We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erika Seonjoo Lee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erika Seonjoo below.
Erika Seonjoo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
Looking back, I wouldn’t have started my creative career any sooner or later – the timing was just right. Before this venture, I had 3-4 different careers in related fields, but my current path was completely different. I had worked my way through various positions – from intern to operations director – and then made the decision to start fresh as a front-line cashier in my new chosen field.
I believe certain careers benefit from an early start, but my current path is particularly well-suited for people at my stage of life who are ready for their next chapter. The experience I gained from my previous roles – both the successes and challenges – prepared me perfectly for running my own business. Most importantly, it taught me to recognize when it’s time to embrace change and take on new challenges.
If I had started sooner, I wouldn’t have had the rich experience and perspective I now bring to my work. If I had started later, I might have missed the perfect moment when I felt fully prepared to take this leap. The timing aligned perfectly with my personal and professional growth, making it the ideal moment to begin this creative journey.
Erika Seonjoo, 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?
I am a buttercream floral artist creating unique, handcrafted cakes for special occasions. My journey took an unexpected turn – I spent most of my life as a professional dancer, performing internationally until 2022, while also serving as a program and operations director at a premier dance school in NYC.
After years in the performing arts industry, I began experiencing burnout and yearned for change. This led me to explore my other passions – crafting and cooking. Through research, I discovered buttercream floral design, which immediately captured my heart.
I approached learning cake decoration with the same discipline I had applied to dance. I sought out top artists in the field, traveling long distances to learn from the best. For the past three years, I’ve devoted myself entirely to this art form, practicing relentlessly every day. While some might say I’ve achieved success quickly, this reflects countless hours of dedicated practice and unwavering commitment.
Today, I create bespoke buttercream floral cakes for clients’ special occasions and teach other cake decorators who share my passion. What sets my work apart is the unique combination of artistic precision from my dance background and the delicate craftsmanship required for buttercream florals. Each cake is a one-of-a-kind piece, crafted with the same attention to detail and dedication to excellence that defined my dance career.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
While there are many strategies for growing a social media following – like creating viral reels or crafting engaging captions – my approach has been more focused. I’ve chosen to use my social media primarily as a portfolio, consistently showcasing work that surpasses my previous creations.
For me, the most effective strategy has been simple: focusing on creating exceptional cake art and presenting it beautifully through high-quality photography (still trying). Rather than spreading myself thin with various social media trends, I’ve invested my time in perfecting my craft. Each post represents my best work, and I treat my social media feed as a curated gallery of my artistic journey.
This authentic approach has naturally attracted people who genuinely appreciate my work. My advice for those starting out would be to focus first on your craft and present it well – sometimes letting your work speak for itself is the most powerful social media strategy.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My creative mission centers around the art of Korean buttercream floral piping. While sugar flowers and wafer paper art are well-established in the cake industry, Korean buttercream floral piping is still relatively uncommon in the USA, despite its incredible beauty and artistry.
This style requires exceptional skill and precision, which is why there aren’t many artists practicing it here. My goal is to change that. I want to share this beautiful technique with other cake decorators through teaching, so they can offer it as another option in their artistic repertoire. By passing on these skills, I hope to help expand the cake art industry and introduce more people to the delicate beauty of Korean buttercream floral piping.
I believe this art form deserves more recognition, and I’m committed to playing a role in its growth and appreciation in the American cake decorating community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peorycake.com
- Instagram: peorycake
- Facebook: peorycake
Image Credits
Peorycake