September was an incredible month at Acceptd. Since August, we've added thousands of opportunities, we've been circulating our awesome Career Guide, everyone is back to school, and we've been uncovering true stories about Careers in the Arts from real artists from all across the country.
So far in our Careers in the Arts interview series, we've spoken to a Freelance Musician and Voice Coach, a Performer and Assistant Producer of Events at Circus Picnic, and a TV Writer, Stand-up Comedian and TV Actor. While all of these artists are part sof larger creative teams in their various roles, they all share something in common: independent drive to achieve. No one picked them out of the crowd, and said, "Hey- you. Ya, you. Come up here. Here is your dream job, I thought you would like to do this for your career." No-it just doesn't work that way. You have to know what you want, then take action to get what you want. Each of these amazing artists forged ahead, despite all odds, to achieve their dreams themselves. And they're not done yet! These working artists are constantly hustling.
For our last interview in this series today, we're excited to share Shanna Banks' story with you. A successful cake artist and self-starting entrepreneur, she is one of the cheeriest, most driven people we've come across. Shanna hasn't let anything stop her from achieving her goals and sharing her art. Challenges are just part of life's recipe, and Shanna is an incredibly imaginative baker.
Acceptd: Can you describe what it is that you do?
Shanna Banks: I am a cake artist! I started out as a hobby baker, just something I did out of boredom, to be honest. I tried out a strawberry cake that I'd never made before for a pot-luck at my full-time job at a call center. Everyone loved the cake, and they eventually start asking me to bring more in, and would even give me money! I started making a schedule and wanted to make cakes all the time.
My cakes were delicious, but pretty ugly, so I started to look up YouTube videos on how to decorate them so they'd look nice too. I used to be very bored so it filled my time! I would research different flavors then would look up some YouTube videos on how to decorate them, and I became passionate and well.. obsessed with the craft pretty much.
A million YouTube videos later, I am now doing tiered cakes, wedding cakes, sculpted cakes, gourmet dessert cakes, and lots more! My company is called Love Meets Cake. I have an LLC.
Acceptd: That's really cool you were able to teach yourself! How did you come up with the name for your company?
Shanna: When I started baking it took my mind off of negative thoughts and to be honest, some depression I was suffering from. I wasn't happy in life, but I learned to love myself through the art of cakes. In a way I feel like cakes saved me, so I named my business Love Meets Cake, because I learned to love myself through cake art.
Acceptd: That's incredible, and wonderful to hear. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Shanna: I first went to school for marketing, for some reason I expected to be a marketing executive. I didn't expect that this would be my job. I always expected to end up working in an office setting, but I do cakes because I love it, and it makes me feel alive.
Acceptd: It's great that you're following your passions! And would you say there is a "traditional path" when it comes to cake art? And would you say your path has been traditional?
Shanna: I don't know if there's any one way, but I never did any culinary schooling. I think that's pretty non-traditional. I am self-taught, pretty much, by watching online tutorials.
Whenever I finished a cake, I would post a pic on Facebook, to promote it. Slowly people started asking if I could make them a cake. I’ve been doing this for 5 years now, and in the past year it has become my full-time job.
Acceptd: Sharing and creating your passions full-time really a great achievement in itself. What is your proudest achievement in your "caking" career?
Shanna: I had a cake that went viral. It hit about 1.5 million views, so I am pretty proud of that. I am now hoping to be on Food Network one day!
https://www.facebook.com/566323880049128/videos/1713551068659731/
Acceptd: That's a lot of views! And five years in, what advice do you have for young artists?
Shanna:
Don’t compare yourself to other artists.
The first couple years that I was a baker, I was trying to keep up with everything they were doing and was feeling bad about myself.
Comparison is the quickest way to defeat yourself. I decided to not focus on them but to focus on just improving my work and growing, developing new skills.
Even if I was still behind everybody else, the only thing that mattered was that I was growing, instead of remaining complacent. It is always my goal to just learn new techniques and I think that is what has set me apart: I am always willing to learn, always willing to grow.
Acceptd: Great advice. Has there been someone influential on your career?
Shanna: Cake Boss!!!!
Acceptd: Very cool, that's a great TV show. Something we always like to ask real artists is what you think about the risk vs reward when it comes to pursuing a career in the arts?
Shanna: Well, there is always risk to anything. There is risk in the money not always being consistent. There are times when it is rolling in, and times when it isn’t.
But the reward is the freedom; the self-fulfillment. The fact that you are living doing something you are passionate about instead of something you are miserable doing every day.
Acceptd: So, so true. To wrap it up, do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share?
Shanna: I have a lot of favorites, but there is one that popped up on my Facebook timeline the very day I lost my job and decided to just do cakes full-time, so that seems fitting:
“You can get fired from a job, but you can’t get fired from your gift. So find your gift and you will always have work.” -Anonymous
______
Follow along with Shanna on Facebook at Love Meets Cake and on Instagram at @miss_shanna_boo.
