Ever Had One of Those Cakes You Just Felt Lousy About?

Most of the time, we are are own critic and think the cake looks awful and  lot of the time the people love the cake!!!  Everyone has days like that to where no matter what they do nothing works out. Good old Murphy's Law!!  LOL!!    It sounds like your sister got the cake for free!!! She has absolutely nothing to complain about if that is the case.  She should be thanking you and be appreciative that you made a cake for free!!!

 

You just got to keep the faith and know that everyone has days like this.  Hang in there and don't be so hard on yourself!!  Do you have a picture of the cake that you can post? I am willing to bet that it is not as bad as you think!!!!  You are not alone because everyone here can probably tell you a story that would be similar to yours. Just take it one day at a time and this feeling will pass in time!!!

Now Ella, I remember you posting about her pestering you for this cake!

You did not want to do this cake. It was a rush. I never do my best work when rushed or resent in the person who begged and pleaded without really understanding what it takes.

Don't throw the business out with the frustration. I'm with ya. That square cake in my avatar was a friggin beast! The square kept turning & I'd have 2" of frosting on one side & barely any on another. I wanted to hick everything!

I take a big deep breath, look through a few thank you notes, review some kind comments on my cakes, & remember what I love about what I do. Always gives me a new burst of enthusiasm.

You're talent isn't about this one cake. Be done with it. That's what she gets for last minute! Next cake will be great.

I drink, lol.

In all seriousness, we are our own worst critics, there is something about every single cake I have ever made that I wasn't totally happy with, it sucks but it's also good, makes me practice that detail til it's perfect.

My very first 3D cake for a customer was a red BMW, it took me 3 days of decorating, and I cried the whole way home after dropping it off, sure they would be calling me to demand their money back.

Instead, I still hear from people how 'cool' it was.

Thankfully, not everyone sees cakes the same way we do :) I doubt it was really that bad, I've looked at your other work and it's lovely!

 

Really though, I drink.

We compare our cakes with the amazing work of the best cakers on this site and others that we spend a lot of time looking at.

 

The recipients of our cakes are comparing them with the cakes they walk past in the grocery store case.

 

Don't sweat it!

Yep, and every time the recipient gets the cake they're so happy I can't believe they can't see that spot that needs X and that spot that needs Y. You're the pro, so you're going to be your worst critic. Most folks just see awesome cake they couldn't even have dreamed up lol. Don't touch that business plan. You're doing good. ((((HUGS)))).

 

How do I keep my spirits up? Well I just think about the positive responses I've gotten, and the knowledge that I put in the best that I could for that cake. Make notes of what not to do next time, and keep it moving.

A few times yeah, the design just didn't come to life like I thought it would. I mean they were nice, the clients were happy, but it just didn't "do it" for me. And on the other hand, I went above and beyond with one once, and the person was sooooooooooooooo disappointed. After talking to her though I realized she was just upset about other things. Meh...wasn't my problem after all. Awkward conversation too, it went on forever, like no one had bothered to listen to this woman about what was going on in her life and she was going to talk until she was done. I didn't dare interrupt her.

You know Ella, I'm one of the most self-confident people I know -- not cocky, just recognize my gifts. Still, if I don't hear back from a client/recipient within a couple days of delivery I start thinking "they didn't like it" which progresses to "they hated it" after a couple more days. If I'm personally dissatisfied with a cake (less than 1/2 the time, but not unusual) then that thought process begins about an hour or less after delivery. Then, when they inevitably say how much they loved it I internally just shake my head in disbelief. I HATE that I do that, and hope the day is coming that I don't. I'm not that way in any other area of my life. I'm guessing it's because I've never considered myself artistic, so it's a lot to accept that God has chosen to give me this late-in-life talent that has people saying "oh you're so artistic". At least I've stopped wondering if they need counseling. I think that we decorators so personally invest ourselves in our work that if someone sees a flaw in the cake it's as if they've pointed out a flaw in us. Hopefully more time and more cakes will solve the problem for both of us.

Meanwhile: YOU WRITE ON CAKES?!?! I've had letter piping lessons from Roland Winbeckler and Nic Lodge and I still never write on cakes. I write on a plaque, do cutout letters or tappits, use edible images creatively -- pretty much anything to not write on a cake. I'm pretty sure a grocery store bakery would never hire me. 

I couldn't pipe lettering on a cake if I tried. Props to those with great piping skills with letters.

I posted a cake to the PRCC and while all the comments there were all completely spot on (and very much appreciated), my friend who got the cake didn't notice a single one of the issues raised by the pros. We all hold ourselves to a standard that the average non-caker would just never expect. 

 

And you know you won't ever be doing last minute cakes with no notice for your paying clients! 

I'm really hard on myself, too. I expect perfection, and no one is capable of absolute perfection.

I've been really doubtful lately because I don't have any orders. My official legal business is new, and I didn't expect my door to be busted down by cake-hungry people, but I'm so bummed out that nobody wants cake! I've spent every day the last couple weeks wondering if my work actually sucks, so nobody wants to order anything from me.

Ella, I'm sure your cake looked fabulous, and your sister and her friends saw NONE of the issues with it that you did.

Ellavanilla, Have you heard from your sister since you gave her the cake?

I can so very much relate to this post.  In fact, I think you just wrote my bio!

Jen- I feel like I go through a process with most of my cakes. I will hate the cake the night before when it's mostly done. I will go home and think about how I am going to start from scratch after I throw the cake at the wall in the morning. Then I get to the shop and have a moment of clarity. Most of the time the cake is perfectly fine and its just that I've spent hours being 6 in away from it. I've had to redo a few (including my basketball cake that I just posted) but they still manage to impress everyone. I always love when I'm happy with a cake from start to finish.