I delivered an absolutely beautiful baby shower cake this weekend and they loved the cake, but I did not love the reaction. I feel as though I work so hard on each of my cakes, paying attention to every detail and trying to create something unique. Well, I hate it when I deliver a cake and the recipient is not as excited about it as I am. I guess I expect them to jump up and down and tell me it is the best cake they have ever seen. I TAKE THAT BACK, THEY SHOULD DO A FLIPPIN CARTWHEEL. Do they understand that these cakes take HOURS- no, DAYS to complete? Do they understand that until that cake is safely at its destination, I sweat bullets and worry about it somehow getting attacked by vermin-poked with a dirty little finger, or getting in a car accident while I deliver it? THESE ARE NOT JUST CAKES! THEY ARE EDIBLE PIECES OF ART!
Do they wake up in the middle of the night calculating how many hours it will take to finish or write down an idea before settling back in bed? I feel that you CCers give the best compliments and truly appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into every cake. Thanks for letting me vent!
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU! 
No, I've never done that but no it's not just you. My husband does that, too, and he creates his own pitifulness!
When he gives a gift (at Christmas, for example) he sets a standard in his mind of how people are SUPPOSE to react. And when they open the gift and ALL THEY SAY is "Oh, wow! That's nice! Thanks!", then he wanders off to the corner, all alone, sucking his thumb, and whining about "well, I guess they didn't like it."
He expects people to jump up and down, run around the room, waiving the gift in the air, shouting out exclamations of how grand it is and how it's the BEST gift in the whol wide world and isn't (hubby) the BEST person in the WORLD for getting it!
And when that doesn't happen, he's disappointed and pitiful and full of self-pity, in a "Nobody like me, everyone hates me, guess I'll go eat worms" kind of mood.
He has actually told our 14 yr old daughter that she needs to "play it up" more when she opens a gift. I told her that was crap .... there is nothing less sincere than an insincere compliment or reaction. If someone gives you a thanks for the gift, then you have been "paid".
I tell hubby that he sets himself up for disappointment when he creates these imaginary standards in his head that NO ONE can meet. Then he gets all "whoa is me!" when no one meets those arbitrary standards he sets.
Yes, we all are dying to hear IN DETAIL what it is they love about it, but you are right ... .they have no idea how many hours or energy goes into it or what's involved. So how can you expect them to exude pounds of praise over the details they don't know exist?
Just wanted to let you know you're not alone .... other people do it, too! 
(Edited to correct a missing word)
Do they understand that these cakes take HOURS- no, DAYS to complete? Do they understand that until that cake is safely at its destination, I sweat bullets and worry about it somehow getting attacked by vermin-poked with a dirty little finger, or getting in a car accident while I deliver it? THESE ARE NOT JUST CAKES! THEY ARE EDIBLE PIECES OF ART!
Do they wake up in the middle of the night calculating how many hours it will take to finish or write down an idea before settling back in bed? I feel that you CCers give the best compliments and truly appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into every cake!
No, they don't understand what it takes to make their custom one of a kind - stayed up all night - thought about the details for weeks - made everything fresh for you - didn't cook dinner - no time for the family - has to be just right - blood sweat and tears- cakes.
Yup, those cakes are our babies but to our customers they are just cakes most of the time. I have just a handful of customers who appreciate the "art" of cake decorating and I love dropping their cakes off because I get the jaw dropped reaction! But the others, I have to say they just don't get it. But they still come back so that I guess that says something.
________________
-Rezzy
I would have done cartwheels for your cake! When I know someone worked their butt off on something I always make sure that they know how much it means to me. Here is a ((big hug)) for you.
Most people just are not like this though. They will totally love something but yet don't show it. Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves and others just choose not to at all.
For a Relay for Life Silent Auction this year I donated a cake to be made at a later date. The lady that won was so excited about having a special cake for her and her daughter's birthday. She said they've only ever had store bought cakes. I made a two tiered (12" & 10") double layered cake. She brought her daughter with her to pick it up and they said it was beautiful but I didn't hear the excitement she had on the phone previously.
They seemed happy enough but I was expecting more from her just because I had talked to her a couple of time and she seemed just thrilled. Oh well! It was still for a good cause.
Most non-cake decorators have no clue how many hours it takes to make a cake, and how much mental anguish we sometimes go through, so although you are very excited to complete a cake and would love for people to jump up and down, it just doesn't happen............although, the last tiered cake I did for a dear friend's grandma made her cry.......which was a great reaction. Most times people EXPECT that the cake will be perfect, but don't understand the artistic part of the cake decorator to get it to the point of perfection..........we here at CC understand and I am doing a cartwheel for you! That's why this site is so great.........to vent on these types of subjects and find common feelings among others!
** forgot to add that I really am doing cartwheels-- that is one absolutely gorgeous cake WOW**
I delivered an absolutely beautiful baby shower cake this weekend and they loved the cake, but I did not love the reaction. I feel as though I work so hard on each of my cakes, paying attention to every detail and trying to create something unique. Well, I hate it when I deliver a cake and the recipient is not as excited about it as I am. I guess I expect them to jump up and down and tell me it is the best cake they have ever seen. I TAKE THAT BACK, THEY SHOULD DO A FLIPPIN CARTWHEEL. Do they understand that these cakes take HOURS- no, DAYS to complete? Do they understand that until that cake is safely at its destination, I sweat bullets and worry about it somehow getting attacked by vermin-poked with a dirty little finger, or getting in a car accident while I deliver it? THESE ARE NOT JUST CAKES! THEY ARE EDIBLE PIECES OF ART!
Do they wake up in the middle of the night calculating how many hours it will take to finish or write down an idea before settling back in bed? I feel that you CCers give the best compliments and truly appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into every cake. Thanks for letting me vent!
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!
Dont be so hard on your self some people are just plain DUMB I did one wedding cake and we were starting to ice the cake had not even smooth it yet she thought that was the way is was going to look, then she found a extra cake we brought in case something happene to the top tier, she said is this suppose to go on the cake , all she had to do was look and she would have seen it was tall enough if we had added it the top would have been 9inc tall oh well, they dont have any clue what you have to do to get this cake done, Believe me there are some strange people here , in the world that is all of us here on CC are soooo cooool
I guess it must be that people know what they are getting when they get one of my cakes. and I have confidence in my cakes, so that is all that matters, but I just feel the air come out of my tires when I have built up the reaction in my mind and all they say is, "Wow, that is great."
I did just get invited to make a cake for this abnormal baby shower extravaganza my town does. When you have your first baby, the whole town throws you a baby shower- about 80 women total and each one is in charge of a different task. I was asked to do the cake- which is a huge honor and great exposure. They actually do the shower in shifts because there will be hundreds of people there. So, I guess that is a metaphorical cartwheel, eh?
Think about it this way though...when we go to a nice restaurant...do we exclaim and do cartwheels at our food? Some of those chefs put just as much work into our food as we do into cakes.
What about when we get our hair done? I don't squeal with excitement, but i do let my stylist know how much I like it.
I think we need to realize that many people put huge amounts of work and effort into their jobs and careers , but very rarely get a "cartwheel reaction" for it.
If you love what you do and you are happy doing it, then other people's reactions should be your motivation. Plus, you said in your post that they loved it...isn't that good?
You are right, it should be good enough. In my life before cakes, I was an architect/designer, so I guess I am used to bigger reactions, but a cake is not something they will have forever. Don't get me wrong, I am not down on myself, I just wasn't sure if this happens to all of you.
I delivered an absolutely beautiful baby shower cake this weekend and they loved the cake, but I did not love the reaction. I feel as though I work so hard on each of my cakes, paying attention to every detail and trying to create something unique. Well, I hate it when I deliver a cake and the recipient is not as excited about it as I am. I guess I expect them to jump up and down and tell me it is the best cake they have ever seen. I TAKE THAT BACK, THEY SHOULD DO A FLIPPIN CARTWHEEL. Do they understand that these cakes take HOURS- no, DAYS to complete? Do they understand that until that cake is safely at its destination, I sweat bullets and worry about it somehow getting attacked by vermin-poked with a dirty little finger, or getting in a car accident while I deliver it? THESE ARE NOT JUST CAKES! THEY ARE EDIBLE PIECES OF ART!
Do they wake up in the middle of the night calculating how many hours it will take to finish or write down an idea before settling back in bed? I feel that you CCers give the best compliments and truly appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into every cake. Thanks for letting me vent!
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!
To me, if I were making cakes for the reaction I get from people, I would question my motivation. If I am selling cakes, I don't care what the reaction is as long as I get paid. If I am giving it as a gift, then it is about the RECEIVER'S feelings, not the GIVER'S feelings. And if making cakes causes any type of unhappiness for me, I wouldn't do it. Sometimes you just need to put the cake on the table and walk away. It is a cake. Just a cake. not worth hurt feelings on anyone's part.
Ok- I feel like i was just attacked. I really was mostly joking with this post. I don't feel that my motivation is to get patted on the back- geez. The question was, does this happen to you. Not to mention, I mostly do them for the art of it and just started selling cakes, so I posted out of curiosity. No need to be rude.
To me, if I were making cakes for the reaction I get from people, I would question my motivation. If I am selling cakes, I don't care what the reaction is as long as I get paid. If I am giving it as a gift, then it is about the RECEIVER'S feelings, not the GIVER'S feelings. And if making cakes causes any type of unhappiness for me, I wouldn't do it. Sometimes you just need to put the cake on the table and walk away. It is a cake. Just a cake. not worth hurt feelings on anyone's part.
I disagree! If it were so, this site wouldn't exist, cake contests wouldn't exist, no need for cake displays etc. It is about the receivers feeling. That's exactly the point! We put our heart and soul into the cake for the receiver, and when they are not excited....it's disappointing. Like you fell short. We do cake to make people happy and excited. If it was all about us (givers), then we wouldn't care! What would be the point?
To all of you cakers..Here ya go!
Yeah, that is what we are all here for- to tell you how wonderful and beautiful your cake really is! We all understand how much time and effort it takes.
I have an MIL who is the same way. I was saying how I wanted to open a business at some point in the future (wayyy in the future) and she was slightly belittleing about it- mostly in the tone of voice, like she was making fun of me. Then I made a cake for my SIL's baby shower and the aunts came and were amazed at it and one insisted that I needed to do it for money. I'm not actually at that point yet, but it felt nice to have the validation. And MIL was a little less antagonistic after that.
Ok- I feel like i was just attacked. I really was mostly joking with this post. I don't feel that my motivation is to get patted on the back- geez. The question was, does this happen to you. Not to mention, I mostly do them for the art of it and just started selling cakes, so I posted out of curiosity. No need to be rude.
My apologies - that wasn't my intent. I specifically worded this as "I' not "you" for that very reason. It wasn't intended as an attack and I'm sorry you perceived it that way. I - personally - don't care about reaction. I'm not saying that is how YOU should feel. If you do it for your own personal satisfaction, that's great - but then that's where I get to the "well, who cares what they think" part. If you like it, that's enough.
And I truly do believe that there are people who get too emotionally attached to cake. I like doing this just as much as the next person, but the day I cry or fret over a cake is the last day I work on them. Again, my opinion.
Things posted in a public forum will get commented on by, well, the public. We aren't always going to agree, and I think we mostly recognize that intent of a post isn't always what comes out since it is hard to read emotion in this type of environment. So again - I wasn't intending an attack of any sort - just giving my own perspective. I hope you do take it as such.
Think about it this way though...when we go to a nice restaurant...do we exclaim and do cartwheels at our food? Some of those chefs put just as much work into our food as we do into cakes.
What about when we get our hair done? I don't squeal with excitement, but i do let my stylist know how much I like it.
I think we need to realize that many people put huge amounts of work and effort into their jobs and careers , but very rarely get a "cartwheel reaction" for it.
If you love what you do and you are happy doing it, then other people's reactions should be your motivation. Plus, you said in your post that they loved it...isn't that good?
ok...I have to say I sadly never thought about it this way....makes TOTAL sense....BUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTt I have to admit I'm a HUGE comment wh*re! I LOVE comments!!
but...thats why i come here!!! 
I learned from my kids who can watch every step of the process, who get ignored when I make a cake (j/k), who have to eat Mcdonalds because dont any one of them dare come near this kitchen while Im making a cake!! but every cake they stand there waiting and waiting...and when its finished they say " oh cool" then run off 
and I'll be left standing think...(well now, they dont like their heads attached to their little bodies!!!), but it never fails that 10 min later or a week later I hear them talking about the cake
I wish that I could say I've gotten over wanting big hoorays...., but there are times I still do...those moments I come here 
...and even then I feel sometimes like I need to put them out on the corner to get more attention
To me, if I were making cakes for the reaction I get from people, I would question my motivation. If I am selling cakes, I don't care what the reaction is as long as I get paid. If I am giving it as a gift, then it is about the RECEIVER'S feelings, not the GIVER'S feelings. And if making cakes causes any type of unhappiness for me, I wouldn't do it. Sometimes you just need to put the cake on the table and walk away. It is a cake. Just a cake. not worth hurt feelings on anyone's part.
maybe not for you....but for me... if I felt or thought ever "its a cake, just a cake" Id find myself getting burnt out fast....I'd think whats the point....im not out to do factory cakes, if I was then yes Id think its all about the money....but for me and I imagine many decorators whether its for a friend or not my heart still goes into it
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