Cake Artist Natalie Sideserf: Five Things You Need to Create a Highly Successful Career as an Artist
…Another key aspect is to not obsess over every little detail. It’s OK to make mistakes, move on, and create something new. One of the great things about working with cake, in my case, is that I can move on so quickly with my work. I used to spend months on a painting, but now, considering the medium only lasts a couple of days, I’ve learned to just get it done and keep creating. So, the idea of not being too hard on yourself is really important…
I had the pleasure of talking to Natalie Sideserf. Natalie, a pioneering cake artist known for her hyper-realistic edible creations, has carved a unique niche in the culinary world with her innovative approach to cake design. Born on January 7, 1985, in Brunswick, Ohio, Sideserf has transcended the traditional boundaries of cake decoration, blending her fine arts education with culinary artistry to produce works that are as visually stunning as they are edible.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in painting from The Ohio State University, Sideserf’s artistic journey took a novel turn when she ventured into the world of cake sculpting. Her work challenges the conventional perceptions of cake, transforming it into lifelike sculptures of animals, celebrities, and even gory depictions that captivate both the art and culinary worlds.
Sideserf’s breakthrough came with her Willie Nelson cake, a bust that not only won accolades at a competition in Austin, Texas, but also virally spread across the internet, establishing her as a formidable talent in the cake art sphere. This creation marked a significant pivot in her career, showcasing her ability to meld her sculpting skills with baking, thereby pioneering a new genre of cake art.
The artist’s relocation to Austin, Texas, with her husband and business partner, Dave Sideserf, was a strategic move that further propelled her career. Together, they founded Sideserf Cake Studio, distinguishing it as the first “Cake Studio” — a term they coined to emphasize the artistic aspect of cake decorating. Their work has since garnered national attention, attracting clients ranging from local festivals like SXSW to celebrities and major corporations, illustrating the broad appeal and versatility of their creations.
Sideserf’s influence extends beyond her studio. She and Dave starred in the Food Network’s “Texas Cake House,” offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process and the intricacies of running a business that blurs the lines between art and culinary craftsmanship. Her appearances on other television shows, including “Nailed It” and “Duff Till Dawn,” and collaborations with figures such as Duff Goldman, further underscore her status as a leading figure in her field.
Beyond television, Sideserf has made significant contributions to educational content, sharing her knowledge and techniques through a YouTube channel. This platform not only showcases her talent but also serves as an educational resource for aspiring cake artists, demonstrating her commitment to fostering a community of creativity and innovation.
As Sideserf anticipates the birth of her first child, she continues to expand her creative and entrepreneurial endeavors. With the launch of new products such as edible clay, she is poised to influence a new generation of artists and bakers, blending family life with her passion for art and baking.
Natalie Sideserf’s journey from an art student with a love for sculpting to a celebrated cake artist and business owner is a testament to the power of innovation, creativity, and hard work. Her ability to transform cakes into astonishing works of art has not only captivated millions of followers across social media but has also set a new standard in the art of cake decorating. As she looks to the future, Sideserf’s contributions to both the art and culinary worlds are sure to continue inspiring and delighting audiences around the globe.
It’s a delight and an honor to meet you. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Sure. I grew up just south of Cleveland, Ohio, and have been in Texas for about 12 years now, though I spent the rest of my life in Ohio. From a young age, I was really interested in art, and my family recognized early on that I had some talent. I’ve been doing art since I was a kid, and this passion continued all through college. I attended Ohio State, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art, specializing in hyperrealistic art. This discipline fascinated me, especially the traditional media artists used to create sculptures out of various materials. After graduating, a friend asked me to make a cake in the shape of a cow skull. Despite having no prior experience, I took on the challenge around 2010, and it sparked a profound interest in using cake as a medium.
Following our move to Texas in 2011, I began working in bakeries to learn as much as I could about different materials used in cake decorating, with the aim of teaching myself how to make hyperrealistic cakes. Drawing on my art background, I aimed to create still-life cakes that were as realistic as possible, including bust cakes of humans. This venture into cake art is directly related to traditional art concepts, where I try to recreate these ideas in cake form. Since then, I’ve been constantly learning and experimenting, starting a YouTube channel in 2018 to share my experiments with cake, which allowed me to try out various materials like gelatin, chocolate, and sugar without the pressure of working for a customer. This platform has been invaluable for learning and honing my craft in making realistic cakes.
That’s unbelievable. You probably have fascinating stories about people’s reactions to the cakes. Could you share a recollection of the most interesting and humorous story so far in your career?
The cake that really kicked off Sideserf Cake Studio and made me realize I was onto something people would find interesting was a cake that went viral for the first time. It was a bust cake of Willie Nelson made for a local cake competition in Austin in 2012. Willie Nelson is very popular here in Austin and in general. I wanted to see if I could make a realistic bust cake. After doing a lot of research online and finding many people saying it wasn’t possible, I decided to give it a try anyway. I sent a photo of the finished cake to my brother, who lives in Tokyo. He put it on Reddit, and by the next morning, it was the number one submission on the front page. At that time, I wasn’t really posting my cakes online, so when that one blew up, it was a surprise. The Willie Nelson cake was everywhere on the internet, and everyone at the cake show was congratulating me because they had all seen it online that morning. It was an exciting experience that confirmed I was on to something. I’ve had quite a few cakes go viral since then. It’s funny because initially, people would question who would ever want to eat a realistic cake. But as I’ve continued making them and people have become more familiar with the concept, the perception has shifted from skepticism to excitement, with many now wanting their own custom cakes inspired by my work. It’s interesting to see the transition from “Who would ever want to eat that?” to “I want that.”
It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from it?
You know what? I’ve made so many mistakes. I have one. I wish I had a photo of this, but I don’t because I was so embarrassed. So, I make bust cakes of humans, and one of the big things about making a bust cake of a person that people know, and not just a generic person, is that if you get something wrong, people really recognize it, and it just gets a really negative response. So, you’re hand sculpting this cake, and you only have a few days to get it done because it’s cake; it’s very temporary. At one point, I tried to make a cake of Steve Buscemi. He was very popular, and there were a lot of memes about him at the time, years ago. When I made the cake of him, I just kept trying and trying, and it just was not turning out. It looked so awkward and uncomfortable. It makes me laugh because I was so embarrassed at the time. Now, I would totally take a picture of it and put it online, but at the time, I was like, “Oh my, this is so embarrassing. I can’t show anybody this.” So, I don’t have a photo of it, and I’m so sad I don’t because that cake was just hilarious. It’s not that it was the worst cake ever, but it definitely looked like a weird version of him.
That’s great. Amazing. Is there a person who made a profound impact on your professional life? And if there is, could you share a story about that person?
This might sound a little cheesy, but my husband has made a significant impression on me professionally. We got married in 2013, and at the time, he was a director at a tech company. What was really cool about that was he was able to earn enough money to allow me to dive into cake decorating and learn more about it. There were many years when I was trying something new, and not everyone was into it yet, so I wasn’t making enough money or finding enough success. But what was great was that he always encouraged me. He has this “sky’s the limit” attitude, believing you can do anything with a very positive outlook. Before we were together, I was a bit hesitant and insecure. When I messed up, like with the Steve Buscemi cake, I would take it really to heart and feel deeply embarrassed. However, once I met Dave — my husband — his attitude rubbed off on me. His belief that it’s okay to make mistakes and that you can achieve anything seriously impacted me. I know it sounds cheesy because he’s my husband, but he has truly impacted me. He now works with me, which is fantastic. He left his job at the tech company around 2016 to focus on starting a YouTube channel and enhancing our social media presence. Working together brought its challenges at first, but it turned out to be the best decision. We complement each other well, with me focusing on the creative side and him on the business aspects. He’s been a really positive influence in my life.
It’s amazing. It’s not cheesy at all. It’s actually very heartwarming and beautiful. Sadly, you still hear that too much.
Yeah, and really, it’s just so great that you want to be around people, whether it’s your husband, your family, or your friends. You want to be with those who are really supportive. So, I try to do that even with friendships and everything now, too. But you kind of have to learn that, which is kind of wild, but it’s amazing.
So I hear that you’re expecting a baby.
So, the end of March is coming up, actually. But yeah, I’m excited. I am pregnant. We’re super excited. At first, we were a little nervous, but now we’re just super excited. For some reason, we convinced ourselves we were going to have a boy. I don’t know why; I think we just got it in our heads. And then, we found out it’s a girl. And I’m like, “Oh, this is going to be a totally different experience.” I imagine it’s a totally different experience, boys versus girls.
Yeah, okay, wonderful. So, can you share with our readers any exciting new projects you’re working on now? You have so many creative things happening, but what’s coming up? What should we be looking forward to?
You know, we just launched a brand new website. Sideserfcakes.com. We’re super excited about it. And we have a brand new line of merchandise, which is really exciting, too. But we’re also working on putting out what I call edible clay. I think it’s just the perfect description. It has the texture and feel of clay, but it is literally edible and tastes like chocolate. It’s really delicious. So, we’re going to put that out. And what’s cool about it is I use it in almost all my cakes. So, you can see what you can do with it. You can make these really elaborate cake sculptures. But it’s also friendly enough that I feel like kids can use it. So, if kids want to kind of mess with it and just, you know, create almost like Play-Doh, you’re creating all these little sculptures. So, it’s kind of like everybody can give it a try. And then, of course, playing with your food is fun and then you can eat it.
That’s great. So creative. Was that your idea?
You know what? It’s been around. There are different kinds and different brands and everything. It is modeling chocolate. I’ve been using it for a long time. And basically, the reason that I want to put it out is because so many people get really excited. They watch my YouTube channel and a lot of my YouTube channel is about cake, of course, but it’s also about the idea of being creative. And so it’s exciting because it’s the first product that I’m going to have that I can actually say, “Alright, encourage people to create with this thing.” I talk about it all the time and people want to create whether it’s edible or not. I’m just all about the idea of creating things and getting really into art. So, I think this is a really exciting product for us.
OK, this is our signature question that we ask in all of our interviews. You’re very blessed to have made a successful career out of being an artist. The cliché of a starving artist exists, but you’ve managed to break through that and create a very successful career with your art. Can you share with our readers five things you need to create a successful career as an artist?
Oh, OK, this is good. That’s a good question.
- One of the things that I already mentioned, but it’s very important for anyone wanting a career in the arts, is to surround yourself with people who are super positive and also creative. Being around other creatives allows you to bounce ideas off each other, which is incredibly valuable.
- Another key aspect is to not obsess over every little detail. It’s OK to make mistakes, move on, and create something new. One of the great things about working with cake, in my case, is that I can move on so quickly with my work. I used to spend months on a painting, but now, considering the medium only lasts a couple of days, I’ve learned to just get it done and keep creating. So, the idea of not being too hard on yourself is really important.
- Also the idea of putting out a ton of work. I know some projects take much longer than others, but really, if you can push to produce more work, the actual quantity becomes especially important given the situation like being online where everything is about volume. So, if you’re able to put out quality work but at a high volume, getting that balance just right is tough but very important. And you learn more that way, too.
- I would say experimenting with different things until you find something that really works is key. I didn’t always work with cake; sometimes I painted, sometimes I used clay, and all of those experiences were important. But I kept trying until I found the one thing that I was really into. So that’s crucial, especially when you’re first starting out, to experiment and figure out what you like in terms of materials and even style. I was always into hyper-realism, but I’ve dabbled in other areas that were less realistic, just to give them a try. And those experiences still influenced me in a positive way. So, there’s value in variety.
- I think a really important thing for me is to let things go. This will be my last point. When I first started, I had a goal to make these crazy, hyper-realistic cakes and open up a bakery to sell them. I went for it, tried my hardest, but things didn’t work out. The idea of selling elaborate cake sculptures locally was really difficult. I had to accept and recognize that the direction I was going in wasn’t working. So, I switched gears. I realized that there was a lot of interest in my work online, so I started to think about how I could use social media to build my business. The challenge was making a living because posting all day long doesn’t pay the bills if you’re not making any money. I had to move on from the idea of opening a bakery, then I did some TV work. There have been so many different things that inspired me and pushed me in the direction I’m in now. Of everything I’ve ever done, I’m most proud of my YouTube channel. It’s significant because I didn’t know I would get there, but eventually, I did by letting things go, pushing as hard as I could, and then moving on to regroup and find a different direction. Not everything goes exactly as planned, especially in art, which is a hard one.
Amazing. So, one final question about your work. Your content has gone viral, as you’ve mentioned many times. Can you share some insights with our audience about what is the recipe for getting something to go viral? What do you need to do?
I found that as I started making cakes, and a lot of them went viral in different ways, I could almost feel it. I knew when I was onto something where I thought, “This one’s going to do really well,” and a lot of times, it did. I’ve gotten pretty good at gauging that. The main thing I do is not repeat or replicate anything I’ve seen before. I brainstorm and come up with my own ideas. If it’s a truly original idea or experiment, like trying a new material that I find interesting, I know people will typically find it interesting too.
For example, with the Willie Nelson cake, I hadn’t seen anything like it before, and I was excited about it. When it went viral, it confirmed my belief that it was interesting and cool. I’ve done that quite a few times with cakes. If I finish a cake and think it’s unique and I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m actually proud of it, those cakes often get a lot of traction online.
As you grow, it gets easier to reach an audience and gain support, which also helps. Being continuous and trying to stay online and get your work out there is important. Sometimes you never know what will catch on. For example, my last YouTube video was about a popcorn cake inspired by a viral video of someone using buttercream in a simple, yet unique way to make popcorn shapes. That kind of originality, even with materials that have been around forever like cake and buttercream, can really stand out. It doesn’t have to be the most complicated thing, but if it feels unique, then you’ve got a shot.
Those are amazing answers. Really beautiful. So, it sounds like you have a very busy schedule. Can you share with the readers the self-care routines that you do to help your body, mind, and heart thrive?
You know, when it comes to my cakes, I’m very passionate about them. If I’m working on something that doesn’t excite me, I let it go, regroup, and start over, following the passion. When certain people, whether companies or individuals, ask me to do something, I receive a lot of feedback since a lot of my work is online. Surprisingly, even in cake making, some of the feedback can be negative. What I’ve found is that staying true to what I believe in, without feeling pressured by others to act a certain way or make a specific thing, is the best approach for me. I’ve turned down requests because I wasn’t fully on board with them, and that’s okay. Even though sometimes it means turning down lucrative offers, letting go is essential for my well-being. This approach has made me happier with what I’m creating, the end results, and just in general, it has improved my overall happiness.
This is what we call our matchmaker question, and sometimes it works. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would like to sit down and have a power lunch with, or to collaborate with, or to have a coffee with? Because we could tag them and maybe connect you.
That’s actually a great question. You know, one of my early influences in college, as far as hyper realism goes, was an artist named Ron Mueck. He makes these hyper-realistic sculptures, many of which are really large scale. They’re just super interesting. I think talking to him would be really cool if I could do that one day. His work is phenomenal. I saw it in person, and while the photos are exciting, seeing it in person is breathtaking. It’s just so cool. So, yeah, talking to him would be really exciting for me.
Because of the platform that you built and your great work, you’re a person of enormous influence and people take your words very seriously. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I think that the idea of doing what you think is right, despite the pressure to conform to certain expectations or behaviors, is crucial. We live in a world where online presence significantly influences us, leading us to absorb the negativity or positivity we encounter. If we could take a step back and exert more control over this influence, it would make a big difference. There are countless amazing, creative, positive, and kind people out there, but unfortunately, negativity often receives more attention. If we could shift our focus to appreciate and amplify the positivity in others, it would foster a more creative, innovative environment rather than one focused on negativity. Negativity seems to get more attention currently, but I believe we should reflect more on the positivity around us. People are incredible, and it’s important to remember that, despite the doom and gloom that can sometimes prevail.
Amazing. Well, Natalie, how can our readers continue to follow your work online? How can they purchase any of your products? How can they purchase your edible clay? How do they support you in any way?
We have everything at SideserfCakes.com, which will direct you to our YouTube channel. All my social media links are there, along with all the new merchandise and clothes. We also have a section where you can sign up for our newsletter. We haven’t launched the edible clay yet and are working on a few other exciting projects, but I can’t share details yet as there’s more to be done. However, if you sign up for the newsletter at SideserfCakes.com, that’s where we’ll announce anything new and share interesting stuff in general. The newsletter is a great way to stay updated.
Well, Natalie, it’s been a joy to meet you. I love your positive, humble energy. It’s really refreshing. I wish you continued success, good health, and an easy childbirth.
Thank you. I’m a bit nervous about having my first child, but I’m excited.
I’m sure it’ll go fine, and you’ll be in good hands.
I hope so too. Thank you. I really appreciate that. It was great meeting you.
You too. Thanks so much, Natalie.
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