Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network November 2014 | Page 87

How do you remain competitive in such What advice do you have for other
an evolving industry?
decorators in business?
It’s important to keep learning, so I like
to take classes from other decorators
whose work I admire. I also try to do
new projects to test out ideas but it’s
hard to find the time lately!
You run a variety of classes, tell us a
little bit about them.
Yes, some classes are run from my
studio in Mascot (Sydney) but I also
travel to other countries around the
world. Check my website for the
latest dates. If you can’t get to class
then I sell online written tutorials with
pictures, or you can check out my
videos at Craftsy.
What do you do as a cake decorator to
keep improving your skills?
If I’m visiting another country I like to
try and book a private class with one
of the talented decorators from that
area. Everyone has a different style
and different skills to teach.
Apart from that, it’s all just practice!
When did you start your business
Sharon Wee Creations and why?
2008 is when I started, but not full
time. I wanted to do something that
appealed to my creative side without
requiring me to sit in an office all day.
What’s the best part of running a cake
business?
The best and worst part is definitely
not having a traditional 9 to 5 job. It
means I never really get a day off,
but at least I’m doing something that I
love.

Value your time and know your price! I
see a lot of new businesses who think
it’s OK to sell cheap products because
it’s a hobby, or they’re just starting,
etc. You need to charge a fair price for
the work you do so you value each and
every project.
What’s your creative process for
designing and creating a cake?
I start by talking to the client and
deciding what theme and inspiration
they have, and then produce and
show them a sketch. Once we make
changes and agree on the design I
can start work. It definitely helps to
have more information, such as colour
samples of fabric or an invitation to
match.
Where does your inspiration come
from?
Everywhere, just day to day life! But
there are a lot of cute things in toy,
stationery and homewares stores, so
sometimes they help with ideas.
The Australian Cake Decorating
Network loves your book Adorable
Cakes For All Occasions. Where did
the inspiration come from?
With my online tutorials I try to take a
very detailed, step by step approach
to explaining cake decorating. There
are a lot of books that focus on baking,
but not the nitty gritty details of how to
decorate cakes with fondant.
If you had to give one piece of advice
to a fellow cake decorator what would
it be?
Never be afraid to try. You learn the
most when you try.

"Never be afraid to try.
You learn the most
when you try."

more information