i might be overreacting from fatigueness(super busy week)..i have this return client who has been a good customer..the problem is..she looks on the internet for a cake and sends it to me and says i want it replicated exactly like the picture..meaning dont put your own ideas on it..i always do it for her and she has ordered like 6 cakes from me already so ive always been able to come through..im not uncomfortable with it but this last time she sent me a pic i simply said well maybe we can add this or that since its for your dad and he is into it..she said .NO..i want the cake to look the way this cake artist did it..it seems to me she doesnt trust my ideas or even want me to think..i look at cake as art and dont know how to feel about her not really wanting my ideas..she basically wants me to copy others..and i hate it when she calls me and says i will be looking for a new cake on the internet just please save this date for my cake order instead of asking me for my ideas..ugh..just venting..my hubby says shes paying you..just do it and dont complain..lol

Clearly it depends on why you are doing this--if it's for income do it.
If it's for artistic expression then she's not a good fit with you.

I don't have a problem with replicating if that's what someone wants.

But no don't be offended--it ain't easy to replicate someone else's work--you're really really good if Miss PickyPants keeps calling you. You gotta be doing a good job if a control freak buys that much from you. Feel congratulated. And try & get some rest.

offended because someone believes you can re-create ANY photo that she sends your way? I'm sorry .... I'm really confused on what's the "offended" part?

LOL..ive come to the conclusion im looking at it all wrong..hahha..yall are right! im going to blame that silliness on fatigueness..think ill just go have a coke and smile now..thanks!!lol

It also could be she has no creativity in her and has to see it ALL done to visualize the cake. Its not that she doesn't trust you SHE has the creativity block. I know people that are that way.

Most cake civilians cannot see beyond the picture that they give you and get scared to change the design. For those customers, I just take the picture and recreate for them. For those that give me free reign..I say yeehaw!

Odd woman out here. Yes, I'd be offended. I advertise myself as a cake designer, not a baker and certainly not "the cake lady." I have actually told brides who come to a wedding show with a picture they want copied exactly, and refuse to even *consider* a custom designed cake (which does not cost any extra), "Then you don't really need me. Any bakery can help you."

Snooty? Whatever.

I am convinced that she has complete faith in you - that you can do anything.
I am impressed, lucky you!

I see nothing wrong with it at all. Just use other orders to use your own creativiity on! I agree with the above posters that say it isn't easy to replicate another cake - she obviously trusts that you can.

I'm with your hubby. If you don't want to do it, don't. But as long as someone is paying me, I'll make whatever cake they want.

Having been a bride that took in a photo of exactly what I wanted and getting something that was pretty close I can say that most brides are the same. A bride sees a photo of a cake and if that's what she wants as long as she is willing to pay for it I would do it. For brides it's a special day and they have something certain in their mind they want to definitely see what they asked for.

One of my dear friends is getting married and she sent me a picture of a wedding cake she liked. When I googled her colour scheme it was the first and most popular cake photo for that category on google images. I'm not offended, I plan on doing up a dummy to show her and then doing one I would like to try and see what she chooses. Either way it's her choice.

I'm sure you have tons of clients that like something you create. If I had shown my design to a cake decorator and they said, "I don't do other peoples work" I would have simply just moved on to someone that would do what I wanted or gave me an alternative suggestion like, "Would you mind seeing a sketch of an idea I have based on your picture/theme?" rather than just shut me down with a snooty response.

I think I know where you are coming from. I've had more people look at me and say something along the lines of "wow, you could just make a whole career out of that one design!" and then I point out that A: that would bore me to pieces doing the same design over and over again and B: I'm an artist, I'd rather be creating my own new work, not recreating the same thing already done. Now I know there's nothing new under the sun and that everything I do has been done before so it's not like I'm creating anything truly new but it has my touch to it, every single time.

What I do with clients is take the photos they have given me then sketch out 3-5 designs of my own for them to look at. We work it down from there to one final design. I point out that what I want to do is create a one of a kind centerpiece for their event, something as unique as they are, something that will not be seen on anyone else's table. In collectors lingo, a "One Off".

I think it's miles too late to do that with this client tho so you'll have to either walk away from her or keep doing the copy work and not expecting more. BUT, since it doesn't sound like you like doing copy work I would learn from this experience so that this doesn't happen again.

Cat

I don't think it's snooty to diplomatically draw your boundaries and do what you want to do with your own business.

My brain fries quicker when I'm designing/customizing everything. I often make the stands too which eats up some more of the precious few viable brain cells that remain.

I like input, but I usually say something like, "Are we talking exactly or can I do my version of that picture." Either way is ok for me. But then again if they don't order the exact same size of everything they need to understand it's not gonna look like that picture either. So many variables.