...there's NOTHING DELICATE about it...

My Niece, Smiley, not a cake care in the world, BE LIKE SMILEY

... there is NOTHING delicate about the cake world...

"Warning: this diary occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and MY true feelings and thoughts (which may be unsuitable for most)."

Do you find that once someone knows you create cakes... they "know" someone who does?

It's a large world out there and yet everyone KNOWS SOMEONE that "makes cakes"... and then a "I should introduce you, their creations are amazing and HEY you should meet up with him/her, you never know you could work together become best friends, have cake babies and live happily ever cake after"...

When I first started out this kind of networking was great... I was very hungry for information... hungry to ask thousands of questions, eager to want to know EVERYTHING... {this was before Face Book, You Tube... online tutorials... Travelling international artists... just books and your local cake decorators association}. This was where I first experienced the c a k e  j e r k... I was a target as I was very young and didn't fit into the stereo type cake category by... let's just call them senior members.. I remember thinking "What’s going to happen to all your knowledge and cake worth when you DIE? isn't it a good thing that I want to learn and create, sure sign that your art form that you are so passionate about will still carry on? And is interesting?"  

Water off a ducks back for me... oh well... I don't think I will ever understand why the c a k e  j e r k behaviour needs to exist, but it does and you need to be able to deal with it.

TODAY.. this kind of networking still around {recent years now include FACEBOOK GROUPS, INSTAGRAM, FORUMS etc etc}  and to be honest it creeps me out, gives me the shits or makes me sad... It also can make me feel old (like a mature adult standing in a room of 3 year olds chucking tantrums over the purple crayon)... and it is a reason why I stopped telling people what I did for a living... or why I would hide or play down my achievements... or just shy away from it all altogether (even yesterday, I baked some cookies for a friend... "HEY KAYLEE these are great YOU SHOULD BAKE PROFESSIONALLY" oh my if only you knew.

Don't get me wrong, it’s not always a bullying breeding ground of negative, school yard behaviour... I have been graced by the friendships that I will hold dear and close to me forever... and to this day after the years I can still call them my cake inspiration... HEY one of them is my all-time BEST FRIEND, sister from a different mister and soul mate...

As a person, anyone who truly knows me knows... 

I am not shy, I am not a push over, I don’t like being told what to do it and how to do it, I don’t live by anyone's rules but my own and I will only do things if I REALLY want to... I am kind but my kindness is not a weakness, I am stubborn but I can adjust my sails when I feel I need to, I am open to listen and learn from everyone... I love and I share...

I deleted myself out of all cake groups and communities... I found them all to be unhealthy for my cake health.. I stepped out of that circle... it wasn't because of the way I was treated...  It was because it never felt good or nice to be around ...like a pack of foxes/wolves {do they even hunt in packs? well an animal that hunts in packs} waiting to prey on the next weak sheep {always seem to be the newbie or the one with the pricing questions or attempted someone else's "design"}

EGOS EGOS EGOS... WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT... or energy really... **insert eye roll** cake community ...pfft bunch of cake jerks...

They build people up and then as they turn and face someone else they will tear them down faster than they were built up... or create sub packs to hunt and bully... This kind of behaviour bothered me.. bothered me in a way of “I can’t be f*$ked dealing with that, I have things to learn and cakes to create, goals to achieve and places to be SEE YAH"

I always look outside the picture for inspiration.. and now I am starting new mediums of being creative, I find their industries are just the same... OH WELL... must be humans

In cake reality... You need support in this industry for your sanity... it’s not always rainbows and glitter farting unicorns.. {even though the person you just told that you make cakes thinks it is} you need that community... you NEED that support team.

A support team that you can trust.. support team to celebrate you when you hit those goals, a support team to kick you up the butt or a support team to grab your hand...

I am now stepping back into this kind of odd cake circle... I am nervous... but I feel for me to really leave the industry,  I need to give back... I want to make sure that all my cake knowledge and stories are told so that HEY when I die I know that little bit of knowledge could save that one person from crying over spilt milk or split ganache... or turn that young person’s cake dream into a reality

Let me give back... to the cake hero's

SUPPORT comes in all shapes and forms, from all over the place, take your blinkers off, and really surround yourself in this...

and if you are behaving like the cake jerk {highly likely not reading this} take a step back, deep breath and know...

YOU ARE OK but your behaviour isn't

we LOVE YOU and all of you but just not that cheeky cheap shot

We are all DIFFERENT and so are our cakes

I had LOADS of support. I am armed with support and this support team is helping me take the next step/turn in my career and if it wasn't from my support team I would have resigned 15 years ago...

Over the next few months... I would like to introduce my support to you, to everyone.. just so that it is written.. and thank them so they truly know how much value they were and are to me...

When you need a cake hero, become one

Don't be that Cake C&*T... at the end of the day it's just cake

(I am no angel...some days I was one of these... Ask my number ONE supporter of all time... My Mother she will be my first support team feature)