Welcome Home... an Inspiration
A brand new blog! Well, not exactly new, but a new home. Sugar Couture Cakes and Blog are now both under one roof. Easier to find, easier to manage and it looks just like it should. I couldn’t be happier!
And what better to talk about for this semi-inaugural post, than inspiration. At some point during every class I teach, someone tells me, with a certain authority, that they are not creative. And this shocks me every time. Creativity is built into our DNA. It’s a survival tool, mentally and physically. Every little detail we figure out to make our days easier, fuller, happier, is an unrecognized creative endeavor. Rather than a special talent, creativity is a muscle, and inspiration is its exercise.
I have a policy of not copying other’s cakes. I avoid this for so many reasons… I’m not the original creator, so my cake would never look like an exact replica anyway. Something made for someone else, is not something special just for you, and you are the real inspiration. So when a client comes for consultation, I ask that they don’t bring photos of other cakes. Once its out there, its so hard to move away from a beautiful design and create something new. But that doesn’t mean inspiration is limited… instead, it opens the door for it to be pulled from absolutely anywhere.
When you’re thinking of your cake, especially your wedding cake, the inspiration should come from the hundreds of little choices you’ve already made. There is delicious detail in the dress, colors, flowers, invites, not to mention your personal style, a special secret between the two of you…. Almost anything. Of course its great to look at cake photos… it will help you figure out what you like, and don’t like and be a great starting point for a cake conversation. But they can also be limiting, as though that is all that is available to you. When I started making cakes, of course I looked at and was inspired by other cakes, but while so many of them were beautiful, I didn’t find myself in them. So I stared looking everywhere else.
Once you open your eyes to the constant inspiration all around you every day, its impossible not to find it. It’s a way of looking at the world, and it makes the beauty shine a bit brighter in everything you see. Its in the wrought iron of a beautiful railing, in the leaves of the trees, in the contrasting pattern and texture of a strangers outfit.
This cake is all about the inspiration. Chris came to me for a cake for his partner's birthday. He didn't know what he wanted exactly, but he knew his partner liked Paris, Art Nouveau, Antonio Gaudi, and science fiction. As we brainstormed together, we thought of Jules Verne. As the process continued it came out that the guest of honor had also studied film in Paris.... and then it all came together for me. It made me think of one of the very first films made. A French film called A Trip to the Moon, and it wrapped up Paris, Science Fiction and Jules Verne, and easily hinted at the Gaudi.
All of this inspiration culminated into this sketch... And after a bit more client consultation, this sketch became this cake... If there is one thing I've truly learned over the years of making cakes, is to trust the creative inspiration. It may not take you where you expect, but it will get you there and what a great ride it will be.
The design process has a lot of back and forth, give an take that has a few false starts, lots of nos, many yeses, and finally together we stumble onto your cake. My favorite part of a wedding cake consultation is when I hold up the photo and say, is this your cake? And it is. And we both know it. It’s yours, and no one else’s.So when you’re dreaming up your wedding or party, think less about what has been done before, and more about all the things you love. As you focus on that, it all becomes clear.