We recently connected with Margaret Haas and have shared our conversation below.

Margaret, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

People come to me for my hand lettered styles. I design wedding invitations, party invitations, birth announcements, envelope addressing- you name it. The uniqueness of handwriting, with its subtle nuances and eccentricities adds a layer of intimacy that is often lost in the digital age, and I think people crave it now more than ever. I have always loved handwriting, typography, fonts and graphic design. When we learned cursive writing in elementary school, I immediately fell in love with it. I wanted to write constantly, filling notebooks with doodles every chance I got. Pretty soon that evolved into not only writing the letter forms, but drawing them.

When my sister went away to college I got really into letter writing and sending her packages.

For me, the joy lies not just in the words themselves but in the act of penning letters to friends.

You take notice when you receive something in the mail. There’s a magical connection that unfolds as thoughts materialize on the page.

I take the same approach to mailing out special announcements for clients.

In a world inundated with digital communication, the tangible act of crafting mail stands as a testament to the enduring power of personal touch.

It’s a celebration of the tangible, a deliberate pause in the hustle of life to connect in a way that maybe we forgot about.

My personal style is definitely evolving over time. How I got started is that my friend said she liked the way I wrote her name and could I make her some personal stationery. After that, I took some local calligraphy classes and went to the library to check out calligraphy and design books. I adore looking at the typography of old advertisements and constantly go through these books for inspiration. The calligraphy tools are one of the most fun parts of my career. I always love popping in to local stationery shops and seeing what kind of supplies they have. Friends often buy me calligraphy pens from different countries on their travels and I mix my own ink from watercolors.

Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?

Practice is crucial, so dedicating more consistent time to daily or regular practice could speed up the learning process.

It is also really helpful to see how far you’ve come in a craft.

I also really liked reaching out to likeminded people on flickr (this was a long time ago) to ask for feedback from experienced artists. I wish I would have participated more in the calligraphy community when I was first starting out.

What skills do you think were most essential?

One of the hardest parts for me is letting go of my idea of perfection. So I would say to be easy on yourself, give yourself grace and time enough to really not stress out over minor details.

I would also say that perseverance is essential as calligraphy takes a lot of time and dedication.

What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am not that technologically inclined (my printer is my worst enemy) and when it came time to digitize my work (needed when sending files to a letterpress printer for instance) I had multiple mental breakdowns. Photoshop would randomly shut down (I hadn’t saved) or I’d be at a coffee shop with no plug and 10% power. Learn to research and ask for help before diving into unknown territory.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The best part of my job is that people who I talk to are excited- because usually it’s a pretty big life event that brought us together. Their excitement excites me! I don’t see it as just sending invitations-we’re setting the stage for the joy, drama, love, party – whatever vibe they’re going for.

In my studio, I specialize in crafting bespoke invitations that go beyond mere announcements; they are works of art that set the tone for life’s most significant moments. From weddings to milestone celebrations, my designs are infused with a personal touch, capturing the unique essence of each client.

Each project is “from scratch”, which I think is necessary in a world often saturated with mass-produced invitations. I believe that every event is as unique as the individuals it celebrates, and my work reflects this. By blending calligraphy, design, and a keen understanding of my clients’ visions, I create invitations that are not just paper and ink but a tangible representation of their personalities, lives and stories.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Running a brick-and-mortar stationery shop had always been a dream of mine. I loved the idea of creating a physical space where customers could engage with the products in person, feel the textures, and experience the ambiance of the store. It was such a cute and welcoming space. In addition to the retail space I also had a large area where we held workshops, club meetings and parties. All that changed March 2020. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns were enforced, my dream turned into a bit of a nightmare as foot traffic vanished and I was scared out of my wits.

Faced with the reality that my store couldn’t welcome customers in person, I knew I had to pivot quickly to keep the business afloat.

First, I focused on transitioning to an online platform. At that time, we were all glued to our phones about Covid updates. I was on social media most of the day, and all hours of the night. I so missed about having people come in and just chatting with them. Some regular customers even knew my coffee order and would bring it in if they stopped by. I missed that human connection. So I started making videos, talking to my friends and customers about new products when I couldn’t see them in person. At the same time, I revamped my website to create a user-friendly and visually appealing online store. This not only allowed me to continue reaching my existing customer base but also expanded my reach to a broader audience. People shared my videos, and even though I felt so silly talking to myself in them, I kept doing it. Social media became my new shop window, and I invested time in creating engaging content to keep customers connected.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

For the first couple years of the getting the business up and running, I was a substitute teacher and also worked various retail jobs. I was definitely exhausted all the time but didn’t even realize it because I was young. Every spare moment was spent on the business and I didn’t make any real money for years. I had to make a lot of sacrifices and miss out on a lot.

I wasn’t mad about it though because I dedicated myself to this and I knew what I wanted so every obstacle just because something else on the to-do list as opposed to a deal breaker.

Then I became a mom.

Navigating the responsibilities of parenthood alongside the demands of running a retail store and client projects was a profound test of my resilience to say the least.

Sleepless nights, round the clock breast feeding, endless diaper changes, and the constant balancing act between business and family could have easily become overwhelming and definitely was at times.

So I adjusted my work hours, implemented more efficient business practices, and sought support from family and friends. My family lives close and were always available for baby sitting. I absolutely could not have done it without them! Plus I loved taking my baby to the shop with me. The challenges of being a new parent fueled my determination to make my business not just survive but thrive.

Just when I thought I had it down- then came the seismic shift brought on by the COVID-19 lockdown. The very foundations of how many businesses operated were shaken, and mine was no exception.

Foot traffic dried up completely, and uncertainties loomed large. Not only did I not have customers coming in but I was once again a full time mom for a three old out that loved preschool. During Lockdown, I also stopped seeing my family, so even though they were offering to take care of her I couldn’t risk it. My husband had to keep going in to work everyday at the airport and I was certain he would become infected.

It took me a long time to even offer curb side pickup because I was so scared of getting or giving covid.

The only option I had was to fully dedicate myself to online platforms- my website and social media. DMs replaced in-person interactions and mailing shop orders became a huge part of my job. The ability to adapt and innovate, honed over the years, allowed me to not only weather the storm but also discover untapped opportunities within the chaos.

Through these pivotal moments, I’ve come to realize that resilience is not just about bouncing back; it’s about the capacity to evolve, learn, and thrive in the face of difficulties. After all that I had done for this business, I wasn’t about to walk away from it- I couldn’t!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paperpastries.com/
• Instagram: @paperpastries https://www.instagram.com/paperpastries/?hl=en