Birthday Cakes and Career Remakes

A couple of months ago, I had my first (and hopefully last) Covid birthday. As that day was approaching, I saw a Facebook post from a friend and former colleague who had just started his own custom cake business here in LA – @LACustomCakes. His name is Michael Carney, and he is truly a jack-of-all-trades, as he is also an actor, and an amazing Talent Producer. Among other events, he books and works with the artists who perform on the Memorial Day and Fourth of July Specials that are filmed at the U.S. Capitol. Two of my former management clients were winners of American Idol, and both were performers at the Memorial Day concerts after they won Idol.

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Suffice it to say that Michael and I had shared a couple (or 10, but who’s counting) cocktails at the post-show/after-party – the moment when the pressure was off….the show had undoubtedly gone off without a hitch, or if it didn’t, Michael had made sure that no one ever knew. Those times in DC were always fun, and Michael and I have stayed in touch, albeit on social media, over the last few years. I had seen other posts of cakes that he had done, and not only was I impressed, but I was in awe of the detail. My daughter is quite the baker, so in addition to my vast appreciation of his designs, I also knew first-hand the difficulty, creativity and talent behind his work.

His post prior to my birthday came along with the announcement that he was opening up shop – his very own custom cake business right here in Los Angeles. Within seconds of liking, commenting and sharing the post to my local friends, I direct-messaged him to see if he could do a cake for my upcoming birthday. Los Angeles was still deep in its second wave of Covid, so instead of wallowing in sorrow about the party with friends that would never be, I decided to partner up with him and create the most fabulous birthday cake ever.

I began thinking about the past year and all of the things that I had been able to accomplish, not just in spite of Covid, but because of Covid. The pandemic allowed me to live in the stillness and to think in the quiet. It gave me time and space – both within and outside of myself to focus on what I needed to do to truly turn that page and get on into Chapter 2. The ideas were there. The motivation was there; but as everyone knows, without knowing how to execute  those ideas, they never become reality.

As I approached the celebration of another year on this crazy planet Earth, I looked back over the past year and really thought about everything that I had accomplished. I literally went from a successful music business Has-Been with a twinkle in her eye to be more creative, to launching four, brand-spankin’ new creative careers. I had my first national campaign as a voiceover artist (because every mom needs to know about the Impossible Whopper Kids Meal). I enrolled in the 2-year Meisner Technique Program at The Ruskin School of Acting, and just recently completed my first year. Three live-and-in-person classes in, Covid shut down our school and like the rest of the world, we starting Zoom classes. If you think it isn’t intimidating enough to start your first acting class at middle age with a class of mostly 20-30 year-old beautiful creatures, try looking at yourself (and them) 6-9 hours a week “up close and personal” on a Zoom. I am proud to say that I now know some of the most sophisticated make-up tricks to fool even the most sophisticated viewer as to where those not-so-fine lines are located. I know my most flattering AND the absolute worst angles when it comes to my close-ups. I’ve learned more about audio and video settings…..backdrops….ring lights……key lights……camera angles……than many would learn in their first year of film school. However, I joke with my acting teacher that when we do return to classes in-person, NONE of use are going to know what to do with our bodies since everything has been learned through a web cam with minimal allowances for movement. I guess the learning curve continues….and it always will. That’s what makes life so fun!

I created, produced and co-hosted my podcast. I learned how to record, mix and edit them. I learned how to distribute them – that there is a difference between a website host and a media host. I started my own business and built and launched this new blog. Word Press was such a bitch – but I did it!!! At the end of 2019, none of this was anything more than a bunch of ideas floating around. At the end of 2020, they WERE my new reality…and to be honest, it felt reeeeeeaaalllllly good.

Having been a successful executive for quite a long time, I was blessed to have amazing support people throughout my career. I was never the kind of person who wouldn’t do something just because I felt it to be beneath my level – I was always quite the opposite. I am proud to have been known as the person who would always roll up her sleeves to do whatever it took to get the job done. However, going from a place where literally there are TEAMS to manage every aspect of artist releases to trying to do everything on my own was such a challenge and the most treacherous learning curve I’ve ever experienced in my life. Thankfully, the pandemic allowed me the time to learn how to drive down that road and around those curves.

During the past few years when I was trying to figure out the rest of my life, even in my happiest of moments I would often get upset when I would think about the time, effort and personal sacrifices I made in my music career. I would often wonder “What was all of that for? Why did I spend almost every moment of every one of my children’s school performances on my Blackberry or iPhone? Why is every home video of me with my young kids at the park show them laughing and playing with their Dad and our dog, while I’m in the background sitting on a blanket on phone call after phone call dealing with work issues?  Why did I spend more than half of every vacation working? If, after over 22 years, I am literally starting my life completely over, WHAT THE F___ WAS ALL OF THAT FOR?????”

And then….somewhere in the Fall of 2019, as I was putting all of the pieces together to launch the Misplaced Life podcast with my partner, Donzell Lewis, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was having conversations with him (and many nights with myself, my husband, or any friend that would entertain me by listening about the branding……the logo…….the artwork…….the timing…….the strategy………the research needed to understand podcasting marketing……..media hosts…..analytics, blah blah BLAH). I realized that if there had not been all of those years of experience, I would just be some girl with a twinkle in her eye and the dream of becoming an artist, without a flippin’ clue as to how to get it done. It was at that moment that I let ALL of the WHY questions and the bitterness go. I closed the door on my past life – in the sense of career, not of relationships, as there are many that I still have and cherish to this day.

Soooooo…..back to the cake. I decided that I wanted to celebrate myself, my hard work and everything that I had accomplished over the year of 2020. I also wanted to use it as a moment of Manifestation – to think forward into 2021 and focus on all of the things that I wanted to do. I wanted to keep the dreams going, but I wanted to also manifest the idea that my dreams of finding some success in these adventures would come true. That was a lot to try and put into an idea for a birthday cake!!

Michael and I shared an iCloud Note with ideas, reference photos, Pantone colors, logo files and other inspirations. The result was 3 beautiful cakes. The first represented my rediscovery of music as a performer and songwriter, my voiceover work and my podcast. The second symbolizes my new passion for writing, incorporating all of the Hippie Rock Chick-isms that are part of me; and the third one represents my new found love and passion for acting, complete with my Hippie Rock Chick name on the marquee. Each cake shares something with another, like the peace sign on the headphones on one cake that matches the peace sign on the bookmark of the journal cake. That’s Marketing & Brand 101 right there people! Proof of concept – the past journey was necessary to get to the present…..and THAT is what will take me into the future.

They are truly the most intricately beautiful birthday cakes that I have ever seen. Michael’s talent is undeniable, not only is his craft, but in his ability to work with a client and truly deliver exactly what is in their mind and in their heart. I am so grateful that we have reconnected, because not only to I have a cake-maker for life, I have a new found friend in life as well. Good things really do come back around.

I hope that on their next birthday, everyone can take a deep look back at their past year, and find joy, pride and self-love for their growth and their journey. I hope that they can also find self-motivation, strength and focus to manifest their continued growth into their following year – and realize their biggest dreams. Everyone deserves their own manifestation birthday cake, whether it be at age six, thirty or eighty-years old….because everyone should celebrate where they’ve been……where they are now…….and where they want to go. I wish everyone the HAPPIEST of birthdays this year – and please celebrate yourself on your special day.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK-YOU to Michael Carney for being my partner in crime for this special little self-indulgent journey. If you live in the Los Angeles area, or even if you don’t, you should follow him to see all of the wonderful creations he does!!! You can find him at @LACustomCakes or visit his website: www.lacustomcakes.com.