and I apologised over and over again for it. It was only a late birthday cake my cousin wanted for her uncle was wasnt very important really. Imagine what I'd be like if I sold my cakes?

I definitely am my own worst critic.

ohhh i know the feeling! sometimes i am my own worst enemy...i've learned to finish a cake and hurry and get it out and to where its going, otherwise i come back to it a million times and want to change a little something here and a little something there, next thing you know im completely changing the cake around because i dont like certain flaws...and it seems like when i deliver a cake, I see EVERYTHING thats wrong with it and everyone else thinks its PERFECT lol maybe its because we've been looking at it ALL DAY we see so much wrong

hehe your topic line made me laugh because thats exactly how I am. I think the reason I'm like this is because every day I am looking at and admiring cakes that my favorite pros make (and have been making for decades). I watch all the tv shows and surround myself with that high level of skill. I love my cakes and know my skill level-I am good, but definitely not to where my favorites are (yet). I think because we hold ourselves to that high standard we aren't quite satisfied. Everyone always raves though-they don't have our knowledge of cake and are always just shocked at the basics. Things like piping gel water make people ooh and ahh and thats the simplest thing I do! I think even the pro's must feel like us on some days-we are our own worst critics

I feel the same way. I am my own worst critic. I never feel like anything turns out as well as I think it should. I look at a lot of beautiful cakes on this site and think wow that is really a great cake, but I always find flaws in my own. Everyone always tells me my cakes look great but I am always looking at the flaws more than the overall cake.

I'm so happy I'm not alone in feeling this way. My husband even goes so far to point out the flaws in the cakes on those tv shows and how they just cover them up and move on.. Am trying to do that. As long as everyone else loves our cakes we sure must be doing something right...

I'm so with you all! I'm slowly learning though to keep my mouth SHUT! I'm learning to take the compliments and stop pointing out what's wrong. Plus, I'm learning that a lot of times "covering up mistakes" makes the cake turn out better than originally planned - at least on cakes where I have free reign anyway!

I think I've learned to like my work. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I think you just need to forgive your mistakes, learn from them and then enjoy the end result. For example, the last cake I did (can't get it to upload on Cake Central )... I made a Belly Cake for a baby shower.. I wasn't happy with the chest portion of the cake. I didn't make the bc a dark enough skin colour, it looked more white, but I was so happy with the rest of the cake. I just keep saying to myself, "next time I make it, I'll be sure to colour the bc darker" and then enjoy the end result. There's always something to learn with cake decorating, so you can probably only perfect a cake once you've made it before.

People are always raving about my cakes, but all I see are flaws, and I can't help but point them out. What is wrong with me????!!!!

I can't say I love every single cake I turn out. In fact there are a handful I would never post a photo of anywhere cause I just don't think they turned out well at all. But, by and large, I do like the cakes I turn out. As I get better the more I like the work I produce. Now...do I think they are perfect...not by a LONG shot. With every cake I see something I wish I could correct, change, done differently but it's a steep learning curve that I've had to deal with and realize that cake is a very tenuous medium and perfection is not a remote possibility.

Something else that has helped...because I'm so picky about my work it really helps me to look at other's work. Partly to see others who are better than I am and see what they did and how they did it but also to see others who are working their way up to my level. So I don't feel badly when my work isn't as good as some here but seeing others struggling too makes my heart feel better too.

Now if they'd just get the photos fixed here I'd get to see some of the stuff ya'll are talking about!!!
Cat

I've learned to accept the compliments and not point out the flaws that I see. Nobody else sees them, so why should I draw attention to them? People who have trouble getting the string off the bakery boxes aren't going to criticize.

I actually do like most of my cakes...once they're done. That being said, I do have a hard time accepting compliments without throwing in a "but" but I'm getting better about that. I also think I'm pretty aware of which of my cakes turn out great and which ones not so much . The "not-so-much" ones are never posted anywhere .

I agree with Elcee & am happy with most of my cakes, but definitely I can see all the flaws that probably no one else would notice. Definitely also need to keep my mouth shut LOL
But it is a great feeling to stand back looking at the cake & say, I can't believe I did that, it looks awesome!

Part of the problem is that the cake design in my head is always flawless- and we all know- cake is NOT flawless. When I see my finished product- I always see what could be improved because it isn't that flawless image in my head.

Being as though I don't do many cakes, opposed to cuppies and cookies, I am never happy with my cakes. They never come out how I envisioned them in my head.

People who I have made cakes for liked them but I know that more practice is needed.

I'm never 100% happy...there's always something I think I could have done better!

I've only been caking for approx 2 months and have only made a handful of cakes so I put my imperfections down to lack of experience I convince myself that my cakes will be perfect with time and practice

I never like my cakes as I am making them. I always complain and say how much I don't like them. My DH works with me on them and he always tells me I'll like them once they are finished. For the most part he's right, I do end up thinking "ok, it turned out better than I thought it would", but there are always flaws that I know about and don't like.

I am with you all! I hate the cakes I have done, there is always something that I could have done better. The ideas I come with sooner or later don't work and so the cake has to be rethought through and then it becomes something other than what was in my head. Goes with the fact that I am not familiar with all the tricks of the trade yet! Hopefully in time I shall be more experienced and better at it.

Yes, we know where all the flaws are and that is a pain the butt! But what can you do? Just go forward, many times I say to myself, "Give it up Girl, you're no good at it." and still I plough through. Maybe you just have to be naturally stubborn to continue in this craft.

Cheers

I'm never 100% safisfied with any of my cakes. My eyes are always drawn to the imperfections. I'm looking forward to the day when I can stand back and feel at least 80% satisfied with a cake

I am like the rest of us! I can see the flaws. Perhaps we're just a bunch of artistic, obsessive, type 'A' personalities! But maybe that's what it takes to make us cake decorators.

I always see the flaws and mistakes and I always try to learn from them. Just yesterday, I spent 1 1/2 hours kneading/doctoring fondant that I screwed up because I didn't follow the recipe. I went from memory. After throwing away 2 messed up batches and after my arms and back ached from kneading, I took a moment and searched for the recipe. I found I had left an ingredient out. No matter how long I kneaded or doctored the fondant, it wasn't going to put the missing ingredient in! I will never make that mistake again! I wasted all that time, had to rush and delivered the last cake with 5 minutes to spare. Stupid is as stupid does!
Lesson Learned: Follow the recipe! Baking is a science!

Back on subject, out of all the cakes I have made, there are very few I can say, "I'm happy with it." I can always find something I could have done better. It's a learning process and I think that is why I love it so much. It is the passion for the craft that keeps me going, even after I waste almost 2 hours trying to correct a mistake.
I love seeing the look on the peoples faces when the see their cake for the very first time! I think that is what keeps me going too!

[quote="cutthecake"People who have trouble getting the string off the bakery boxes aren't going to criticize.[/quote]

In my experience if I copy a picture I am seldom happy with the result but when I make something from my head I usually like what I have made although it is never perfect. I think when I have a picture I am disappointed that my cake does not look like the one I am copying. I have delivered cakes that I think are a disaster but I have run out of time to fix them and have the clients come back when they need another cake.

This past weekend, I made a cake for a family members baby shower. I was so stressed out and wasn't happy with the results. When I delivered the cake, the grandma slipped a 50 in my hand and gushed how beautiful it was. At the party, I had so many compliments. The mom to be was so greatful and couldn't believe how nice it looked and good it tasted. At the end, the mother slipped me $100 and refused to take it back.

Oh, the cake balls were a big hit too!!! Lol. They had never heard of such a thing!

I was once told: The only way to get better at something is when you make a mistake, you are then forced to correct it, and so this is how we learn. Repetition creates "perfection" (don't know about that, does perfect really exist?). It takes making 100 roses before our hand eye coordination kicks in (told to me at Wilton school in Chicago many years ago). Lessons I have learned= Planning is Everything. Drawing out a sketch with colors if possible helps in visualizing your idea. Making as many pieces to your puzzle ahead of time if possible, so that when you start you are putting all the pieces together to match your drawing.... not always possible but close does count... and above all enjoy the process and smile at your little mistakes, in reality you are the only one that sees and knows it there, everyone else is looking at the whole cake at once and that is all they see.

A good friend of mine moved to another city and when I went to visit her it was her daughter's birthday. She apologized for buying her cake from a local bakery (instead of from me ) and we went to pick up the cake together. I was looking around the shop at all the sample cakes and they had photo albums of cakes as well. The cake my friend got was an 8" round, 3 layer with BC icing and fondant accents and a bow on top. It was pretty, but when my friend handed over her credit card for a total of $108.00 I almost had a heart attack on the spot!! Holy cow!!

Everybody at the party thought the cake was really pretty, as it was, but to me it wasn't flawless enough to warrant the price. I thought that the taste would surely make up for any minor flaws in the decorating, but that wasn't true either. The cake was heavily soaked with a strong-flavored syrup and although it was good, it wasn't 'very' good.

I think the lesson I got from this was that some artist/people believe very strongly in the value of their work and that's the aura they project so people are willing to pay them what they ask. Ever since then I've been way more comfortable with my pricing and i've noticed that my customers are fine with it as well. I also stopped pointing out and apologizing for every little flaw and I realized that my customers don't expect absolute perfection and they really do love my work.

I love the cakes I design LOL While I always the cake decorating, truly enjoy it, I dont always love the finished product because I dont always love what the client requests. I find the more input the client allows me to add (based on experience with how patterns will look together and colors and such) the more I llike it. I actually had a bride with a very specific though on her cake and gp flower colors. I actually called her and said there must have been something wrong with my computer monitor because the colors seems so "vibrant" (can you say flourescent) She said no those were the colors. I HATED that cake, HATED HATED HATED. Was embarrassed to deliver it. But I brought the contract and her photos with me in case she argued. She didnt....Grimmace purple (mc d's character) and hot flourescent pink (seriously I think I had a Frankie Says Relax t shirt in this color in junior high)....GROSS