We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bonne Bedingfield. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bonne below.

Bonne , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I consider myself to be quite fortunate to have grown up with parents who fostered my creative abilities for as long as I can remember. I have always known that I was meant to create and be creative. It was innate; it was at the very core of my being. The greatest advice I have ever been given was from my parents who said, “do what you love and become the very best at it:. Ive spend my adult life doing just that. I’m very aware that this is rare, but it’s proof to me that you can be successful in the arts as long as you are willing to work very hard and consistently push yourself.

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 Bonne Bedingfield and I am from a small town just outside of Atlanta. I grew up in a home full of artists who were/ are somewhat eclectic yet wildly average as far as the family dynamics go. Given the fact that I grew up in a home where my brother was allowed to draw all over his bedroom walls, the creative door has always been wide open for my siblings and me. This is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given.

I pursued a degree in Fine Art at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. After graduation I married and moved to another town to take over my mother in law’s art studio. There, I pursued oil painting and teaching art full time. After 3 years of marriage we had our first child. At this point my painting days ended rather abruptly as oil paints are toxic. I began to do a lot of baking so I could do a lot of eating during my pregnancy. I loved creating in the kitchen – especially sweets. I bought Martha Stewart’s cake decorating kit and had a lovely time. At this point I didn’t realize my life was going to change forever.

Simple decorated cakes soon became sculpted cakes. My niece was having a birthday and asked for a Nemo cake. Instead of just painting a 2-dimensional image of the fish, I decided I would try to sculpt it. It’s kind of funny because in art school I did everything I could to stay away from 3-dimensional art. When you are working in 2 dimensions it’s all about tricking the eye. When working in 3 dimensions, there is no room for error and no tricking anyone. When I finished, I was hit with a since of accomplishment unlike anything I had ever experienced. I felt equally, if not more so, gratified by the work I had created but somehow loved it more than painting – maybe because I could eat it?! I posted an image of Nemo on my Facebook page and the rest is history.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I would say fear is the greatest drive in my creative career. Shortly after starting Beautifully Baked By Bonne, I received a message from a production company asking if I would be interested in competing on a Food Network Show. Terrified, I said yes. It was the most horrific, terrible, lovely experience so full of purpose. I failed miserably and on a national stage. Sure, there were plenty of factors that worked against me and I could use them as excuses all day. But I’m a big believer that failure is what catapults you to the next level. That failure opened a door for me to compete on Food Netowork’s Halloween Wars where my team and I came in 3rd place. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and I wanted to show my children that you don’t let failure stop you. Two years after Halloween Wars, I was asked to come back for Holiday Wars where our team came in 2nd place. (I guess now I need to do one more that I can actually win!)

Having said that, never would I have imagined as a child or even as an adult that I would be asked to use my creative talents on a national level or to be appreciated for it. Each experiences was scary and exhausting and worth every single second. The relationships made along the way have resulted in life long friendships. The knowledge I gained from others in the industry has been a game changer for me.

My advice to anyone in the creative field is to be vulnerable, be scared, but do it anyway.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Most people I encounter who are neither creative or artistic seem to be the ones who appreciate the skill or talent the most. I think that’s one of the most beautiful ways to live life – appreciating others for their own strengths that are vastly different from yours. I can’t do math or spell so I appreciate the people who do and keep the world running. Rarely do I meet someone who thinks making a career as an artist is silly. Having said that, the most common negative I believe artists hear is, “you can’t make money doing that”. I call BS on this for two reasons. Firstly, in anything you do, it’s the mindset that matters. If you repeat a negative thought like that over in your head and begin to believe it, then you will never succeed. Secondly, success looks different for everyone, it doesn’t just appear in financial gains.

I also like to remind other artists that we are important to the world. Using your gift is so necessary to our society. It brings others joy, it gives us reason to pause and think, it provides the soul with something beyond here and now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beautifullybakedbybonne.com
• Instagram: @beautifullybakedbybonne
• Youtube: @beautifullybakedbybonne