Samantha Potter: Absolute creativity and art in full action....

Meeting Sam for the first time was a blessing. She was my teacher in one of her seminars and then I liked and the next followed. She's a fun person to meet and learn from her experience... I would say a great teacher. But at the same time she's a serious businesswoman, running her eshop of commercial stuff related to sugar art. All she has to tell us below is very interesting and I would strongly recommend you read them what's in fact sugar art in the eyes of a specialist....

Samantha Potter, who are you?

I’m a self-taught sugar artist with a background in teaching. I’m English, & living in Greece since 2000. Mother of 3 & I started making cakes for my children & then for friends. I have been teaching sugar art for 3 years now from beginners classes to advanced covering a multitude of techniques. I opened my new school in 2014 & since it is a bigger space we have started welcoming internationally renowned teachers & teachers from Greece that are exceptional in their field. I also run the shop & e-shop all with the help of my husband, my koumbaros Jordan & my buddy Gus.

• An Englishwoman not in New York but in Athens.  Working with sugar art. How did this lovestart to grow up? What made you work later on with teaching?

Well it all happened by accident. I never considered myself artistic –I can’t draw & I was never someone who did creative things. However when I had my kids I wanted something different than the typical tourta picked from the generic catalogues of the local pastry shop. They were all basically the same –lots of cream with an edible photo of a popular Disney figure or Barbie, or the same cake but instead of the photo they had plastic dolls & toys. I knew 3D cakes existed (more in the UK than in Greece back then) but hadn’t paid much attention. So I ordered my first Debbie Brown book from the UK –the one where the designs are supposed to be easy, got my mum to send me some sugarpaste & off I went. (Needless to say I struggled but was delighted with my results –of course now I look back & cringe!) 

•  How do you see yourself as a teacher? How difficult is to train people especially amateurs?

I am a trained teacher. In the UK I was a high school teacher of children aged 11-18 –it’s like 6th grade of primary right through to the end of Lykeio in the Greek system -so I was used to teaching to a wide ranging audience & a wide range of abilities & adapting my teaching to that!

So when Facebook started to really take off & people were sharing photos of my cakes more & more I started getting emails from people asking if I would teach them. Because of my background this just seemed like a natural step. In the beginning I only had a small space so could only have 4-5 people per class. Now with my new school I do classes of about 7 people (unless it is figure modelling & then up to 10). I try to keep my classes small since I like to have time to help each student. I also have an experienced assistant in the class. I want my students to feel they came & learnt a lot & that any questions they have are answered & any help they needed given. 

As a teacher I also try to get the students to make what we are doing themselves –it is very easy as a teacher to just do it for the student if they come to a part they are struggling with. Many students also sometimes want to sit back & let someone make it for them –but this defeats the object! If the student comes to a tricky part I would prefer to show them over & over until they got it right themselves than do it for them. This applies to beginners, advanced, children & adults. It is better that the students make something in class less than perfect that they made themselves rather than have so much help that what you have at the end is actually what the teacher has made. I have always felt this way since if the student does it themselves they can go

home & practice & perfect it. Although I don’t do formal lessons for children I have done any classes & cakes & cookies with my kids, my nieces & their friends. Whether the children are 2 or 12 I show them & let them do it themselves. I prefer to do it without the mums there who are often too eager to take over to make sure that it is done ‘right’ haha! Children are proud when they made it on their own. And with adults a perfect cake isn’t what we are looking to gain in class –if so someone could just order one from someone else! The objective is to learn the skills that, with practice, can mean the students can make their own perfect cakes in future. It is not hard to teach the beginners since I have done that class more than any other –even though the design my change slightly it is always the same techniques –how to fill & cover your cake with cream and then to cover with sugarpaste so that all is straight & smooth. I also teach how to make basic figures. Since I have done the class so many times I can now pre-empt typical mistakes & help avoid them before they happen! As with any level of class there will be students who pick it up easily & those who need a bit more time to perfect it. But we can take people with no experience at all –some people come to their first class not even knowing what sugarpaste is! 

• Have you been trained? Have you watched through medias tutorials or videos? 

I haven’t had any formal training, I keep saying I will go to a seminar & I am determined to go to one this year! When I started there were not the plethora of tutorials online that there are now and so I started off with books –cakes for children, cakes for adults, wedding cakes, humorous cakes –any information I could get my hands on! Later on there was an explosion of information on line too –often with conflicting advice so it’s best to try everything & work it out yourself. I always tell my students to try other techniques since what suits me may not suit them & vice versa –there is no right or wrong. 

• Do you think that a Sugar Art teacher should be trained as well? Once, constantly?

A teacher does not need to have had formal training but does need to have enough experience to be able to teach what they are makng in class. Teaching is also another skill set, you may be the best sugarartist in the country & be a terrible teacher. Similarly you may not be the best sugar artist out there in every aspect of sugarArt but you can be a good teacher of the things you know. At the end of the day time will tell –if someone is good they will have returning students –if not they won’t! As always the customers are the ONLY judge.

• Do you believe that a Sugar Artist is a hidden talent or result from a perfect training?

I guess a bit of both & the adventure is in the journey of reaching our full potential! There are so many aspects of sugar artistry that it would be hard to be an expert in all parts. You may be very good at figures but not good at pipe work. You may be good at making flowers but not good at painting. Your strength may be in 3D sculpted cakes and not in classic stacked wedding cakes. Of course training is a faster way to learn but whether you take the longer route of training yourself or whether you take a class & pay for the teacher’s years of experience you will still need to invest a lot of time in perfecting your art. Whatever level we are at we can always improve! I don’t think I had any talent for this but I have worked very very hard to improve & to reach a level where people want to learn from me. I am still not as good as a I want to be so I will always strive to get better!

• How does Samantha follow the market and worldwide trends and new ideas? Are you following specific artists? Who are your favorite ones?

I try to keep up to date with latest trends & new tools on the market –with social media the global market seems like a local one –everything is on your doorstep! However, even if you know what the new trends are you still need a customer to order it! I think the main ‘trends’ seem to go in wedding cakes since they too follow the fashions of wedding dress designers etc If vintage wedding dresses are in fashion then it is vintage cakes, lots of lacey dresses equals lacey cakes. Last year there were weddings with chevron themes –it was on the invites, cakes –everywhere! Luckily because I teach I don’t have to wait for a customer before I can explore a new trend or technique –I have just put a new class on which is still ‘on trend’ with metallics, ‘naked cakes’ (tiers without sugarpaste) & wafer paper flowers. I try to find new techniques to teach in class –I have some great students who are waiting for the next class to learn something new so I have to keep searching! Of course trends for children’s cakes mainly follows TV shows & movies which meant we have been selling snowflake cutters all through Spring, Summer & Autumn because of the popularity of a certain popular Disney movie!

I have many artists I follow –I guess the main ones are the first ones I became awe of even before Facebook–Dot Klerck from Eat Cake Party

https://www.facebook.com/eatcakeparty?fref=ts , Andrea from Andrea’s Sweet Cakes

https://www.facebook.com/AndreasSweetcakes?fref=ts, Vanessa from Bella’s

https://www.facebook.com/bellacupcakesnz?fref=ts, Karen Portaleo

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Portaleo-Cake-Artist/130289367026596?fref=ts,

Mike’s amazing cakes https://www.facebook.com/MikesAmazingCakes?fref=ts. I love the work of Carlos Lischetti https://www.facebook.com/Carloslischettisugarart?ref=ts&fref=ts. Recently there are so many too like Avalon from Avalon’s cakes https://www.facebook.com/AvalonCakes?fref=ts. I really could go on & on! What I like about these people is that they have their own style –you can recognize their work.

• It seems that recently Sugar Art in Greece has made lots of fans but at the same time, many people are interested to work with. What do you think is basically the reason for that?

It seems that the last years Sugar Art in Greece has made lots of fans. At the same time it is remarkable that recently a great number of people of different ages are interested in learning and working in sugar art business. What do you think is basically the reason for that?I’m sure there are many many reasons for this. I think the explosion of social media introduced Greece to a whole new area that wasn’t so well known here. People could like & share amazing cakes they had seen on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram etc and also internet shopping meant that people could find the specialist tools & equipment they needed easier. With many tutorials & video tutorials now on the internet people could also learn more & more techniques. A lot of people have told me they got into sugar art when they became unemployed because of the crisis & needed to find a hobby to occupy their time and it is something you can do at home that takes up many hours if you have many hours to fill!

• I believe that you are in touch with the artistic trends in UK as well. What is the opinion of experts abroad about Sugar Art in Greece?

I think the UK trends are pretty much the same as the global trends because of social media so I don’t know if it is particularly different in the UK, Greece or elsewhere. I actually have no idea what the opinion of people abroad is for the artists in Greece! All the cakey people I know & my cakey friends are in Greece! There are some fantastic cake artists here in Greece, Alexandra from Sugar Addict with her perfect painting, Katia from GK Cookies for her pipework, Gus with his amazing handbags, Georgia with her figures, Elena with her vintage themed work, Sandra with her perfectionism & Kyriaki with her amazing wedding cake designs & difficult sharp corners, Zozefa with her gingerbread houses, Despoina with her shoes ( I can’t find the link to her new page but I will find it!). Again I could go on & on!

These are just off the top of my head & is no way an insult to the many many fantastic cake artists I follow, admire & luckily for me get to meet.

• Sugar Art in Greece. The same question I always ask. Pricing, quality of project delivered, Clients who question (or not) sometimes the working costs. What is your opinion about it?

The general public will rarely know or appreciate the amount of time involved in a custom made cake so it’s better to accept that early on otherwise you will be eternally disappointed! I am in cake forums in the USA, the UK & Greece & a lot of posts are about the customers wanting a custom made cake & wanting it cheap. Customers have to pay the price the cake deserves & not the cake maker to put the price that the customer wants to pay –that is if you want to make any profit –either way if you want to be rich go find another job! Many artists struggle with many people asking for prices & reacting badly. It doesn’t bother me –if you are good at your job you SHOULD be too expensive for most people’s budgets. You don’t get a custom made one off designer dress the same price from a dress designer as from a high street chain store that churns out many pieces with a cheaper material and you don’t get a designer custom made cake with high quality ingredients for the same price as the high street bakery.

• You are a business woman running as well an eshop and a seminar space. How difficult is to start a sugar art business related to many legal prerequisites, time spending and financial investment? What would you advise the artists who wish to enter in this business?

Unfortunately in Greece there are too many hurdles for most people to make a business out of making cakes. In many many countries of the world it is very easy to set up a custom cake decorating business from home. Many of the very famous names in the UK, USA & other countries have a homebased business because overheads for a shop are too high for this kind of cake. In the UK most wedding cake makers will make 3-4 cakes a week –this would not cover shop overheads It is a very low risk business in terms & health factors since it is small quantities & low risk ingredients. Since there are not millions of people dying all over the world from homebakers it shows it can be done, it works! So why is it not allowed in Greece? As for advice –unless you have a mad passion for it & can live on a wage probably lower than the minimum wage keep it as a hobby! People will also think you are making a fortune since your cakes are much more expensive than one from the local pastry shop which is an extra kick in the teeth!

• Let’s go deeper to the creations. What is the best sugar paste in the market to use according to you? Do weather conditions influence the use of paste? Humidity, heat, cold…

I always tell my students to try them all & find what works best for them. I prefer Artisan for covering cakes & figure making. It is firm & so hard to roll out but worth the effort. It takes long to dry so is perfect for covering cakes without tearing & cracking. It does need to have a very good kneading first. It also comes ready coloured for the lazy/busy amongst us. I wouldn’t recommend it for cookies since it takes too long to dry. For cookies I recommend Cakes By Samantha Sugarpaste. It is a completely different texture & is perfect for cookies since it holds its shape well & dries quickly. If you are experienced you can also use it for cake covering –you just need to knead & cover your cake fast!

The enemy of the sugarartist is humidity –it can make grown men & woman cry. Sugarpaste sweats, figures & flowers droop, the whole cake can blow up & explode. Nasty!

• Which type of cake is the proper one to use for sugar paste decoration? 

The type of cake depends on the design. Some softer cakes taste great & are ok for ‘normal’ round cakes but are no good for carving a 3D cake. (please note I am using the English word for Cake & not the Greek ‘κεικ’ –Google both words & you will see the difference! In English ‘cake’ also includes what in Greece is known as ‘τουρτα’. In Greek ‘κεικ’ usually means the classic dry ‘bready’ type of cake! I use CAKE not ΚΕΙΚ. I prefer to work on chocolate mud cake –if baked correctly it is so rich, moist & sticky –more of a dessert than the classic κεικ! It is also the best medium for carving for 3D cakes in my opinion.

• How about the filling inside and the coverage? Ganache, buttercream, recently in action sponge cakes with syrup and creams. How does stability inside a cake play a specific role in the whole result?

I started off making sponge cakes with buttercream, syrup & strawberry jam but was soon converted

to ganache for the covering of 3D cakes –it’s very rich (cream & chocolate) but doesn’t need refrigerating because the cream is boiled. It is also very expensive! If you use a very moist cake like

my mud cake (I give the recipe at my seminars) you do not need syrup at all. Syrup is only needed with a drier cake like sponge cake or the classic pantespani. Mud cake is much richer –and also a lot more expensive to make. It is also really heavy & a cake for 20 people weighs over 4 kilos. Mud cake is also quite stable because it is dense but some designs will need hidden support inside. I never use creams that need refrigeration since they hinder design. Most of my cakes take several days to make so it is not practical. They are also too big for the fridge! They also need delivering in a non-refrigerated truck & most customers, in my experience, don’t tend to have a walk-in fridge in their homes. I could make a very long list as to why I don’t use perishable creams but at the end of the day there are sooooo many delicious creams that don’t need refrigerating why bother? Only with creams that don’t need refrigerating can you have no compromise on both taste, design & size!

• What kind of cake has been the hardest one to teach?

In terms of design the Japanese Doll Cake. It is my only class I recommend a fair amount of experience before attending –all of the other classes can be done after one beginners’ class or some basic experience. The Japanese Doll cake has one of the most difficult techniques in cake decorating –how to get very sharp edges on your sugarpaste! This is an example of where having perishable creams would hinder design –the sharp corners need a lot of work on them & so the cake needs to be at room temperature otherwise the sugarpaste sweats. The Australians were the forerunners in these designs, using mudcake instead of the classic sponge cake & using ganache instead of buttercream too. As I see it you don’t fix what is not broken!

• What are the plans coming up next for Samantha? What are specifically the things that you wish to realize within the coming years?

I would like to refurbish the shop, make it look a lot more ‘put together’ but that takes financial resources –hopefully if my customers continue their wonderful support it will be possible! Of course I will continue the seminars & I have started bringing guest tutors from both here in Greece & abroad & I would like to do more of that. In the more distant future maybe travel to teach –I get requests from all over Greece & Cyprus to go & teach but have decided to postpone it until my children are older. I also love our blog although it’s a bit neglected, we don’t get enough time to pursue it. When we do it it is always fun & I get to work with different people. Some of the posts are also written by my friend & colleague Gus who makes me die of laughter! Personally I’d hope to improve my sugarart skills & find time to challenge myself …although usually around here the phrase ‘we’ll do it when we have time’ is usually followed by laughter. Having time is a joke! However much we chase it it always seems to elude us!

•  Describe to me sugar art with three words.

Love, love, love!

In order to find out more information about her seminars just click on PartyCakes by Samantha / seminars .... But pay attention, because her seminars are generally sold out. Limited participants for better results.... That's basically an excellent strategy.

I really enjoy the whole work of Sam in Greece. Combining her love for creativity along with making a fun space for seminars and teaching is basically something that I envy and to be honest a whole inspiration for my future plans abroad. She's helpful, joyful but at the same time stands well on her own feet to realize what the greek market is and how close she can be to her students and in the future potential partners or associates. What you also should know about Sam is that she's very much involved in charities. Twice every year (Christmas and Easter) she's there, choosing among the best sugar artists in Greece and effecting projects all together that bring joy to children with special needs. That's also something that proves her character, her love for creativity and artistic promotion and at the end all you do is enjoy the incredible result of it.

I wish to thank her a lot for this beautiful analytical interview that marks her point of view and at the same time I wish she continues to do what she does best with love, pleasure standing always smiley!