The Creative Myth
The Creative Myth
Karin Klenner - Mud Cake & Hyper-Realism - An Artist Life
Ever wondered where to make the first cut on a life-like cake of a baby orangutan stroking an adorable little kitten as it looks up into your eyes? Well if you've just gotta, then apparently it's best to start in the back.
In this episode of The Creative Myth, we catch up with Karin Klenner, a super talented sculptor and artist who works in the delicious medium of mud cake! Karin has made a name for herself by creating some truly unbelievable 100% edible cakes; from German Sheppards to Baby Yoda, she has grown her art and her business in leaps and bounds. We discuss with her the ins and outs of cake art, the intricacies of marketing a small business and doing it all with a family to take care of.
Hello beautiful people and welcome to the creative myth, the podcast that attempts to inspire the uninspired by unfolding breaking down and distilling that wonderful force of nature and or nurture known as creativity. Our goal to bust the myth that creativity is the birthright of the few. In each biweekly episode, we find a new and engaging self-confessed creative and strike up a dialogue. Otherwise, surgeon and I sit down and discuss a topic that has something to do with creativity, and how it relates to our roles as artists, nomads and parents, we track down some of the most amazing creatives out there and find out just what creativity means to them what they do to encourage it in their lives, and how you might channel it into your passions. But who is we we are searching to sing and Benjamin Lane wife and husband, Indian Kiwi adventure photographers, international travellers and curious minds. You may know us as nomadic lovers of adventure tented photography, and if not, you can follow our adventures on Instagram at dental photography. And on our web page. Turner photography.com. Of course, don't forget to check out the creative myth on Instagram as well. So let's get started.
Sirjana Singh:So should we start? Yeah, I have so many questions I want to know so I can keep talking to you like this. But I'm like, I don't want to miss any golden nugget.
Unknown:Just no. fan girl fanboy. Yeah, we've always loved.
Sirjana Singh:Your work is amazing. I don't know if you remember when we did the wedding show together. And you were next to us. And cool. I was like, I'm just going to talk to our brides about you like don't even um, just forget about it. Let's talk about her cakes can just have her cake. It's just amazing for
Unknown:my mind, because I feel the same about you guys. It's so weird. How you can be so blase about your own skills and so in spanning over someone else, and then when they like, feel the same about you realise what my blind How is it possible? That a third time? Yeah, we suffer from it. A lot of creatives suffer from it. Yes. Like this weird thing where you don't realise that what you're doing is actually freaking cool. Yeah. That's what I do. Even a lot of the times when I'm working on a cake even it's like, okay, no, it's cold. But I'll just be picking it apart, picking it apart. And then at the end, I'll take a photo of it. And sometimes through that lien is when I'm like, Oh, wow, you're actually quite cool. And I never would have seen it before because you just analysing, pulling it apart, making it be the thing. It's called. with fresh eyes. You're like, oh, okay, now I see you as a whole rather than just a bunch of tiny little details seeing in 2d. That is reshard on that, on that note, we should actually officially start this so I am I am
Sirjana Singh:totally the opposite of what she does, right? I'm painting I'm like, really? fucking nuts. This is amazing. This is so cool. And then it's always done. Ah, it's a bit wonky. Right? Let's do the as it's like, This is amazing. What are you even doing? This is the best book ever. What have you
Unknown:hit them forth on my shoulder telling me that when I work,
Sirjana Singh:I pause from painting and go run to bed and go like you have no idea. Okay, you have no idea what's being created upstairs. You have no idea. All right. I'm amazing. Yeah. Oh, when we take photos there are times when I will take a photo or I'll tell Ben, especially me like Ben is more like you. But I will take a photo or think of an idea. And before I can even articulate that idea to Ben or to our couples who was standing there waiting for my instructions. I'm just like, Oh my god. Oh my god, you guys. This is like award winning. It's in my head. It's award winning. This is amazing. And they're all like
Unknown:basically what I want to hear from someone that is like photographing me, I want them to be like, Oh my gosh, this is amazing. Like that would be the big thing. Like when you hear it though you just don't you hear you never want them to say oh, like I'm doing
Sirjana Singh:okay, we should definitely stop because I think we'll just yeah, we'll keep okay. Yeah, okay, so, ready, cool. 123 go Welcome to the creative myth. Karen. It is so lovely to have you with us today. You are an awe inspiring imitator of life in cakes. Your cakes are so unbelievable to look at. And they taste like you know, it would be your favourite dream in a piece of cake. I don't know how to explain it but that
Unknown:you never want to be disappointed.
Sirjana Singh:Oh your cakes are so delicious. I mean, I remember tasting one of your cakes and I really, really thought that even if it was 15% delicious as that cake actually was, I would have been blown away. Because it was so good looking. I was like people are paying for the lunch, right?
Unknown:Kind of think like, okay, it's just gonna be like this lump of like modelling clay, you know? Yes, it's not it's actually okay, it's so
Sirjana Singh:on
Unknown:our iPad would be inside the movie ended up eating, eating anything that doesn't taste good. Like I get so excited over three, that if I'm like, I'm the biggest trade snob. I want. I want you to be a party on the inside. And I want to, like I want the inside to be better than the outside, but I want the outside to be perfect. So thank you guys so much for having me. It's such an honour to be on your podcast and to be even our neckline.
Sirjana Singh:We've been following your journey for so long and we love seeing your creations pop up on our Insta, it's still uninitiated, you know, people who haven't had the pleasure of seeing your work. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Unknown:So I make a so I guess I specialise in tech art. So I visualise in 3d in hyper realism. So my take probably, mainly, they usually are pretty much all meditate because they last the longest and often they'll even get better with time. So I've got I need more than five minutes to work on my cake, like a lot of them take a lot of time. So I need to ensure that they tasted good after I finished for the clients to be able to enjoy for a few days. So many of us meditate and then they're all filled and covered in chocolate ganache, which is a cream and chocolate mix. And then covered in fondant, which is not the gross Christmas cake thing if you're thinking about other stuff, they're just like egg. It's a really thin sugar that allows me to paint on it and sculpt it and yeah, create realism.
Sirjana Singh:We should have had some treats while we are elevating. I know. This topic is going really you have nothing in front of you. And
Unknown:it's very unfair that we talk together and I would have brought true. Oh, okay, well, I'll be back.
Sirjana Singh:Oh, man. Okay, so my first question, Ben, can I jump in first? Oh, go for it. Okay, I really, really want to know is it the designing of the cake, the baking it or the painting which one is more fun for you?
Unknown:are deeply not the baking while I love baking gets the boring part. For me. It's probably the sculpting that the most exciting is the painting. I do love a blank canvas. Like often my case will be completely like a dog or whatever. Be completely white. And I'll paint every single detail. Oh, yeah. And that is like just watching it come to life is so satisfying for me. What's their activity sometimes because it just takes so long like you always think, okay, it's gonna take four hours or whatever. And I mean, I've painted for females straight line. Like it's just tight implanting. By the end of that you're just like, oh my gosh, and the perfectionist in me is like, like all Part One parents like, don't even worry, no one's gonna look at the back. It's just your kids. And the other Karen's like, no way you will do this for fiction and you will pay it back like a surprise. Like such a battle. But even from my kids case, I do it like I'm doing to the Queen. Like I can't not my standard no matter how much I want to I just have to work until it's amazing. Even acknowledge. Can't help but
Sirjana Singh:she has a surgeon and have been sitting on her shoulder. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Unknown:Incredible that creating like, 99% of the work. And then she's like this 1% I don't care about Yeah. Whereas I'm like, No, one person is everything. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I try and not yet, but I really, really Yeah.
Sirjana Singh:And I think that's why we make such a good team. I just worked so hard on that. 99%. And then somehow I just reached that point where I'm like, I'm done. I'm done. This is done. Even. Yeah, even with painting, photography, everything. I'm just like, at some point, I'm like, No, this is done. And then Ben takes over and just takes it to the to the finish line, which is fantastic.
Unknown:Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. So amazing. Because you really do sometimes you will fall off. Yeah. And you've just acquired it and you've seen it enough. And you're just even making mistakes, because you have been so close to it. Yeah. That having the freedom to someone else to seep in again without fresh eyes. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. It is good. All I did was I said go away and come back because I just can't do it. Like, I've picked up 100 figurines thrown at across the road because I just couldn't get it because I was too tired. My face. Yeah, it was like, and then I'm like, No, you have to stop and you have to come back again, and do it with a better attitude. Because your attitude sucks, and you can't work. Myself. So one of our questions was gonna be Do you consider yourself to be creative? But I think like it's kind of answering itself right now.
Sirjana Singh:But what do you think? Do you consider yourself a creative?
Unknown:Like these? Are you guys touched on this in your podcast that I was listening to the other day? And I guess, yes, I do. But I think the so long, I thought that every single person saw the world like I did, but every single person could stop for a day days, I was only actually teaching others. So I realised not everyone. So I hope I'm not ruining any part of your purpose of the podcast? Oh, no, I do that, you know, by the debunking, I think that there are some people that are born with a gift, to see things in 3d to try to stop to see the world in a different light. And there are some people that have to learn and it doesn't come naturally to them. And almost the process has to be really explained. For them to get it rather than just naturally understanding it. Yeah. Does that make sense?
Sirjana Singh:Totally. I had this conversation with Stacy in one of our podcasts interviews, and I think the difference is between people who are creative in one aspect of their life teaching that aspect to another person who thinks they're not creative at all. But actually, they're creative in some other field that just like you they haven't noticed for so long. And you know, and they haven't unravelled it, they haven't dug into it. They're just thinking, Oh, I don't have these cakes, creative skills. Whereas they could have been an amazing gardener or an amazing. I don't know, what have you done? An accountant?
Unknown:I mean, you don't want to get too creative. I
Sirjana Singh:mean. Yeah, yeah. But I think that is, it is just, um, sometimes the art. And the way of seeing the world gets very mixed up. And I think just like you said, it's the way of creativity is the way we see the world. And for creatives, it's so strong that we start believing everyone must see it this way. Like it is
Unknown:so or you become like, like, how can they not see this? Exactly?
Sirjana Singh:Because it's so powerful. And so like, strong for you that you think, how is it that they're not seeing this? Of course they do. Oh, I'm so glad.
Unknown:Definitely. Yeah, totally. Like, I feel like the creative we walked down the street in our brain is taking photographs of everything as potential pieces of art. And some people just don't do that. But I'm sure if he pointed out what you were saying to someone that would it didn't come naturally. I'm sure they'd be able to understand it. Well, that's beautiful. But I guess it what excites us is the the obvious creators are excited by art and excited by colour or an acquired by detail. So I get that by something away, become more naturally or more obvious to us, and not the other. Interesting? Yeah, I don't know.
Sirjana Singh:That is. Yeah, that is fantastic. I love hearing answers from other creatives, and what do they think about creativity in general, but for me, for example, the I thought the the thing with creatives is that they are absolutely, you know, Delirious about figuring out answers. Like for me that was
Unknown:using the the core of creativity is that you you are hunting down, like it's kind of the core of science in the sense, you know, this is something that requires an answer.
Sirjana Singh:Like we're always figuring out how to do this, you know, how to do this, how do I do this? How do I make these colours? This? How do I, how do I do this? For me?
Unknown:I think it's very similar. But then I think that creativity, unlike science has this whole, like, well, actually, now think about it might be. The idea is though, that you're generally finished experiment to the end, right? In a scientific sense. Yeah. Whereas if you're creative, you can follow a branch as you're halfway there. Yeah, I mean, often in science, you'll come back and follow their branch, but it's not the same kind of flow.
Sirjana Singh:I just love this conversation. I can have this conversation for days and have like, around me and just hear what their thoughts are about creativity because that's again like you know, we are so it's so obvious to us, but these all these obvious answers are so different. Yeah, it's amazing. Not
Unknown:because we are that's the beauty is we are also different. We're all wired so different and what my creativity might be different than what keeps you awake. We can't lump everyone creative under one umbrella because we accidentally again, something you guys are talking about in your podcast that says no to me was impulse versus spontaneity. Yeah. And I don't think that I'm spontaneous at all right? I think I'm bad one is I'm impulsive. And another thing is, I could never feel creative. If I leave something to the last minute, like I did would push all creativity for me. I don't know if it's a control thing. But also, I feel like, I've got undiagnosed ADHD. So my brain is like in 100 different places. And I'll run with this, run with it, run with it. And I'll be like, trying to contain it. Yeah. And so I feel like, for me, I made it to the blind. And I hold on to that deadline with time to see I maybe 60. Because I've got an edible medium, that I need to know that that's going to actually hold in for these other things that come in play. At the last minute
Sirjana Singh:that you're applying that is so interesting, because we have somebody who has has diagnosed ADHD, then way in
Unknown:Yeah, so I mean, I think it's kind of cool. It's definitely like a, like, for a bit of a lack of a better word. Like it could be a coping thing that you've developed, but the edible medium, certainly as well. But I know for me like I'd nothing would get done if it wasn't for like that last hour. You know, I got time we could like even now sitting up for the podcast. I was like we could I had set it up with about about three minutes before Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but so differently.
Sirjana Singh:I know, I was never, I was not a planner. Till I met Ben. I was like, oh, no, somebody, somebody needs to contain this.
Unknown:I read about ADHD people were just so classically me, and I found it hilarious is that we have these systems, like so we put a grouping system in place. And the thing about this group, so say, if you're moving a house, or whatever, you'd have a system and my cat goes, the bat goes there, we're going to school that in the places, but the thing is, ADHD people are better yet I've got a system that no one can understand it. Not only can it no one understand it, it doesn't even really work to be placed. And if someone comes in and like interrupts the system, it's really speeding because they're hanging on by a thread. My brain is, like, downright angry when she interrupts me. And I haven't had a chance to do something I wanted to do. She changes the plan on me halfway through something she's Oh, what about if we did it this way? I'm like, oh, no, this is ruining. How I approached like, like, say, cleaning the house, for instance, I'll walk into one room. And my suggestion would be that I'm going to clean this room and move to the next room. So she tells me I'm going to go in there and not leave that room because that's how she would work. Right? I go into that room, I pick up some stuff, move to the next room and I'm like, Okay, I'll start in this room that I'll pick up some stock move to the next room in that room. And then I end up cleaning the house eventually, but like, yeah, use the systems were chaotic. And we like I'm so easily distracted like and at times I run to the kitchen and I'm like, why am I here? I have no idea why I'm here. What is my purpose in life? And, like so quickly? Like within like 10 seconds? I feel like I could lose it. Yeah. I think I'm the only one so thanks.
Sirjana Singh:And with opening fridge doors, he will run to a fridge door with such purpose and poise to see the way he climbs down the stairs. It's like watching a gymnastic
Unknown:these days a way to waste time. It's like what's in the fridge? I don't know why.
Sirjana Singh:But the way with which he walks to the fridge with such purpose and poise and opens it with such urgency and then is like I don't know and then closes it and goes in and you can bet that he'll be back again in half an hour doing the same beautiful dance
Unknown:part of it is just some procrastination or something so yeah, if you guys did you hear me leave in the middle of this podcast? I'll be at the fridge yeah so something I really want to know is how do you get started doing this kind of thing like we did you kick it off so well with many you're talking about my 3d. Yeah, like the like. Yes, the bunk is amazing. Like, baby Yoda stuff. Huh? Well, I never thought I guess I never got told what I couldn't couldn't do that. because I didn't have formal training. I never got told that you couldn't do this. And you couldn't do that. So I just tried it. And it worked. And I didn't, I guess, training and obviously I'm, I'm a cape teacher, so I love people learning. Yeah. But I think you're always you kind of sometimes get limited to what your teacher knows. So I guess you can put walls up or whatever, when are they meaning to thinking that that just the the end of the possibilities is there. But if you're just don't know where it's going, you're just going to try something. You've got full permission to go his whole entire route and maybe fail, rather than because you just don't know if it's possible or not. You just going to do it. Like, did I go with it? Yeah. So that's kind of how so for my kids, for example. That's where I always try out crazy stuff. Like they were my first realistic animals. They were my first gravity defying cage. They were everything because I knew that it was only like, I wasn't leading down a client because they did obviously you hold a lot of weight on your shoulders, and I would never say, now I'm affected. And now I know that I know what I can achieve. But at the start, I would never get used to a 3d Yoda balancing on life over the knee. If I didn't know that I could pull it off with someone's trusting you with their money. You had to be amazing. So I'd always try out things on the kids cake. And same with just even painting or shading. I guess trusting instinct and just trying. And I've been very lucky that 99% of things I've tried have worked. Well, yeah, I was watching you painting on on your Instagram. And it's just the thing that struck me was like one it's frickin incredible. Like, it's just crazy. Go to go check out her Instagram. But I'm also just how you can't resist you're like you're the palm of your hand or anything on the 3d shape. Oh, no. Like that. That's so tough.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah. So So you're saying that how you got started with this is by practising at home and seeing dreaming of some things and creating that for your kids and seeing what is possible. In testing.
Unknown:My eldest son I think he has got the most beautiful personality ever. They are so particular and he is ridiculously intense when it comes to his case like so the case that he this is how specific he is like I did. I don't know if you've seen an institute okay. Yeah. When he was like, five, he was like, ma'am, I want Mikey, the ninja turtle. And he's going to be writing on a skateboard. And he's going to be spitting them checks and eating pizza and nothing is flowing. The kind is not like the steering that utilise. So he would be the first one to come down and critique it and be like, Oh, you're gonna have to re do that man. Oh, man. So biggest fan. We were like, we should totally get Karen to do my his birthday. And then we're like, wait. We started this just put like a lump of dough in front of him and he won't know. Any better. Got it fine. Yeah, really?
Sirjana Singh:Yeah. Oh, my God.
Unknown:It's at Brixton in Frisco. Like he's the one I did the 3d German shepherd for like, that
Sirjana Singh:was incredible. How long did it take you to beat that? I mean, do that.
Unknown:That was about you know, the Jeff. I thought that might be the one you're not including everything else. We watched the the time lapse that you had on IG stories. Oh, yeah, far out. So again, another thing, timeless thing your work is actually such a gift. Because, like you can actually see it come together and appreciate your skills with like, I don't think I'm not trying to be humble here. But I don't think that I'm as good as her but I know I'm good at what I do. Don't get me wrong. But it's always every time someone compliments me. I'm almost shocked. Like, I'm like really? You like my work? Like, Hey, Karen, I completely understand.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, but Karen, and known you for so many years now. You're definitely better at taking compliments now than you were before. I have to tell you. Good on you. I remember first time he complimenting you and you were just like this red and going No not really, really. Like oh my gosh is the best cake I've taken.
Unknown:And we were like steering it Gollum and eyes right that cake was insane. It was so good.
Sirjana Singh:Oh my gosh. It's amazing. So,
Unknown:on that note, though, like, what kind of people? Like how do I put this? How do people buy the Yeah, but like innocence but how do you start cutting baby Yoda? You know like down the forehead okay yes so this that cake of like the little baby orangutan, cuddling with a weird thought when you saw that one that I've had it paid off I didn't even realise how brutal I was like crying hearing and half of them were crying because I was like this some sort of like, like, I don't know like this this weird fascination with the idea of like cutting into
Sirjana Singh:the kids we were discussing which should be ordered from you. And we were going through the whole thing and I really really loved your crystal cakes. And I said I would love to get one of that and Ben love the ones with faces. And I was like I adore those but I couldn't cut what I
Unknown:liked just be taken out back and you know, it's like a butchery so now I want to hand it off to the butcher to take it back and turn it into cake highly I say to the client, my clients start at the bottom. Work your way up within the bum. You feel okay about eating in the front? Yeah. And then you realise how tasty it is. So you're motivated to eat the rich because otherwise people the clients there but I paid them shove them in the freezer and not want to eat them. I'm like I put so much love on the inside of that you better eat it. Amazing. You just literally gonna run your business should have made a lot of clay. I think it's not just us. Oh, yeah, we
Sirjana Singh:had a very heated argument. Before this, like an hour open. We should be preparing for this podcast, we were having an argument about how can you order the orangutan cake and it has to be the
Unknown:crystal. For those of you listening. This is literally a baby orangutan. Like scratching the belly of a little kitten is the most beautiful cake you have seen and it's not just like looking at the kitten. It's got these big round eyes that are looking up to you. I know I know I do that melody. Like I love to tell a story. Like not just like what the like, you know, with the monkey like, with its foot around the side of the board or things that people probably don't even notice. more creative. You guys probably know. So many people don't. Or like like a hidden tilt to the side. Yeah, it's not like I'm a take something like you're captured. Yeah, animal surroundings. Yeah, I love doing stuff like that. But yeah, but it does make for a very uncomfortable for some people to eat it.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, but I agree with Ben, all you have to do is send it to the kitchen and get someone to come
Unknown:out some dead inside
Sirjana Singh:you. But what was I saying? No. When people are listening to this podcast, I'm sure all of you have her. Instagram open. If you haven't, it's in the show notes in the description. Go check out her later. And your Instagram and while you listen to this podcast go through the creations for the full 3d experience. How did you realise that this was your true passion?
Unknown:Um, well I love eating cake. With little I would like like a banana cake but I'd shove mellow puffs in it or temtem or something. So I think I've got very American taste buds when it comes to I want something to surprise you on the inside. I'm big on pizza like I don't want like, I want something to break up the cake. I think I think I want crunch I want yeah, like I'm big on it being a dessert an exciting dessert, not just a piece of cake. And so I I guess I started off with purely baking. And then I was good at art. So like I did really well as we'll see. Which I don't even have to go through the thing now but I don't know what it is. But anyway, I've been I was really good at art in I got an award for photography. Whoo. But then never did anything. I wouldn't even know how to with the camera now. It's just quietly it's easier these days. You guys, do my phone. I like I haven't even used it. Today. It'd be nice to learn.
Sirjana Singh:We were discussing the same thing we were going to use To grammar, I'm like, Oh, we have to talk to her about how to photograph this cake because this is an amazing cake. How is she? Well, please,
Unknown:we need to do a contribution. Okay. Whatever birthday cake, you guys give me a lesson on using? Absolutely.
Sirjana Singh:Let's do that. Yes, my God, people need to like fully have this immersive experience like we had firsthand of how amazing your cakes are. Even if they can't taste it. Why, but yes.
Unknown:Oh, I could I really have no idea about photography at all. Let me just use a prayer
Sirjana Singh:and still keep
Unknown:the whole, like creatives at different levels of different things, right?
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so you realised right from your childhood that cakes are going to be in your life forever.
Unknown:I knew that art was going to be in my life that ever and I guess, along the lines, type became my medium. I feel like if it wasn't tight, I could easily have been a florist or I would heavily have been a photographer. I think it's so often our skills or graphic design, they all crossover. And we we jumped from film to film that I did we get comfortable in our mediums. And so we feel like that, that that feel that defines us that if we nurtured another medium that I'm sure we'd be good at that. So like, for true. Media creative, right? I mean, I mean, I have a degree in graphic design. But yeah, photography is my medium for sure. Yeah. I think it was in my final year of graphic design where I realised like, Wait a minute. Yeah, yeah, I actually really, really love photography.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, no, this is so true. And so well put. Karen, could you take us through the process of creating one of your lifelike cakes. So we come to you? And we say, I mean, Ben would have loved a German Shepherd gag, but let's think of something I
Unknown:want to see you dancing around on a beach ball. Okay, yeah. What did you want? A seal, prancing about on top of the Big beach ball? Yes. So what I do, first of all, is I research the animals. So with animals or someone's face, especially if it has to look like someone, just like the stroke of your toe can change it and make it look like one tiny little stroke to make it look completely not how it needs to. Yeah, so I study the face of all the effects of animal I watch what moves I watch how surfaces deal, I watch how somebody's watching how to interact with others, I would study at 40 for every way around a third, I would study all the brain, I do like I would put so much into understanding like so I would really understand that animal food and being able to do that so much now. But at the start, when I when I did, I was learning to stop things for a day, I would I would need I get the picture as big as what my text was going to be right. And then I would I would want that a few angles. But now I can literally work off a tiny little picture on my phone. And sometimes I even can just my brain can imagine what the bits of it will look like without without even seeing the back. something again that I've muted because it wasn't like that at the start. But I think instinctually now I know how and legal fall or the back of a auditor. I don't know the fact that the bum would look like I can kind of like I can imagine it's those little things that make it so real like we were we were saying this before like one we've got a horse reared up on its hind legs, and it's like, everything is in proportion. It's muscle.
Sirjana Singh:Guys, as you're listening for more 3d experience as you scroll through her IG, also imagine my mouth is open. So my hands and I was making like what we're discussing a, he said we should ask this question, because he really wants to know I said, Of course she has so many photos, she must have photos from this side and that side and this side. And that's how she works and what you were right man, that was a very good question to ask because I would white, you can imagine.
Unknown:Wow. Something like especially I feel like I could go to realistic horse without even looking at a picture because I invoked horses when I was young. And so like my brain has already studied them every muscle and every wave so I could stop that without looking to do whatever movements that wanted to because I understand the horses. You should see like if somebody asked me to sketch a horse, right, if somebody asked me a camera thing Yeah, right
Sirjana Singh:like so many times Just like
Unknown:you go, I think I could do a pretty convincing camera. But there's a lot of straight lines there, you know?
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, true. Yeah. Yeah. But like the deed could be hard. Yeah. Yeah. For me. Like that's,
Unknown:that's, that was actually like one of the sculptures like to get into design school, we had to sculpt a thing out of a piece of paper, like, the people who were, like, evaluating us had to be able to cut in certain lines and in folded into a thing. So my thing was a was a camera out of these of a4 paper. I
Sirjana Singh:don't know straight lines are his jam. I don't know how he draws them. Draw a straight line anywhere, and it's straight on mine. It's crazy.
Unknown:Cool, because apparently bits in history and sketching, that was, yeah, there's ways to do it. But it's basically just practice, practice, practice. Anything, it's a lot like how you will paint an eyeball on a German Shepherd without being able to put your hand on the paper. On the subject. Oh, yeah, it's just that practice. Do we get that amazing? Lemon fine motor skill going?
Sirjana Singh:I'm so impressed. My my mouth will take a while it's getting so dry. It's open for So
Unknown:speaking of dementia, but I think there's one of my favourite too, because they I mean, I used to have a German Shepherd growing up and like beautiful dogs. That's like, your biggest undertaking? Or what would what would be your like? The biggest or like hardest sort of thing that you've taken on? And how did that come out? So structurally, the German Shepherd was the hardest. But because I had his mouth open, it was definitely one of the more time consuming because I go ahead to get all his gum. In German shepherds have a distinctive nose. So I get that nose shape just right, or it doesn't look like a German shepherd. And even I look at it in Brexton, my eldest who advocate does wonders, like Ma'am, you did the nose or wrong, I was imagining it to be bigger. And I was like, I did it on you just look at the gym and super cave, and I'm there or something that I know aren't quite perfect. And that I can still see where I could do better. But I'm not beating myself up about it. I'm just very aware. Yeah. So next time around, you do weird videos, what I won't be doing.
Sirjana Singh:I thought that was my question, are you going to
Unknown:re doing a 3d case? So if you've got me to do a human shoe bed, and it would just have to be a completely different position? Because I've done it. I've done it sitting and now I've lost inspiration. And I know how to do Yeah. So it's not that I'm afraid of doing another hard case. But I need to be creatively challenging. Yeah. So I need to not know that that took me 40 hours, I need to be hopeful that it's gonna set me loose sighted in the process. So I something was out of use for that cheeky monkey Cape I did with the monkey. And he's got a hand in his mouth. Yes, yes. So I did it for my son. And I love that process. But someone wanted me to replicate that exactly severe. And so I had to redo it again. And I felt that was so hard. I did probably the hardest challenge because I wasn't creative. Fire anymore. I'd done it. I'd ticked it off. Yeah, don't want to do that.
Sirjana Singh:You don't go. You don't get to go into the zone again, like you do when you're writing it for the first time
Unknown:totally get that we actually have a rule. If we have done the same wedding venue, you know, more than twice in a season. We're like, we're not going to book it again. That's getting too much and you lose your life. Yeah, so we have a lot of people ask, have you guys shut up this place before? And we're like, no, that's so good. Yeah, like, we will give it out all you need to notice. Yeah,
Sirjana Singh:but also for our double exposures or a night photos like Once created, we never created them again. And luckily, we can explain to our couples and say that, hey, we want to create something that inspired by your love story, rather than the same cookie cutter image from another couple. And they say yes, because otherwise, we would find it so hard to create those double exposures because you're right, you don't get to go into the zone. You don't get to experience the high again, and all the magic that comes with it. Yeah, you're right. It's
Unknown:actually what I was gonna ask you guys I have another example. So it's about the creative process. So I find that I don't like to look at other people's cake. So people see me that and so images a waiver. Say if I'm doing a dog tag, I don't want to look at anyone else's dog. I will look at real dogs because I don't want to be limited again to deer we can't help but have that in your head of what they've done. So I've decided to not look at other people's work. I definitely like love looking at other cases in other there's so many amazing I got it. But when I'm wanting to do a project, I don't want to look at other people's take on that topic I want my brain to break.
Sirjana Singh:Absolutely. So one of the things that we do so for example, if somebody shoot is in September, and they wanted a certain vibe from their session, we'll do all the studying that we have to do six months, at least before that day, if they have to give us some vibe instructions. Normally, we wouldn't. But if there is something in that, that they wanted, we'll do that. But for six months before that, nothing, we don't want to look at other people's work. We don't want to see that. Why? Because we want to now start dreaming about it. Inside preparing Yeah. So instead, we would have more zoom calls with them and get to know their stories. So we keep getting inspired. But you're so right. I couldn't I couldn't do that. Just like you like, I wouldn't be able to look at somebody else's beach for a shoot, we
Unknown:have had that happen to where people are like, hey, we want like his list of photos. We would really love him. Usually we can get around it, you know, by explaining to them that, that your love story and your process of taking your photos, you kind of wind up so different. Better. Yeah.
Sirjana Singh:People understand who didn't do this. But before that we would get that request so much. Yes. It's so lucky that we are now in position to say either suggest someone else or be able to protect months between there's
Unknown:time is good, because it lets your brain dream a little bit. Right. And you get to have that for Yeah,
Sirjana Singh:yeah, no, don't you see,
Unknown:I have my ideas that like I literally wiped out from the data slate and start thinking about a case and I'm not fishing it upside down. They're annoying the middle of the night. But it's like your brain is in the back of your brain been searching, searching, sometimes a waste and then suddenly at all like methods and come out and be like, well, now I've got my brain is going I'm excited and three o'clock in the morning and I should be sleeping. Wake up in the morning. comes out of nowhere.
Sirjana Singh:My subconscious is like the best best therapist, best assistant, best coworker that we have. And that is why to protect our brain is so important as creatives like giving that space to our brain to have creative rest at times that it needs it not constantly be indulging in social media and swiping so that it can do it's worth
Unknown:reading a lot about dopamine and dopamine fasting, which is kind of interesting stuff. Oh my God, I didn't even listen to her. But yes.
Sirjana Singh:Oh my gosh. Right.
Unknown:He's amazing. I listened to the ADHD one a bit forgot that were adjusted before.
Sirjana Singh:He is so quick
Unknown:thing, people that are Yeah. Oh, I pay for the podcast.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, it's amazing. I've heard them over and over again. Like, I would just say that I'm doing editing this wedding. And I'm going to listen to the same episode three times because yeah, every time I completely missed the spot before. But yeah, oh my gosh, there's so much to talk about.
Unknown:practical things. I've just started time restricted fasting for I don't overload food rather than just a bit for something doing it for four days. And not for any sort of weight loss at all. But for the health benefits. Yes. That repairing overnight. And in my Yeah, I feel way better than I did the job thing but
Sirjana Singh:the kind of service he's providing for people like us is incredible. It's incredible. I have sent so many DMS are like oh my god, you're doing so well. You have no idea how you're, you know, this lockdown life. Amazing. Oh my gosh. I still want to go back to my question about the process that you have in creating one of the cake. So you said you can now imagine so you're in the process of you've constructed the cake. But before you've started constructing the cake, the flavour that it's going to be is it something that your clients will suggest or is that something you would suggest to them? Does that go with the theme of the cake?
Unknown:So not usually so when I'm doing a structural cake not any recipe or word for it, I can't do banana I can't do carrots. Okay. I couldn't do red velvet because it's too squishy. So I stick with my texture to be dear choices will be a chocolate my cake terrible my cake vanilla mud cake, and it's because it's gonna hold its shape. And I mean you're not compromising on taste. It is divine. Yeah, but it's to the recipe. firing sugar. So it's supposed to check lungs longer. And but yeah, I just realised I got so distracted, that is the start of my life. So what I do is so say I decide what I'm going to do I research that, and then I will drawer, even if it's just a quick drawer about the size it's going to be so I can work out the structure in old war into my drawings, the structure where I want the dowel to go where I want the board to go. Because it's all smoke and mirrors, obviously cake isn't that hard that it's going to hold up by itself, as you would see with a very loose one, your Vitasoy tour and my structure within there. And then I literally measure and I take all my measurements, my husband and say person make this happen. Focus. And he like I did all the boards done everything. And I tell him exactly what it is doing the next day. He's great. Like, that's awesome. And then and then it's a matter of voting, voting up with type seven. I literally start with like a big block as you would again see if you see my timeline to shove a hole with a cake on it and then tap away the shape and I think there's something so beautiful in that you've got the big lump in nothing and being to just chip away at it and the the shape comes out of it. Like oh, like Yeah, like chipping away at pop. They're like, Oh my gosh, I like second motion a bit of cake. I owe the chip. What you do in her situation. I'm all about the motion. Oh, too much there much. That is pretty cool.
Sirjana Singh:So coming back to the faces of the cakes again. Are they edible as well like the the Jimmy? Oh my god.
Unknown:Yeah, I should got like, the kids didn't want to do and she received so I'm literally sitting in a bowl
Sirjana Singh:and like I like I like looser,
Unknown:often with the enemy kids or make them in a bullpen yada. So that so again, I love interaction. I want memories I wanted I wanted something more than just a cake. So often the kids have everything. I'll have a chocolate shell that I've built up with fondant modelling chocolate cake. But inside the chocolate shell filled with lollies or chocolate so they can mash it open and have yumminess inside and just fun because yeah, everyone wants to smash open. Uh huh. Yeah. The kids messed up in the back of the head got out the lollies. And then it was just sitting in the chocolate thing. It's fine. I'm big on interval as possible. Like overseas, they use a lot of polystyrene and a lot of Yeah, stuff like that. I'm like, No, I want it to be chocolate because chocolate is great. The experiences is rising. Yeah,
Sirjana Singh:I was going to ask you about this question. But you've already answered it. And I thought it was not maybe pertinence I took it out was going to be about how much telling a story is part of your creative process. And so it is you want
Unknown:for me? Yeah. 100% I literally tell us during my feed for my 3d cake, but obviously not the standard route. But yeah, all my animals. I don't know. I think it's a part of it. Studying poses, I see the little personalities and stuff. So it's like, I just am creating the characters. I don't name them. I think I named them. Like, better become my sheep. Like, I want them like that telling it Yeah, they tell a story like that or write it. And I find that really, I think if you have three kids, it helps you bring yes the life and overcome features or moments, the little details that you think no one will notice that people will look at it and they'll think, wow, that looks real, but they don't know why it looks real. But it's also finding little details that have contributed to make it more than just okay. So what are the lead times on some of these cakes? Like do you have time to mull over it like wake up in the middle of night and go oh, I want to do that for this cake. Oh,
Sirjana Singh:and I want to attach another question. Because it'd be I think she can answer the same is that moving from theory to practice? How do you then wrote test these new creations? So Ben's question time? And then how do you wrote test them? Go?
Unknown:Beans question was sorry, what? How much time you generally have to like to come to you like a week out or do you have to do require no, I am I booked I booked out like six months in advance. Okay, that's in the three days pay. Like I can't just work one of them up in five minutes. Like so. I would need a no well at the time. So I mean, it's not to say that I've researched it myself. But I need to allow for how much other bookings I can take on stuff I'm checking a case that 3040 hours of my time I need to know that I'm not going to book in soybeans. Yeah, it works because there's just not enough time because I'm still a mum and my husband would shift work. So yeah, I got no one's got my bed. So I've got to, you know, I've got to have that. Yeah. And so yes, sir timewise I've, I've people about what I take on. But yeah, some of them like, that's again, why I like doing chocolates in the yard as a kid, because I can start that away before like the week before I can start forming the face. Good. It's all not going to spoil. Like, instantly if I did that folding up with modelling chocolate, I can start doing that. Because it is the heat of the face is obviously one of the most important and so if I've done that at the time, the week of it's such a pleasure the process because the serious most important detail is started. And so yeah, just to I feel like way more relaxed and enjoy the process more. I doesn't always work out like that. But yeah, I do like having things that I can do receipt of time. So what what's the biggest cake you take on? Like if somebody said I want like a life size? Hot Tub
Sirjana Singh:Oh my god. Amazing. Oh,
Unknown:true big like you know, in America, they are big like they go so big that habit not even pay. Yeah, just big on big. Yeah, I feel like when you look at some of the VR work clothes, it's just not for what? Because it must be so hard on such a bigger scale. And I feel like it's too big again, it loads as well sector for me, like I mean, how big was the gym and shipment it probably, you can say but it would have been me 16 quarters of a beta. Let's call it 60 was big enough to be innovative, it would have been, I feel like even as intimate as anything to me like it but I wouldn't have wanted to go bigger than that. Like if some of these people want life size things that I wouldn't feel excited about. They could figure out how to get it out my take from door to travel with all these other things that come with it. Yeah. It's kind of more of a building project.
Sirjana Singh:And plus, plus, you're also very big on health. So I think that would not sit well with you.
Unknown:So there was a question you asked earlier.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, it was like how do you road test your cakes? Like is that when your kids asked you to do something? And then you make it and then you test? How sturdy can a cake?
Unknown:Do something for the first time for a client? Yeah, yeah. Now it could be either, okay, like I think now, like even teaching Bible, I've taught 3d tapes to a class that I've never even done the case before myself. Because I understand. I've got faith in my skills. Now. I think I've got faith in what I can create. I mean, I wouldn't have always done that. No way. But now I'm really comfortable with making 3d cakes. And so yeah, so I don't know if you saw the Christmas puppy, but I taught it to our whole class, and I've never made it before. Oh, so and there was like, I don't know, six or seven students. And they all were amazing. I'm so proud of them. I guess they just trust me, that people trust me. Yeah. And I'm good. Like, you know, I've got they trust me, so why should I trust me. And so but definitely at the start, when I was understanding art, like I had a few failed, I remember I did a Rainbow, rainbow dash to my little pony and I hit this huge kids. And I only use a wooden dowel and the screw in it. And then I woke up in the morning and the whole kid was like falling off. I feel like Thor off the head rebuilds the entire structure out of middle rod and that and then put the back on a redo the whole thing. I think I've learned through a few things that it's I always over structured and under structure now. So right, I will always be on the safer side, it put more work into making sure it's stable even with wedding cake. I have like a literally an earthquake could happen. In my case it would be okay as long as nothing falls on top of it. Yeah. You know, like it can handle the shape, it could handle someone doing good in the with the cake in the air like it is so well constructed. Because I do not want that to fail. Like I do not want my construction to be around someone type dies.
Sirjana Singh:So, do adults approach these cakes differently? Or is your audience primarily kids or who's your audience?
Unknown:Good question. I think I mean, there's A lot of cake decorators follow me, which is always just such a so flattering. And I'm getting creative, but I think it's a lot of, I don't even know. Do you know what the best thing about me and you guys touched on on the podcast is I don't I don't really put my face out there not because those are like my face or whatever. But just because at the end of the day, I don't wanna be on social media, I want to be with my family. Yeah. And I don't hear the world say, Oh, I sound so terrible. I know. I'm trying to still find the balance between being successful, but not giving my whole life to social media. Because I don't care if I've got 1 million followers or five followers. Yeah, I don't I actually truly don't care. What I hear is that the clients that choose me that they love my work that they're happy with their cake. Yeah, that I feel thought about and loved. And, and so whilst it's flattering to have people love my work and follow me, I don't feel like it's important for me to build a mess of work, because I'm getting so much more work than I can even handle. So maybe laziness, I don't want to, I don't want to promote, I can't be bothered promoting my business because I don't need to. I don't know, the laziness. If you're saying that you kind of want more time with your family. That's yeah, that's also my family. And I prefer to spend more time working on someone's cake and making it perfect. Absolutely. Yeah. And getting up and talking to my Yeah, I don't know, I've got nothing wrong. Like I like now I should be doing more.
Sirjana Singh:No, I should to it. And I think at this whole blanket statement that every creative just because they have an Instagram should have a voice and should be promoting that voice and be showing their face. I think that's a it's an I don't think it's the right way of doing things.
Unknown:It's entirely it's a marketing tool. Yeah, it works with your personality and the way you are,
Sirjana Singh:yeah. And if if your cakes are selling, which they are and your work is, you know, going to places where it should go, then it's, it's great.
Unknown:It's interesting, because I was literally just listening to a TED talk the other day, this one was by Joseph Gordon Levitt, of all people, but he was talking about how you can create a process can be distracted by, like, your goals for that process. So if you're, if your goal is to get like, say, a million followers, then your creative process will be quite different and probably a lot more sort of cookie cutter, I guess, because you want to be part of the the what's in, you know, to get to that point. And when you feel unfulfilled, because it's not actually the followers that you want. You want to be fulfilling.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah, absolutely. It is. Our turn. Yeah. And I think we should take these days. We don't have adventures to show on our Instagram. And the only reason I
Unknown:screw COVID
Sirjana Singh:So the only reason we're making stories is the time when I know I'm feeling down and I can spread some cheer. Yeah, if I'm not able to do that, I won't show up just because I have to show up. I should. So no, there are no shoulds. But my question actually was, you know how whimsical your cakes are and your cakes are not just like a cake of orangutan, that orangutan has a personality and he's doing something Something is happening. There's so much wimzie to those cakes. So I wanted to know that when you create such cakes for adults, not for birthday parties for kids birthday. Dad's birthday party. Have you seen how they approach the cake and is it different? Or do the cakes have the power of making all of us go? Oh my God become a kid again.
Unknown:I think that actually a lot of them a lot of the 3d realistic for adults Yeah, yeah. Very got a very busy day waiting me and protecting me. Everyone's upstairs. He'll sit outside waiting to finish work. Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. Mainly for adults and they like sometimes, especially if they're a gift. I mean, there was one I dedicate to someone and he didn't eat it for four days because he thought someone had given him a sculpture and didn't understand it with the cake. And they're like, are you gonna eat it like that? And you can he did? Oh my gosh, it's not gonna be me hater put like a candle in. So they get some of the reactions is so beautiful like the amount of times I've had people cry when they see the cable. They make me look like an emotional thinking about those clients that cry because they love their job so much. Yeah. Oh that is my why like bring people joy. Yeah, that are such a love language me like I love food and I love good food. And the fact that you can, you know, check off two boxes by giving them yummy food and it's always satisfying. It's such a gift. You know, that's a cool thing. Yeah. Well, it's really cool that you're doing those. What are they? Are they raw cakes?
Sirjana Singh:Yes. The
Unknown:low FODMAP diet? And like, Yeah, that's really cool. You're catering to that whole? Like GameXplain demographic? Yeah. Yeah, so I'm very passionate about fitness and health as well. And I mean, I love cake. I think cake is soul food. But also, I couldn't eat cake every day without feeling sick. Unfortunately, I tried. So I, I love how you can get a natural fruit and just make something that tastes incredible. Like that is so cool. And I never promote that side. Because what role baking for me is my creative outlet, the side thing, so I almost don't want to charge for that or don't want that to be part of my business. So I offer it, but I don't want that to be my set. Because, like, I feel like I want to do that. And then I want to put a bit of this and I want to put up a bit and I want to see with it takes me pace was in six years. I don't want someone to say, Hey, make me doesn't mean you have to make that. One, it feels like this is something big, you know, we'll be talking to you. And by the way, I have a new menu and it's frickin amazing. Yeah. You know, the truth is, there's some people in Hamilton that are doing that so well. And I love them. And I adore them. And I'm deaf friends of mine. I don't feel like they need another person doing that. I feel like I don't want to be a person that does 50 different things. Okay, I want to do one thing, and I want to do it. Amazingly. Yeah. And I feel like I was staying true to myself, if I didn't hit my finger in that time that quite a bit, right? Because my personality, I can't multitask. And I can't handle a lot of things. Well, I can only do one thing at a time. Well, so for me, like my husband was like, Karen, you should think this and you should do that. And you shouldn't make more money like this because the speaker wants to retire. No, I don't want to do that, that doesn't need to be excited about my work. I need to not do 100 of the same things I need to not. I need to have some openness and my kids to be able to create without and you know, pretty much down to battle being bored or whatever. Yeah, like this. I don't know if that they think the other Absolutely I need I need not who I'm not the thing, different things going on at once to be my be. This is the thing that's really hard as an artist to balance when you're running a business is we did an ethics, paper and design. And that was about like, as a designer, you technically the prostitute of the art world, you know, are you are you selling your creative soul for something that has to fit within like a marketing team's definition of what this is, or you know, some art directors, you you're working underneath somebody a lot of the time, or you're working for a client that has specific dreams and goals for you. And so, yeah, that was one of the first things we learned, like it was our first year and it was like, what do you consider? Where's the line between your business and your art, essentially? And how do you keep your creativity flowing? So that I still don't really know the answer is, but having those side projects, like, like you rock cakes is definitely yeah, definitely a good answer. For me,
Sirjana Singh:I think that these are two different things. Your business is successful when your art is 100. You You can express yourself as an artist 100% If you feel it, right, yeah, people feel it. There are times when you as you're building your business that you have to compromise sometimes, yeah, because everybody has a project, right? Some people immediately find their audience and some people find take time to find their audience. And so some people have to do that compromise. But I think that is the goal, right? That's the ultimate goal to be able to express yourself 100% As an artist, because that's when people will see joy in your work and things that you know, even even the offcuts look amazing because there's a story attached to it and your passion.
Unknown:Yeah. Yes, definitely. And I feel like now, that year, probably more than ever as people are coming to me Like, I've got a name for myself with 3d cakes. And people are coming to me with their ideas. And I'm passionate about it like it's getting more and more regular. But I've just built a clientele over being stubborn over the years. And true to myself, because they're nice. I do what my take. That's cool, like, but fondant is really not cool at the moment. And like butter, cream and rustic and fresh flowers and a cake, which I love. I love all of that. But my work isn't cool. Like often I'll put up a cake that took me a fraction of the time it will give way more likely than something that took 40 Because it's not bad if that gets me excited as what I do. And people come to me. Yeah, so I guess more people are coming out of sitting down even through five hours away, they'll come pick up a cake, or they'll fly from somewhere and pick up with something nice, incredible. Incredible. And so I think finally, I'm getting to do more of what I want and people are paying, happy to pay because I haven't compromised my prices either. I've been like this is it? Yeah, you know, you pay that or I don't do it. Yeah. So people are willing to pay because I think I've kept myself respect and keeps my self worth. Yeah, I haven't compromised. I think I've been negotiated with what in like the last four years with someone's been like, my, they basically it was quite funny. They said, Oh, my mum's not happy about paying them out. It's fine. You can go somewhere else soon. Because that's the price. Yeah. And then I knew it. They rang me back straightaway and said, I want you. And so people like yo, who I want I'm willing to pay there. Yeah. But the committee, but it will compromise on on that because they feel like they need the business. Yeah. But then you're just building a clientele of people that don't value your work.
Sirjana Singh:I always say branding is is a long path. But it is also essential. It's the bones of your business once you've branded yourself, right, which is figuring out what your why is, and then being able to express your why so that your audience can find you and you can find your audience. It's like an echo. What's that thing that echoes? Sonar things that location echolocation, that once you have your branding done right, you understand what your why is you are projecting that and the people who need to find you, they come to you and you figure out where they are. I always say your audience exists. You don't have to create it, they're already looking for you. They're in the arena chanting your name, you just need to know which stage you have to go to. Oh, yes, just so it's so important. It sometimes takes time. But that's where I feel so many artists struggle, because there is this need to earn money, which is understandable, truly understandable. But then there is also this requirement as a business owner, to be persistent. And practice patience, which is so essential. Yeah. Totally. And that's where if you are in a position where you have to earn money, because of whatever your financial situation is, then having those side projects is so important. So that you can keep showing up with your why and what makes you happy. And what makes you buzz, even though you're doing those other things on the side that you need to pay bills with. So So yeah, but you touched on something that I really want to talk about, which is have you noticed some obvious trends that have in the type of birthday cakes or cakes that people have been asking since 2020? So trends that are still coming through, or that have started coming through since 2020. You know, we've been all locked down and there is a an air of sadness and desperation in the air. So has there been like, have you noticed that Oh, I get these sort of cakes more since 2020.
Unknown:So pictures big buttercream and texture, layering of different teachers is huge in the moment. It's pretty sad, you'll get like a plane I take and beat you'll get like a seesaw pen and then some chips over there into the lair and submit issues and that has been huge for my kids for a while now that simply coming through and what is coming through again is people want mesh types so they want to chocolates in yada that I will type they want which is code coming up. And I've been doing this for years that it's like a chocolate shell and they get a hammer and they submission to it. So it's like you were saying like those God put a heart Yeah. And then I wrote. Yeah, like eating whatever but people they want something different. Yes.
Sirjana Singh:I know ternary has been demanding that tactile destructive happiness. Anger. Joy. Okay, so yeah, we're nearing the end of our podcast and I have oh my god, I still have so many questions, Ben. Oh, yes. Okay. Okay. Oh, all right. What do I want to ask? Okay, quickly. All right. I'm going to ask sorry, I can't edit. But I'm going to quickly question What would you say to those who are aspiring to follow in your footsteps and follow their own passion? Any pragmatic advice on business side? From your side? We'll just do it quick.
Unknown:But if we're talking cake, I would say get an audience. Before you said the counsellor would say get all certified, pay all the money and then do your pay? No, no, no. Definitely. Figure out your clientele. Figure out what you've got to offer, or what you're passionate about. Yeah. Do that on your friends and family practice, practice, even set yourself up paid in beam go seriously into it. If you like getting a little AUDIENCE Good. Go for it. Absolutely. How you going? Because, like any time with creative when you decide a job and you're getting paid for it, believe me, even if you're excited about it, it's work. It's work at the end of the day, because you can do that, whether you like it or not, because you've got a contract with someone, so he can't help you. So even if it's an exciting project, you can't help but a glimmer of the fact that you may have heard before it was paid gets a little squashed because you've got now got pressures on your shoulders. So I feel like you have to make sure that that is your passion and that you're willing to work on someone's cake two or three o'clock in the morning if you need be. Yeah. Or if you're not going to do their price that accordingly. Like don't I think people want to earn a lot of money straightaway, then good. But it's like, well, actually no. Like anything. You have to earn people you have earned that.
Sirjana Singh:Yeah. people's hands and let them know where you're coming from.
Unknown:You're building trust. Yeah. Yeah, you are. You're really building trust with your clients now. And that's why again, it's important to stay true to yourself. I'm not going to be 100 buttercream cake, and one week of the same design. That's not me. Yeah, I'm not if I did that, that would drive me mental. Yeah, I have to have lots of like, ones that I love in between. And yes, so. So just because it's cool. Doesn't mean that that's what you should do. Yeah, just because everyone wants that doesn't mean you have to say yes to everything as well. Because, yeah, sometimes you have to again, compromise and say, Okay, I've actually got to pay bills as well. So how about I do a handful of the NBN? Make sure I still get my Yeah, because there's a business that, you know, you're still gonna contribute and pay bills and whatever. Absolutely. Sure, you know, and it works out.
Sirjana Singh:I think you struck the nail on the head when you said, find your people find your audience? Because, yeah, storytelling is how as humans we have communicated all through throughout since since we found, yeah, so we've done stories. And when somebody connects with Karen from eight years ago, or 10 years ago, as she's trying out these new things, and you know, you can see that that's a passion, and this is what she does. And this is what makes us smile. And, you know, these are the cakes that she loves creating, we join you on that journey, and we become active participants in their journey. And those are your people. So okay, I said quickly, so I'll go quickly, because I really want to know this. And again, let's make this a rapid fire, in fact, which is where do you see cakes, birthday cakes, in particular, going in the future? Like, if you think about the cake industry, the birthday cake industry 50 years from now, what do you think people would be? What sort of cakes people will be eating?
Unknown:I just think things will be eliminating things will be like, harder. It'll be a whole experience. visually stimulating. Like, I just think. I don't know. Yeah, I've never thought about it. But I've got to think that things will just be it'll be like a magic show of how I think wow, you know, you'll have it'll be like an illusionist, how to get an audience like that. But I'm just thinking technology will get better and people will just do these insane things.
Sirjana Singh:I have to like, crossover
Unknown:more between engineers. I mean, you pretty much have to be an engineer thing path moving. Yeah, things like that. Like it's only gonna get more like that. It's that's a sweet dream.
Sirjana Singh:That is a sweet dream. Like okay, I am big on life. I want to live forever as long as I can I don't mind old pandas. But doesn't it make you want to hang on and have that magic show? Okay, good. Is there finally is there one myth about creativity that you would like to bust? Today? Here? Now?
Unknown:Sorry. Oh, gosh, I knew that this time and I still not prepared for. So I think that live. So I think that there are people that are born with creative creativity, I think there are certain people that have a gift, we all have gifts. So I think that creativity comes to those people naturally. But I also think that there's people that you could open up that eyes and take off the veil. And if they do that they could become creative. And maybe harder. Yeah, it may be hard, it may not come naturally. But I think with the right information, anyone can be creative. You just have to have someone that can communicate it well enough what they need to do, so what can naturally but they can be creative. So as I get in my classes over and over again,
Sirjana Singh:so there's a hope of experiencing this joy of being a creative for everyone.
Unknown:I think it manifests differently, but I think that everyone can I'm sure we can get some accountants. And rapid fire flow. I guess it comes down a little bit to like your definition of creativity. Yes. Because that's,
Sirjana Singh:that's how we started this.
Unknown:If your definition is that, like, you know, you're top of your game, and you're awesome at making this particular thing, then yeah, then there's gonna be a few people. Yeah, but I think if if creativity comes down to like, Oh, hey, I like to clean my house this way. Or like saying things? Sweet little? Yeah, exactly. Like, just just come up with ideas. Yeah, I think that cause it's what separates us from most of the animal kingdom. Hmm. It's totally okay to try and be creative and not be good at it. Yes. Have you find joy in it, then maybe you shouldn't do it. Like, there'll be something else that you find joy in? Yeah. So feeling the pressure to be creative? You know, I think creatively, creativity gets well, if it's pressure and anxiety over it. That's very true.
Sirjana Singh:Absolutely. Thank you so much for all these amazing insights into the working of Karen and these ramblings, inexplicably, beautiful cakes. Thank you so much for giving us these insights. We have so many more questions, and I think we'll have to do another episode. Because I think Ben hasn't gone through half of his questions, and I still have at least five left out of lockdown. Yeah. Yeah. You were listening really, really jealous. But let's go into the final thing on this episode, which is the rapid fire and I'm going to ask you questions. These are to be answered in a maximum of one sentence. Otherwise words Alright, let's do it. Yeah, tell us your three favourite colours. Blue blacks. Go and what are your three favourite flavours?
Unknown:I love coffee. Chocolate. Banana.
Sirjana Singh:Why did ask that? Coffee Talk to Cam Oh my gosh. Okay, stop. Stop. Are you are you a morning person or a night owl? This was not a good question. Good morning. Morning person.
Unknown:Wait, you know what, though? I think now that we have my you know, like there's there's a we're making a bit of a switch. Yeah. We have two kids kind of makes you a more. Yeah.
Sirjana Singh:What talents do you wish you had banging? Ah, interesting.
Unknown:I'm terrible. But I love the thing that I'm strangled that
Sirjana Singh:with genre of cakes do you find most fun to
Unknown:create? Realistic hyperrealism awesome.
Sirjana Singh:And what are you going to do right after this interview? I'm going to go with my kids are still alive up. Out there alone who know what's going on? Okay, we'll let you go. But finally the three qualities that got you where you are today.
Unknown:Patient.
Sirjana Singh:Such beautiful answer. Karen. It has been an amazing experience chatting with you. You are a true joy to have. Thank you so much for saying yes to this podcast. And we can't wait for another episode with you in person.
Unknown:No, go around on the creative. Yeah. Thank you guys so much for having me. With such a joy, you guys are just beautiful, talented humans. And it really is such an honour to be asked on your podcast. Our hearts
Sirjana Singh:let you go, go take care of your kids. Thank you so much once again. Yeah, we'll see you very shortly.
Unknown:Okay, so now the pot you've all been waiting for if you'd like to check out Karen's awesome work in the visual spectrum. You can find her on Instagram at Sweet little treats 93 So sweet little treats in the number 93 And you're golden. If you like today's episode, and you like what we do you'd like to support us, then please leave a comment slash review on whichever app you're listening to us on. That'd be so amazing. Thank you so much. And we'll see you guys next time. Ciao.