Meet Cheesecake Art & Design
Do you have a story behind your company name?
“Cheesecake” is really symbolic of my journey in life! Before I found my love for polymer clay I was baking all kinds of sweets for friends and family with plans to become a pastry chef. The timing wasn’t right then so I never pursued it wholeheartedly. Baking polymer clay is very similar to baking cookies and cakes, so when I was dreaming up names for my company it felt very natural to marry these two versions of myself. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert and when it's my birthday I always ask for cheesecake instead of cake! Cheesecake brings feelings of decadence, celebration, sweetness, and complexity to mind and these are all vibes I want my company to embody.
Love that! Tell us how you got your start?
In 2019 I left my job to become a stay at home foster mom and raise two sweet little girls with my husband. Then the pandemic began and life got a little wild. It was incredibly traumatic and difficult and I felt lost and depressed. My mom gave me some solid advice: find a creative outlet for all those feelings. Then she handed me some polymer clay and a 10 year old box of beads. Cheesecake started that day as just me finding myself again in the middle of chaos.
I bet that was a great outlet, mental health is so important. Do you have a favorite part of the maker process?
My favorite part is always when I’m playing with clay. I love mixing colors and cutting shapes. I think of this part of the process as the “daydreaming” phase because I’m thinking about what it’s going to be. I’m paying attention to light, movement, texture, and what feelings I want to evoke in these early stages of a design and it’s really fun!
Can you tell us what a typical day is like in the studio for you?
Well, my studio is in the corner of my living room and I am also a stay at home mom, so my personal life and my studio life are woven together! My day always starts with breakfast with my daughter and watering our flowers outside together. Then I start my studio day with product photography because I get the best natural light in the morning. Then I pack orders, answer emails, and plan out my social media strategy for the day. After I get all those things out of the way it’s clay time! I don’t typically plan my art unless it’s a commission. I create what brings me joy in the moment and focus on colors and feelings. Finished clay pieces go in the oven for an hour and that’s when I plan structures for jewelry pieces, beading, and assembly. At night I cycle between drawing on baked clay pieces, designing ideas on my iPad, and watching true crime documentaries. Once or twice a week when the rest of my family is gone for the day I open all the windows, get in my safety gear, and resin all completed clay pieces so they are ultra shiny!
What inspires you to create?
Lots of things! Random things! The shade of green in my mother’s eyes. A perfect curl on my daughter’s head. The yarrow that grows in my garden that is an incredibly bright pink! A stranger’s awesomely bold outfit. A beautiful sunrise on a morning vacation. I think what I’m trying to say is life. Living inspires me to create. It’s a compulsion!
Do you have a favorite item you have made?
My favorite piece I’ve made has to be these rainbow 2 tiered princess cake earrings. These were one of the first times I had attempted a 3-dimensional sculpt that was so intricate! I had to figure out how to make the sculpt hollow so they would appear heavy but weigh very little as well as make sure every individual piece was secured to the base. They were a big success and something I’ll never forget creating!
Those are so fun, I bet your daughters loved how they turned out! What do you love most about Minnesota?
Every inch of Minnesota is so beautiful and I love that we have a great balance between nature and city! The scenery here is pretty incredible and it’s a great place to live if you love the outdoors. I also really love how supportive Minnesota is of local small businesses and specifically artists. There are so many cool events to check out full of daydreamers like me!
What did you miss most about in person events now that events are picking back up again?
I missed the thrill of watching people bond over my work! You know what I mean? Like when you walk up to a booth with a friend and discover a new piece of art that brings you joy, you start making happy noises and chattering about how it makes you feel? Then suddenly everyone nearby joins in on the good vibes and it’s this tiny, perfect moment of strangers smiling at each other. That moment makes in person events so worth it to me! If you walk by my booth there is a good chance you will hear me cackling and being rowdy with my customers and I wouldn't have it any other way.
That makes us smile! What will you be bringing to Jackalope?
I will be bringing so much colorful clay in many different forms! I will have a lot of jewelry and home decor. I’m working on some special sun catchers, trinket boxes and dishes, as well as some larger original art pieces to hang on your wall!
We can’t wait to see you in person this September 10th & 11th for Jackalope Minneapolis!
Where to see more of Cheesecake Art & Design:
Website | https://shopcheesecake.co
Instagram | @pieceocheesecake