Ep 190: It’s Okay to Walk Away: Margie Keates on Taking a Break from Paper Flowers

She’s been on the Paper Talk Podcast not once, not twice, but three times now, and for good reason. Margie Keates of The Lovely Ave is one of the paper flower community’s most beloved artists, known for her stunning crepe paper blooms, her gorgeous still life collections, and her warm, genuine presence online.

But this episode is different from the ones that came before. In this deeply vulnerable and emotional conversation, Margie shares what happened when the creative fire she had carried for over a decade started to fade and what she decided to do about it.

 

“I kept creating what I thought would sell the fastest, not what I wanted to create because I loved it and was excited about it. And I just got to the end of the year and I’m like, I don’t want to go to work anymore.” - Margie

 

After a year of chasing sales instead of creating from joy, watching her confidence erode with every collection that didn’t land the way it used to, and feeling the slow, painful disconnect from the art she once loved so deeply, Margie made the courageous decision to step away. She closed her shop, took a part-time marketing job at a local clothing company she had modeled for, and gave herself something she had never allowed before: permission to pause.

 

“Who am I when it doesn’t revolve around what I can create? I don’t know yet. But I do know I’m really, really grateful that I get to sit and internally reflect and figure out who I am.” - Margie

 

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The slow erosion of creative confidence and how burnout doesn’t always look like what you expect
• Why Margie only posted six to eight times on Instagram in all of 2025 
• The rise and fall of her subscription business model, from 70 subscribers at its peak to closing it down
• How her identity became wrapped up in The Lovely Ave brand and the terrifying question of who she is without it
• Getting a part-time job after 11 years of full-time artistry and what that transition felt like
• The overwhelming response from her community when she announced her break (over 100 emails in one day)
• Considering a rebrand from The Lovely Ave to just Margie Keates
• Sara’s experience pivoting from bridal accessories to paper flowers after burnout
• Quynh’s health scare and how it forced her to slow down and reconnect with why she loves paper flowers
• Jessie’s beautiful reminder that your creative identity follows you into whatever comes next
• Why using AI as a business tool is something paper flower artists should embrace, not fear
• Kozo paper: what it is, where to find it, and Quynh’s quest to source it in Japan
• Finding joy in real flowers, gardening, Pilates, and the simple act of showing strangers your work at a store

 

About Our Guest

Margie Keates is the artist and founder behind The Lovely Ave, a Salt Lake City-based paper flower studio known for breathtaking crepe paper blooms and still life wall art. Over 11 years, Margie built a devoted following, a thriving custom order and subscription business, and a reputation as one of the paper flower community’s most inspiring voices. She first appeared on Paper Talk in Season 1, Episode 5, and returned in Season 3, Episode 80, to talk about imposter syndrome. In early 2026, Margie announced she was stepping away from full-time artistry to rediscover herself outside of her creative brand. She currently works part-time in marketing while keeping her studio lease active because she knows this isn’t goodbye.

Follow Margie: @thelovelyave on Instagram, www.thelovelyave.com on her website

 

The Best Thing We Bought for Under $20

• Margie: Trader Joe’s flowers
• Jessie: Pillsbury Grands! Deluxe Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
• Sara: Trader Joe’s Ranch Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips 

 

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Listen and Subscribe

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Keywords: paper flower podcast, paper flower artist burnout, creative entrepreneur break, The Lovely Ave, Margie Keates, paper flower business, creative identity, artist mental health, subscription business model, paper flower community, Paper Talk Podcast, creative burnout recovery