Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaia Berinobis.
Kaia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was going through my undergrad at the time, feeling particularly stressed and searching for a new way to distract myself. I remember scrolling through Pinterest and regularly seeing pictures of decorated sugar cookies. I thought that seemed fun to try and do myself. The first set of cookies I made were trees that I decorated to look like Christmas sweaters. A rather bold design, I’d say, but they didn’t turn out too bad, so I thought that it could only get better from there.
After that, it ended up being a hobby that continued to snowball. I started making cookies for family birthdays, life events and holidays. Soon after, my friends and coworkers started to jump in and request cookies for all kinds of occasions. I really started to expand my knowledge, technique and inspirations for them and for future orders.
My best friend was a part of a dog sporting club, and for one of their events she had requested some cookies to take with her to share. I have always loved painting, and seeing all of the incredible photos of the dogs competing, I decided to take a small gamble and see if I can combine my skill in painting with the sugar cookies. The end result was that everyone got to have a specialized cookie with their pet. Hearing how excited everyone was for them gave me the confidence to continue to develop the cookies to what they are today.
Right now I’m looking for more opportunities to continue to decorate cookies and put smiles on peoples faces.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, there has been a lot of trial and error when it comes to cookie decorating. Some orders I feel ecstatic and proud of the final product and other times I am nervous and scared for what the client will think. I’m always wanting to learn and try new things to continue to develop my skill set, which is really nerve wracking for someone who isn’t as outgoing in her personal life. But it’s a feeling that is slowly fading. I have a client who reaches out every year for her daughter’s birthday and I’m always excited to see the theme she picks.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Cookie Canvas?
I run a small sugar cookie decorating business with hopes of expanding and sharing more of my art with the surrounding communities. Every order is hand-crafted, from the starting sketches, to 3D printing new cookies cutters and then expressing the theme of the order to its fullest. It is what I am most proud of, and seeing the reactions from clients is my favorite part of it all.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
It was good luck that I came across this artform on Pinterest years ago, without it I don’t know if I would be where I am now. I hope this year presents itself with more opportunities like this one with the Knoxville Voyager. I promised some pretty important people in my life that this year would be the “year of the cookie.” I have been incredibly lucky with all of the support I have received from my family, friends and boyfriend, who have made sure I keep this dream moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookiecanvas.kb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551854265504
