We recently connected with Lex Holley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lex, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I love this question because I don’t give my mom enough credit for everything she did for my sister and me as a single parent. I couldn’t see it growing up, but now as an adult, I see it! I see the sacrifices she had to make; I see the hard decisions, the second-guessing, and feeling like a failure because she couldn’t give us exactly what our friends with a mom and a dad had, but if I’m being honest, my mom did phenomenally! She had the most important bases covered. She made sure that we were around friends and family who were great role models; they loved us, spoke life into us, and helped mold us into the strong women of God we are today. There is nothing more valuable than that!

Proverbs 22:6 AMP

Lex, 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 started baking at 16 as a cheap but delicious Mother’s Day gift because I didn’t have a job then. It became a hobby until the pandemic when God called me to start selling my cakes and creating content. I started strictly making cupcakes only because cakes intimidated me, but I have since ventured out to buttercream cakes & cakesicles; basically, anything made out of cake, I’m baking it.

I’m most proud of letting go of the idea of perfection. At a very young age, I strived for perfection. I saw failures as a sign that I shouldn’t be doing something. I remember back in high school, I took my very first art class. I always loved drawing and was excited to get better. I strived for an A all year. I tried so hard, but every assignment I turned in was B or C quality in my art teacher’s eyes. I even asked him what I was doing wrong and how I could improve my art to get an A. Instead of encouraging and giving me techniques or advice to improve my art, he told me that some people aren’t meant to be artists. I was crushed, and after that semester, I completely stopped drawing even though it brought me so much joy.

I’ve since learned that failures are blessings; they allow you to persevere and gain wisdom to pass on to another. If something brings you true joy, pursue it! No matter how good you are at it, keep practicing and looking for opportunities to improve. You don’t have to be THE best; just do YOUR best! Joy is so precious, and if you’ve found something that gifts that to you with minimal effort, don’t let go of it, and don’t let anyone speak death to it because you’re not the best; that doesn’t matter. What matters is your happiness, so keep welcoming failures with open arms so you have a great story to tell, loaded with wisdom and redemption!

Esther 4:14 AMP

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The hardest lesson I had to unlearn was that hustling produces results. This year, I wanted to grow my social media following to profit from my content. I set the goal and dove into hustle mode. I created content five times a week, filled cake orders, worked my day job, and juggled household chores and a social life. I was hustling into overdrive; I left no room for God to speak to me or bless my business. It was a recipe for disaster. To top it all off, my social media was stagnant despite all my efforts. I almost put myself in the hospital from all the stress and burnout, so God called me to take a break from content creation; it took a ton of faith because it made zero sense to slow down when I had a goal set before me with no progress made.

Reluctantly, I trusted Him and rested. After three long months, I’m back and better than ever! I’m seeing more results with less effort. God has done more in my three months of rest than I could’ve done in a year. Don’t get me wrong; hard work is essential for success. You should never think that sitting on the couch wishing, hoping, or dreaming will get you anywhere you want to go, but I now have a new philosophy “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 KJV

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is using my god-gifted talent to spread joy. I can’t think of a more rewarding venture than being a cake artist, baking up the most delicious and gorgeous treats to make someone’s birthday, wedding, or “just because” extra special. It gives me the biggest shot of dopamine; no matter how many cakes I make, it never gets old.

1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fueledbyflour
• Facebook: @fueledbyflour
• Twitter: @fueledbyflour
• Other: tiktok : @fueledbyflour

Image Credits
Lex Holley