Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jean Schapowal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jean, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started out as an illustrator and cartoonist, graduating with a BFA from School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Pounded the pavement with my portfolio and struggled for awhile to get freelance jobs. I was able to land some but needed a more steady income. I took various “art” related jobs, running a graphic design business within an art supply store, learned calligraphy so I could do invitations, worked at print shops all while trying to get the one great art job. Family came along and then I started doing cakes for my kids. I figured how hard could it be right? Well it definetly was but I put to use my art background and my sales background to create my business. Ive been in this field for almost 20 years. Built up with myself as its only employee. I read books, took classes and watched as many videos as I could. Through trial and error and alot of networking Im still going strong. I never in my wildest dreams thought that doing my kids cakes would lead to magazine covers, print articles, magazine features, TV appearances, and a respected online presence.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Jean A. Schapowal and I am the cake artist and owner of Cakes with Character in New York. I have been creating everything from cupcakes, kids cakes, grooms cakes, wedding cakes, Bar/Bat Mitzvah cakes and everything in between. I started creating cakes after my first child was born. People would be attending my kids parties and ask where I got that amazing cake, I proudly responded that I had made it. And from then on I was creating cakes on a regular basis. I never had to advertise as I worked strictly from word of mouth. I created a great customer service plan, always reaching out to my customers throughout the whole process and afterwards with a followup. Usually after an event I could count on another 5 – 6 future jobs. I take pride in all my creations, there honestly works of art and I want people to not only love what they see but also love what they taste. My MIL worked in the bakery business for years and my mother wrote many of the early Weight Watchers cookbooks. I worked with them in coming up with tried and true delicious recipes that would hold up with the type of cakes I was creating. I had always planned on being an artist when I grew up, and after receiving a BFA in fine arts I thought I was on my way. Little did I know that I was only one of thousands, probably more vying for that coveted illustration or graphic design job. For me creating cakes its just another medium and I still get to utilize all the skills I learned in art school. I do feel having a creative background definetly helps in my field. You’re able to create so much more than the simple sheet cake. And my customers know what they’re getting when they order a cake from me. Not only does it taste good but it looks amazing! And I will work with you throughout the whole process. Thats why I feel like I have never had to advertise as Ive built a respected reputation for myself. And creating cakes here on Long Island has brought me global recognition. I’ve been nominated 3 times for a Cake Masters award ( Cake masters magazine is the leading industry magazine) and 1 nomination for the American Cake Awards for a peoples Choice Award. Ive appeared on TV 5 times ( Food Network and Disney) graced the cover of Cake Masters Magazine, featured in numerous trade magazines, and this year I am representing the United States as Team USA in the World Cake designers Championship being held this October 16, 17th in Milan, Italy!!!!!!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing is the people I have been blessed and honored to have met and worked with. I believe networking is a cornerstone for any business to succeed. And especially after going through a global pandemic the people I have met and worked with all came together to keep our business going through those difficult times. Sending referrals, ordering product that we need, social media, fundraising. Theres so much more than just creating our craft to succeed. And when youre able to work with others and set up these relationships that you can foster it will ultimately help you at some point in your career.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Ive been slowly building my audience over the years and my numbers are good but there’s always, always room to improve. During the start of the pandemic I needed to keep busy and keep people coming back to my social media links. I decided to create a different cupcake topper a day, 365 different cupcake toppers by the end of it all! And I did it. Every day people tuned in to my pages to see what I created. People began sharing, the project became my 365 day project and was featured in several articles! It brought my work to a new audience and got an amazing response. And it was just a way to get people to keep coming back. I didnt want people to lose interest and if I didnt have the customer orders to post new content I had to come up with something that I could produce on a daily basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cakeswithcharacterbyjean.com
• Instagram: @momschap
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momschap
• Twitter: @JeanASchapowal
• Other: tik tok – @jeanarettmerschapowal

Image Credits
Jean A. Schapowal