The funny thing is, none of those creative phases felt fake at the time. Every version of my work reflected who I was creatively in that moment. The styles changed because I changed. My interests shifted, my confidence grew and naturally my work evolved alongside that. Some things excited me deeply for years, until one day they just didn’ t anymore. And I think that’ s the part we don’ t talk about enough as creatives.
There can be a strange guilt attached to changing direction. Like you’ re abandoning the thing people knew you for and you worry you’ ll upset your audience and customers. Or maybe you worry that moving on means you somehow failed at the last thing. Or maybe you keep creating work that no longer excites you simply because it performs well online.
I think a lot of creatives outgrow things privately long before they admit it publicly. The online world can make us feel like we need to package ourselves as‘ the vintage buttercream artist’ or‘ the children’ s cake maker’. And while I genuinely think niches and recognisable styles are important, in the same breath I think creativity is naturally messy. Humans are messy. We collect new interests, experiences and influences as we move through life, and eventually our work begins reflecting that too.
I think sometimes we forget we’ re also allowed to be a mix of things at once. Even though realistic food cakes have become a huge part of my creative identity, I still genuinely enjoy creating the occasional celebration cake, just because I want to. Not every creative project needs to perfectly align, and I think there’ s something really freeing in allowing ourselves to enjoy things without overthinking where they‘ fit’.
Sometimes the evolution happens intentionally- I know my jump into realistic food cakes was intentional and part of an attempt to find‘ my purpose’( which feels cheesy to say now), and I fell in love with it. Other times, change just happens a little more subtly- you slowly realise you’ re no longer inspired by the work you once loved creating. Or you feel pulled towards something new, even if it makes no logical sense for your brand.