““Be your own person and don’t let anyone boss you around. ”
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Andrea and I'm 27. I have only been baking for about 6 years and my passion for it started with planning my kids' (Sawyer and Remi's) birthday parties. I love making art in any sense of the word and I love that I have found a way to turn it into a living!
How did you hear about Depressed Cake Shop?
The wonderful world of Facebook! I'm not even sure who shared it now but I literally cried when I watched the video about it.
Why did you decide to pop up a shop?
I am putting on a Depressed Cake Shop for many reasons. First to bring awareness to suicide and mental illness. It is affecting so many people in our small town. When I found this organization I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I couldn't pin point the reason why for a while but now I know. I have bi polar disorder and I have gone back and forth for years of being between being ok or not. I started baking cakes and cupcakes for my kids birthdays about 6 years ago and I would just get so into it. The planning, baking, invites everything would take up like 3 months of my year. While I was planning each thing I would be so happy and excited I just wanted that feeling all the time. I decided to start my own bakery after a lot of encouragement from the people around me. I've realized it makes me calm. It gives me something to look forward to and balance my life around and be proud of. I hate the way some people say "oh I can't make a decision I'm so bipolar" as a joke. I do not find things like that funny. I want to throw this event and show maybe even a couple people that things like that are serious and you never know who around you has some sort of mental illness. I just think this is such an awesome way to fight the stigma and it couldn't have spoken to me on a more personal level.
What is the one thing you hope people will take away from their visit to your pop up?
That so many more people suffer from a mental illness than anyone realizes. Someone can seem to be a functioning human maybe even with a smile on their face all day but go home and cry their eyes out and maybe not even know why. If it makes at least one person not feel alone somehow then I think that will be enough for me.
If you could talk to your younger self what would you tell her?
It sounds so cliche really but just follow your heart and forget what anyone has to say about you. Be your own person and don't let anyone boss you around. Make your own happiness and live it.
What is your favorite thing to bake?
My favorite thing to bake is probably just muffins but I love decorating cookies. Royal icing is just so endless in creative possibilities. It's like painting on a cookie!
Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you and your upcoming shop?
I am just so excited to bring some rainbow into this little city of ours. I love this project and I really just hope it can help someone who's feeling alone. I just want to do some good in our community and hopefully raise some awareness.