29 Mar 2020, 21:09
Cupcakes and Creativity
Lennox had heard about the events going on in the Great Hall from other students, who had practically ran to the Great Hall, anxious to create some sort of masterpiece through the means of dessert. Usually, Lennox would want to stay in, making time to study, but for some reason, she felt drawn to the Great Hall, feeling like decorating some desserts could be fun.
As she approached the Great Hall, Lennox could smell the wonderful desserts and had never been more envious of people who did get to indulge themselves on these treats. But she knew that decorating these would let her more creative side come to light, so her envy quickly subsided, and turned into genuine excitement, the positive energy in the room palpable. It was hard not to get excited as you navigated through the groups of students who had all gathered within. She knew some students were making their delicacies for the new Divination Professor, and, while she thought it was a good idea, she didn't want to overdo the number of sweets the new Professor would get, so she settled to send her creations back to the kitchen.
As she entered the Great Hall, she surveyed the options, not quite sure what she wanted to decorate yet. Marzipan looked fun to work with, but she wasn't confident in her ability to shape it into something distinguishable. Mini cakes didn't quite catch her attention. Her other options? Cookies or cupcakes. Both good options, in her opinion. After pondering for a minute, Lennox decided on cupcakes, and thanked the House Elf she took a batch from and sat down, thinking about her next task: what to decorate the cupcakes with. And the wheels began to spin...
She looked at all the frosting tips, hoping that inspiration would strike her by seeing all the different designs on the tips. She could go for something basic, but that wasn't her style. But she didn't want something too complicated, either. As she gazed over them, she couldn't help but be drawn to the ones that resembled flowers, as nature was one of her favorite things, and the flowers could be a great homage to what she loved so much. Through a quick skim of the colors available, Lennox was set: her vision had been created, a picture of spring through the medium of frosting and cupcakes.
Lennox pulled some piping bags and surveyed the colors that were laid in front of her. She loved all the pastels, but couldn't quite narrow it down. After spending minutes trying to narrow her choices down, she decided to mix a few different colors. So, Lennox scooped a little bit of purple and yellow into one, and pink and yellow into another, to make a gradient of the colors once they get pushed through the piping bag. She then set out to come up with a few different flower designs, playing the amount of pressure she put on the bag, to different ways she swirled the frosting as it came out of the bag. She came up with a few different ideas of the flowers, and got to work.
She concentrated on the cupcakes, feeling a little silly for caring so much about the outcome. But this was classic Lennox: every task she set out to do must be completed with care, and meticulously put together. She didn't care if no one was watching, all she needed to know was that she had expectations for herself: expectations that always had to be met. She now had to work to allow perfectionism to leave her alone, so she could truly enjoy what she was doing.
Once her first cupcake was finished, she observed the work, a proud smile spreading across her lips. She was content with the work, though she made a note to herself to make sure she put some leaves on the flowers, to give it a little more realism. With a switch of the colored piping bags, Lennox was onto the next, eager to see how they all looked together once finished.
Before she knew it, she was halfway through her batch, finding the act of decorating these cupcakes to be meditative. It was so refreshing to not think about schoolwork for once. Granted, she loved school and learning, but she knew that at some point, everyone needs a break. That had been difficult for her, learning to take breaks. She had grown up with her studies at the forefront of her life, so it was very difficult to take time for herself, even when she was feeling burnt out. This was a vice she was determined to break, knowing that she could find more fulfillment within herself if she let herself have fun. After all, she loved things like this, feeding off the energy of others and utilizing her creativity to make something.
Eventually, she finished her flowers, with a few empty spaces on the top of her cupcakes for some leaves, to ensure that they looked as realistic as possible. Before she began the next step, she took a minute to wipe the frosting that had inevitably caked onto her fingers off, trying not to mix colors unintentionally. After looking for a new tip, Lennox put the green frosting into a piping bag and set to work, putting the finishing touches on each cupcake. When she finished the batch, she observed her work, proud of the attention to detail she put into them.
She organized all of her creations back onto the tray, putting her used tools into a neat pile to lessen the work of the House Elves. She knew that they were supposed to clean up, but she always felt bad when she left too much of a mess. After handing her creations back off to an elf, she brushed her hands off one more time, walking out of the Great Hall. Time to get back to work, She thought. But now, she felt much more rejuvenized, having taken a break to be a part of the wonderful decorating activity.
As she approached the Great Hall, Lennox could smell the wonderful desserts and had never been more envious of people who did get to indulge themselves on these treats. But she knew that decorating these would let her more creative side come to light, so her envy quickly subsided, and turned into genuine excitement, the positive energy in the room palpable. It was hard not to get excited as you navigated through the groups of students who had all gathered within. She knew some students were making their delicacies for the new Divination Professor, and, while she thought it was a good idea, she didn't want to overdo the number of sweets the new Professor would get, so she settled to send her creations back to the kitchen.
As she entered the Great Hall, she surveyed the options, not quite sure what she wanted to decorate yet. Marzipan looked fun to work with, but she wasn't confident in her ability to shape it into something distinguishable. Mini cakes didn't quite catch her attention. Her other options? Cookies or cupcakes. Both good options, in her opinion. After pondering for a minute, Lennox decided on cupcakes, and thanked the House Elf she took a batch from and sat down, thinking about her next task: what to decorate the cupcakes with. And the wheels began to spin...
She looked at all the frosting tips, hoping that inspiration would strike her by seeing all the different designs on the tips. She could go for something basic, but that wasn't her style. But she didn't want something too complicated, either. As she gazed over them, she couldn't help but be drawn to the ones that resembled flowers, as nature was one of her favorite things, and the flowers could be a great homage to what she loved so much. Through a quick skim of the colors available, Lennox was set: her vision had been created, a picture of spring through the medium of frosting and cupcakes.
Lennox pulled some piping bags and surveyed the colors that were laid in front of her. She loved all the pastels, but couldn't quite narrow it down. After spending minutes trying to narrow her choices down, she decided to mix a few different colors. So, Lennox scooped a little bit of purple and yellow into one, and pink and yellow into another, to make a gradient of the colors once they get pushed through the piping bag. She then set out to come up with a few different flower designs, playing the amount of pressure she put on the bag, to different ways she swirled the frosting as it came out of the bag. She came up with a few different ideas of the flowers, and got to work.
She concentrated on the cupcakes, feeling a little silly for caring so much about the outcome. But this was classic Lennox: every task she set out to do must be completed with care, and meticulously put together. She didn't care if no one was watching, all she needed to know was that she had expectations for herself: expectations that always had to be met. She now had to work to allow perfectionism to leave her alone, so she could truly enjoy what she was doing.
Once her first cupcake was finished, she observed the work, a proud smile spreading across her lips. She was content with the work, though she made a note to herself to make sure she put some leaves on the flowers, to give it a little more realism. With a switch of the colored piping bags, Lennox was onto the next, eager to see how they all looked together once finished.
Before she knew it, she was halfway through her batch, finding the act of decorating these cupcakes to be meditative. It was so refreshing to not think about schoolwork for once. Granted, she loved school and learning, but she knew that at some point, everyone needs a break. That had been difficult for her, learning to take breaks. She had grown up with her studies at the forefront of her life, so it was very difficult to take time for herself, even when she was feeling burnt out. This was a vice she was determined to break, knowing that she could find more fulfillment within herself if she let herself have fun. After all, she loved things like this, feeding off the energy of others and utilizing her creativity to make something.
Eventually, she finished her flowers, with a few empty spaces on the top of her cupcakes for some leaves, to ensure that they looked as realistic as possible. Before she began the next step, she took a minute to wipe the frosting that had inevitably caked onto her fingers off, trying not to mix colors unintentionally. After looking for a new tip, Lennox put the green frosting into a piping bag and set to work, putting the finishing touches on each cupcake. When she finished the batch, she observed her work, proud of the attention to detail she put into them.
She organized all of her creations back onto the tray, putting her used tools into a neat pile to lessen the work of the House Elves. She knew that they were supposed to clean up, but she always felt bad when she left too much of a mess. After handing her creations back off to an elf, she brushed her hands off one more time, walking out of the Great Hall. Time to get back to work, She thought. But now, she felt much more rejuvenized, having taken a break to be a part of the wonderful decorating activity.
Reducio
Word count: 1013
Last edited by Nico Shymane on 31 Mar 2020, 14:44, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixing Topic type