Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Regina Pyles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Regina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
We absolutely do take vacations. Vacations (or staycations) are a time to rest and recharge, to reconnect, and to get inspired. Sometimes you work so hard you forget what is most important – having people to share in your success and stopping to refuel the inner creative.
We travel as a couple and as a family every year. It’s a must. It may be a short weekend trip or a trip to somewhere close to home, but there’s at least one trip for us as a couple and one for the family – period. One of our first vacations together was to a cabin in a rural state park. Our cell phones didn’t work. There was no internet. Where stores existed, they were miles away by car. It was a complete joy though, and it cemented a shared love of state parks. It also bolstered our budding romance. We both still remember that vacation all these years later and how it enabled us to recharge individually while pouring into each other. We’ve since gone back to the same park several times and visited many others.
What makes it possible for us to step away is planning well in advance (min. 3-6 months) and recognizing that it doesn’t take a lot of money to enjoy ourselves. It does, however, take time. That time of stepping away is necessary in order to bring our best selves back to the work – even when that means not working for a few days. My advice is to remember that even a short drive to a neighboring town for the weekend, or setting up a retreat in your home counts as long as it’s enjoyable and restorative.
Regina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In my heart I’ve always been and always will be a creative. As far back as I can remember, I’ve held a crayon, pencil, or paintbrush in my hands and used it to doodle or create art. I’ve always loved creating things. When I started college as an architecture major, I fully believed that I would become an architect. The 2008 financial crisis changed that. While completing my degree, I found a new interest – urban planning. By day, I currently work primarily with local governments across the country as a planning consultant.
By night, I run Pyles Design Works (PDW) with my husband. PDW is a boutique graphic design studio, proudly providing beautiful stationery, graphics and inspiration/encouragement-
As a husband and wife team, we know the value of teamwork and the importance of commemorating events and cultivating memories. We assist clients by helping them show up authentically in the world through design. With over a decade of experience in planning, fabrication and graphics, we have developed a design philosophy and a passion for helping people and organizations eliminate design stress and achieve more than their inner vision.
Design is personal to us, and we strive to ensure that everything we produce is personal to our clients and well executed. From concept to creation, we always generate something unique, functional and beautiful that fuses the client’s spirit with our artistry. It’s essential for us that our clients get personalized design and recommendations. There’s no cookie-cutter design here. Additionally, with our printed stationery – wedding invitations, postcards, etc.- we hand inspect every single piece before the client ever sees one and adjust as needed. It takes longer than spot-checking, but it’s important to us to provide the highest-quality for every piece so that each recipient has a positive reaction/experience.
We value integrity, creativity, flexibility, and community in business and life and operate to put those things back into world. Acknowledging that we wouldn’t be where we are without others, we also believe it is important to give back to the community. We do that by volunteering with local groups in their work, giving financially, and by providing in-kind design services for select organizations and causes.
Any advice for managing a team?
Be honest. Acknowledge what each member brings to the table and support their growth.
Laugh more together.
Establish a genuine interest in who the team members are, their lives outside of work, how they learn and how they receive feedback.
Ask for feedback and new ideas. Act on some of them, and let the team know why you did or didn’t choose something.
Give yourself and others some grace.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
At the core of being a creative professional, it’s about the client feelings and reactions –
It’s seeing the pure joy on someone’s face when they open up a box of hand-delivered, ready-to-mail invitations, day-of stationery or “thank you” cards.
It’s doing a website walk-through and hearing “I love it.”
It’s learning that the messaging/visual on a product has inspired or encouraged someone.
It’s knowing the job has been executed well and the client is adequately served – whether paid or pro-bono.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pylesdesignworks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pylesdesignworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pylesdesignworks