Meet Tomicka Brooks | Cake Artist and Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tomicka Brooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tomicka, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson my business has taught me was, never give up on myself and what really brings me joy. My business has always been my happy place. There have been times where I wanted to stop creating and give up doing one of the few things that makes me happy. That gives me a sense of pride. To give up doing those things, is to give up on myself and the things I worked hard to achieve.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started out creating, for the sole purpose of healing from a tragedy. It was my form of therapy. Creating cakes kind of took on a life of its own. I wasn’t interested in turning my hobby into a business, at all. I just wanted to feed people, lol. I was told I needed to start charging for my services. I still could not wrap my head around doing this as a job. As a profession. In the beginning, things were very difficult. There was so much ‘competition’. Why would anyone purchase a cake, treat, from me, that they could get from a standing bakery or someone already established? So, no, it wasn’t easy. I managed to overcome those challenges by simply, being the best version of me. I learned not to focus on the ‘competition’. My biggest competitor would always be myself. The lessons I learned along the way were, to extend myself grace, to not be hard on myself and to believe in the gift that was given to me. To know me is to know, I do everything with love. My creativity was birthed from losing my first born, Charisma. Because I love her, every cookie, cake, treat is made with just a sprinkle of love in it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m always down for a road trip, museum, comedy show, and anything that has to do with music, the arts and nature. Depending on what they had a taste for, a few of my favorite places to eat at is The Aquarium in Nashville and The Majestic Grille and P. F Chang’s in Memphis. Then off to paint and sip. Weather permitting, some outdoor activities. Yoga, meditation and a self care day. With me, you never know where you’ll end up, lol. Life is to be lived, loved and enjoyed. Wherever the wind blows, the bestie is in for a treat.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow! So many to name. My daughters, Cameryn and Charlize. My sisters, Scottie Moore, Leslie Horne, Tiffany Townsend, Leslie Penn. My GoalFriend, Myrella Scruggs. My cousins Kimeri Golden, Crystal Brown, LaTonya Brown, Kimberly Sholar and Pamela Stewart. My favorite uncle, Andre Brooks. And lastly, The name that started it all, Charisma Williams.

Instagram: Tomicka N Brooks-charismascakesandcookiesllc

Linkedin: Tomicka Brooks

Facebook: Tomicka N Brooks

Image Credits
Tomicka Brooks and Heaven Williams