Ugh, that kind of comment is such a backhanded compliment. I read an interview once with a female blacksmith who said people would call her work "delicate" as a dig, like it wasn't as strong. But she said her precise fire control was what made her joinery so clean. So maybe "cute" really means he noticed your technique was careful and controlled, and he just has a terrible way of saying it. That kind of thing would make me want to prove him wrong by being even more technically perfect.