Hi, don't mind if I drop in! Well, I learned the hard way that the staff won't accept anything copyrighted or mildly-stylized versions of anything copyrighted as a Cutie Mark. I wanted my OC to have a Maple Leaf for a Cutie Mark, but that was forbidden, so I actually ended up going with a maple tree in its entirety. As for picking a Cutie Mark as a whole, I like to think that it has two factors - something corporeal (existent and viewable) and ethereal (spiritual, magical). For example, Diamond Tiara's, well, diamond tiara both represents her tiara (representing her materialistic and capitalizing views on life), and the Crown as a symbol, meaning her incredible power of leadership. Silver Spoon and the Foal Free Press both thrived under her! Going back to the example of my OC, her super-special talent isn't drawing maple trees or climbing them or anything of the sort - her talent is actually making maple syrup - so having it as a Cutie Mark is just a wide overview of her interests. I managed to extrapolate more facts out of it, such as how a maple tree takes a long time to mature (she's very immature), how the foliages changes (her favourite season is autumn), and much more. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that your Cutie Mark isn't necessarily an apple if you work in the apple business, it's whatever describes you as a pony, not you in how others view you and your actions. Cheers! ~ping111