We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denise Cook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Denise thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Having had a many different “regular” jobs over the years, I am happiest working in the field of creative arts. I had jobs ranging from bank courier, catalog representative, retail assistant manager, hotel housekeeper to body piercer. I’m very grateful for the experiences I had on my journey to find a career in something I could grow and excel in that, at the same time, did not feel like work. While I enjoy many different artistic mediums, cake decorating and edible art brings me the most joy. One of the biggest differences, for me, between a 9-5 and a career that requires you to create something new each day is how easy it is to over critique your work. While each of these jobs have their own pros and cons, I love having the freedom to make something out of nothing and put smiles on the faces of my clients. Their happiness is my happiness.

Denise, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up I enjoyed all things creative. After I had children, a desire to make something unique for their birthdays is what led to cake decorating and where it truly began. After a couple years of trial and error, experimenting with recipes, collecting decorating tools and learning as much as I could I finally felt prepared to make it more than just a hobby. I now create decorated cookies, cupcakes, chocolates, etc. but, I specialize in custom cake design that is personalized to each client and event. I work closely with the customer to gather the necessary information to ensure all their needs can be met. By adding my own creative and artistic touches I’m able to help them translate their vision into a cake and create something beyond their expectations. I love adding those little details to let every client know that each cake is special and will always get my best.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think one of the main things that can easily be misunderstood in the creative field is how much of yourself you put into your work, whatever the medium may be. Art is essentially an extension of yourself. In the field of cake decorating, I have heard of many cake artists be told for various reasons, “…but it’s only cake”. It can be quite disheartening to hear. when to you it is so much more than just cake. Sometimes we may be asked by potential clients to give a highly personalized drawn or digital cake design up front without any commitment. I believe this occurs due to a lack of understaning of how much time, energy and love goes into everything as a whole. As with anything creative, knowing there is worth in the entire process and not only the end product is just as important.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

A goal I have that helps open my mind during the creative process is to push past my comfort zone. I try to encourage myself to outdo my last design and create something unique. The learning process never ends and I’m always introducing new tecniques and tools to help level up my cakes and assist in the design approach. My mission, in regards to clients, is to bring joy and show that I truly care. I want them to know that I will go above and beyond every time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakemethodcook/
• Facebook: Facebook.com/CakeMethod
• Other: [email protected]