I’m Back

Yep. Me again. Yes, I HAVE had more comebacks than low rise jeans, but hopefully I’m ever so slightly more welcome.

Tragic back story time

Picture it, Sydney, 2019. I’m heading into what will be the worst burn out of my life. Not only will my health absolutely tank, but our eldest son (who is profoundly disabled and VERY volatile) will enter his teens (spoiler: it didn’t go well). So with not much choice really, I had to shut my studio in September of 2019. It was desperately sad, not to mention expensive. Couldn’t get much worse right…

January of 2020 (yes THAT 2020), we lost my beloved Mum to cancer. We had thought she was finally clear, but a hidden metastasis would take her life only 19 days after it was discovered. I took a break from online work as you would imagine.

Shortly after, some new illness was hitting the news, COVID-19. The country would slam to a close about 3 months later. Not only did Covid take a lot of lives, it took a lot of livelihoods, and in person teaching was one of them.

Our youngest Son, who was only 8 at the time, was having a really hard time with the loss of his Nanna, not to mention the fear that his parents might die from cancer too, so we made the decision during the lockdown to try homeschooling. It was a perfect fit. Not only could I better support his learning needs, but he could have as much quality family time as he could handle. Win win. But not for business.

Needless to say, all hope of running a business in any capacity was pretty much gone.

Present Day

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN 5 YEARS!

For a start, I now know that I have Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, which is in the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome family (as well as a PILE of co occuring disorders), but I’m also neurodivergent, and that ‘hard core burnout’ was my brain and body shutting down because my operating stress level was literally more than my brain and body could handle.

Thankfully now I have a host of medicines that help the co occurring conditions, I run my life with neuroaffirming accomodations, and our eldest has finally been given the respite we all so desperately need.

We still homeschool our youngest, but that little bubba is now 14, and self directs a lot of his own learning.

Does this mean?!

Yes! I may be the only one excited about this, but I can get back to my favourite edible pastime, BUTTERCREAM ❤️

Now I’m not vain enough to imagine that the world has been sitting around waiting for me to return, I know the cake industry has moved on, and getting back even an inch of the reach I had will be an uphill struggle, but I’m willing to try. I also know that I may struggle to find places that will host classes, there are lots of other amazing teachers out there (some of whom I helped teach!) but I refuse to believe there is ever not enough room for anyone and everyone in cake.

So here I go, boldly returning to what I hope will be a welcoming world, bringing my particular blend of art and whimsy. I hope you’ll join me.

Viva La Buttercream X 🌹