A cake artist journey.
1) After buying your first set of starter tips, you star-tip a character cake and think Hey! I'm pretty good at this. I could sell these cakes to my friends, family, neighbors, clergy, co-workers, doctor, dentist and everyone else. Why, I could be making millions in a year!
2) Start promoting yourself and the pictures of those star tipped cakes to everyone who will listen. Put business cards on every car windshield, mailbox, community bulletin board. Smile about all the orders you will soon be getting!
3) Sign on to Internet looking for cake ideas. Find the best site ever- Cake Central! Start looking at cake photos. Watch your big ol' smile slowly drop to a frown mixed with a bit of fear as you browse photos by the all-star talents at Cake Central.
4) Re-think the star-tipped cake portfolio you created. Rethink the business cards. Wonder if you are cut out for this.
5) Start reading posts about all kinds of know-how. Find out you can do this, after some patience, practice, more practice, and even more practice. Take a deep breath, slow things down and regroup.
6) While regrouping and trying to get back on track, find out you can't have a licensed kitchen in your State without doing A, B, and C. (fill in the blank with what ever requirements you find out you need)
7) Find out that A, B and C are going to cost a small fortune. At the same time, find out that you have been undercharging your cakes so much, you have been paying others to let you do them!
8. Drop the idea of a licensed kitchen. Decide to open a bakery.
9) Find out about the business of owning a bakery, including the $10,000 mop bucket you MUST own to be successful.
10) Decide you can't afford the mop bucket on what you are currently making on cakes.
11) Get a call regarding your cakes. Customer specifically wants a Nemo cake. Go to message boards for help on design.
12) Find out that selling licensed character cakes could result in jail time, fines and possibly having to give up your first born.
13) Consider doing licensed cake anyway.
14) Look at first born child and realize you love them to much to take the risk. Call customer back and explain licensed cakes cannot be done.
15) Read books on cakes. Watch how to videos on cakes. Read Cake Central recipes, tutorials. Ask questions. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Go way, way beyond the star tipped decor. Find out about all the decorating options and embrace each as an exciting opportunity - learning as much as you can about it.
16) Start looking into how to get a licensed kitchen. In the meantime, do cakes for friends and family as gifts to get more and more practice.
17) Decide the photos on Cake Central are inspiring. Instead of being intimidated by them, aspire to be as good as the talented decorators, doing as they did - diligence and hard work.
18. Make "cake friends" who you can connect with, share inspirations, disappointments and goals with so you can encourage one another.
19) Find your own unique style of doing custom cakes. Don't be afraid to express yourself or take the risks associated with going outside of the box.
20) Always, always, always extend the same kindness to those new to cake decorating the same way the pros extended their kindness and expertise to you way back when you were at #1 on this list.
21) Keep going. Never, ever quit. When you succeed, rejoice and be proud. When you fail, learn from it and keep going.
22) Don't ever let anyone discourage you from pursuing your passion, your dreams. Surround yourself with people who can honestly encourage you to perservere.
23) Daydream about your success. Listen to your favorite music while working or other things that keep you inspired.
24) Always do the best you can under every possible circumstance.
25) Realize, that what ever it is you want, where ever it is you want to go, you are worth it. You can do it.
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HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!
Reminds me of when I found CC! I said to my husband in the most serious tone: "I have NO talent..."
Thanks for the laugh 
Are we all living the same life??? OP, don't know how talented you are at cakes (no photos) but your writing is gold!!! What a wonderful, (painfully true) piece of writing! Thank you .
Thanks so much! Great post.
So I can't make the character cake I have planned for next week? Looked at my second born after he grabbed a dozen eggs off the counter and they all came crashing down and decided to take the risk!! LAUGH!!
Wow! Thank you so much for so many kind compliments. I had been thinking about it for awhile and finally decided to write it out. I've loved every part of my cake journey, and look forward to the next step. Thanks to all here who help us along the way!
This is absolutely beautiful and so true. I actually printed a copy to keep in my cake order book. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Amy, this is one of the best CC posts ever. Thank you!
Thank you for all the kind comments. I love that my journey is the same as all the talented people here ! Makes me think I may actually be good at this one day! 
And isn't it great that we're not on this journey alone????
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