We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin & Jennifer Pyle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin & Jennifer below.
Erin & Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
We are absolutely happy as creatives. While we had meaningful careers outside of the performing arts, we often remark about how we now have the freedom to do what we love. The timing is different for everyone. And like all things in life, the transition was risky…but worth it! We found a way to bring forth the best aspect of our former lives into our new adventures, meet wonderful people along the way, and collaborate to create inspiring performances and productions.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Both of us were creatives in the performing arts years ago, but the realities of trying to make a living and being a performing artist pushed us to other career paths. After years in leadership roles in finance (Jen) and the Air Force (Erin); we felt the pull back to our creative roots. Jen started back in Dance and Acting eight years ago while Erin picked up his sax again and started Acting as well. After experiencing life behind the camera, we then combined our talents into creating Dawg House Productions, where we seek to collaborate with other creatives and show where different types of art forms can intersect to tell relevant and impactful stories. We bring a unique mix of skills, as active performers on one hand, to experienced leaders with proven critical thinking and project management skills on the other. We’re most proud that we embrace a carpe diem mentality and help others express themselves and tell their unique stories.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Both of us come from backgrounds where we’ve led organizations, directed complex projects, and solved problems in support of people, processes, and mission outcomes. That mindset has served us well — but it’s also something we’ve had to unlearn as creatives.
You can plan, plan, plan to reduce risk and set yourself up for success, but you can’t plan for everything. The creative process needs room to breathe. We’ve learned that some of the most powerful moments in music, dance, and film come from what you didn’t plan.
The real lesson for us has been learning how to balance smart preparation with the flexibility to recognize and embrace what’s emerging in the moment.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being a creative requires a degree of personal courage that many people never have to practice — the courage to be seen, to be judged, and to keep going anyway. It means confronting your own doubts as much as external obstacles, like limited resources, rejection, or simply not knowing if anyone cares about what you are doing.
We choose to take the journey because it gives our lives meaning. It lets us tell stories that reflect real human experiences, challenge perspectives, and hopefully leave things a little better than we found them. Just as important, it brings us to collaborate with people who are brave enough to imagine, build, and believe alongside us.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawg_house_productions_llc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DawgHouseProductionsLLC/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dawg_House_Productions
- Other: TIKTOK:
@dawghouseproductionsllc
Image Credits
Image 2 Ballerina by Rob Pfeiffer
Image 3 saxophone player by George Marsh.