Meet Michelle Holsworth | Cookie Artist & Lead Baker, Cookie Momsta DFW

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

Hi Michelle, what do you attribute your success to?
It’s all in the details. You probably have heard the phrase “the devil is in the details”, or “god is in the details”. I believe that whole-heartedly! Good things — and bad things — are discovered when you really get down to details and pay attention to the small things. Throughout my career(s) in the creative industries, I’ve learned that attention paid to small things has big rewards. I am definitely a details type of girl. The small things that may go unnoticed by themselves play a huge role on the overall impact of a product. With cookies, for example, I hear from many people about having tried [other] beautiful-looking cookies, but they tasted awful, but my cookies are both beautiful and taste delicious. I want all aspects of my product to be perfection! Am I successful 100% of the time? Not at all! We learn through making mistakes and we either choose to overcome them or let them overtake us. I strive to get the details right, and the rest speaks for itself. I pride myself on the small details in my designs, and in my recipes and techniques, that help my products stand out and keep customers coming back.

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.
My first career was in graphic design. I have been a creative person my whole life — and this seemed like a natural course. After obtaining my BFA in Communication Design and Journalism, I enjoyed a long career as a graphic artist in the DFW Metroplex. Once I got married and decided to start a family, I chose to quit my career in the agency world and try to start my own small business so I could have time to be a mom and still continue down my chosen career path. I struggled to learn how to network and sell myself and my talent but eventually I started obtaining clients via word of mouth from my previous employers and word of mouth. When my daughter came along three years into my small business start-up, things were challenging. Many phone calls were spent talking about projects while feeding a baby! Luckily, many of my clients were absolutely ok with me carting my baby to meetings – and that’s how I functioned for a while! My previous work for clients had stood out to a point where clients were willing to work with my hurdles just so I would design for them. That worked nicely for me, but it was challenging and exhausting to say the least! I had the opportunity to slow down on working when I needed some time to focus on family. When my daughter started Kindergarten, I decided to switch gears and try Real Estate. I worked in that industry for 4 years, but ultimately life has a funny way of pulling me back into the creative world, via cookies for clients. People started referring to me as “The Cookie Realtor”, and, for a while I worked as a Realtor and baked cookies on the side. Eventually, cookies took over and I decided to do it full time. I couldn’t be happier with where my journey has taken me so far! I get to use my love of design every single day, while making people smile. My experience in marketing and design helps me to create my own brands and my own packaging, as well as helps me create one of a kind cookie art. These things, I feel, help me stand out from others.

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 do not live in the city. I live in a Rural community outside of Ft Worth. DFW has so many things to offer, though. My family enjoys outdoor activities when the weather is nice in DFW – kayaking, hiking, fishing and metal detecting. I may take them to Wise County Park or to the Nature Center in Ft Worth for picnics and hiking/kayaking. I would take them to some local eateries that are relatively unknown like Go Go Gumbo in Boyd, Tx or Sweetie Pies Ribeyes in Decatur, Tx. I would for sure take them to eat some famous Tex-Mex and frozen margaritas, probably at Pappasitos in Ft Worth. I would also love to introduce them to Trinity Park, Panther Island Pavilion for some live music, Log Cabin Village in Ft Worth and some local craft breweries in Ft Worth. The Kimball Art Museum and Casa Manana Playhouse would also be on my list. I live near the Texas Motor Speedway, so if it were Christmas time, I would take them there. There are so many things to do in DFW.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My goodness, so many people. My cookies have a start in my former career as a Realtor. I started out purchasing cookies to go inside larger gifts for my clients. As a creative person at heart, I wanted to see if I could customize things a little more, and really bless my clients on closing day! I just felt that me spending that extra bit of time and creating something special to give then was more personal and meaningful. Once I tried that, people started telling me I should sell them. One of my friends, Lauren, in particular was my loudest and proudest supporter and encourager! She ordered some cookies from me for an event, and even though they were not that pretty and I was just beginning, she really pretended like they were the best cookies she had ever seen — and that struck a fire in me to keep going! And the rest is history! Since then, my family and friends have been huge supporters of my work and never hesitate to help me with fantastic word of mouth. Word of mouth is EVERYTHING in small business and it means so much to me.

Instagram: @CookieMomstaDFW

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookiemomstadfw