***all images in this post copyright Stephanie Roberts.***

Next Week:  Rebekah Westover

Welcome, Stephanie.  Thank you so much for being part of the Women and Business series.  I've been so inspired by your 366 days project and so many of your other projects.  I'm so happy to have you here to share some of your beautiful insights.

You are incredibly creative. I love your 366 days idea. I've been inspired to do my own version of it. Will you tell me more about it? How did you come up with it?

Thank you so much. I just recently completed Project 366 on January 1 – a yearlong photography project that pushed me to capture at least one image each day. A flickr friend of mine, Danisoul, had started her project and I was so inspired by the concept and her commitment to it. Seeing her images sent me to the Project 365 flickr group where I found thousands of other creative individuals pushing themselves in the same way. I felt that I needed the creative discipline that this project could bring, and I hoped that I would become a better photographer in the process. I committed to the project on January 2, 2008.

At first, I found it easy to create images. I'd wake up in the morning and start thinking about what I'd like to shoot. I found that shooting in the morning worked well for me. The natural light was great and I'd feel good about checking that box. After a few weeks, shooting every day became a habit and I'd routinely spend time in the Project 365 flickr group to follow the progress of others. I traded by purse for a small backpack and took my camera with me everywhere.

What did you do on days that you didn't feel creative?

It doesn't take much to inspire me. I shot ceilings, new buds, my girl's toes, crumpled leaves, cow tail hair, reflections in a rubber bucket. More often than not, I'd walk outside and just wait for images to present themselves to me. I made it a point to vary the subject matter, my lenses, the lighting, and my perspective as a means of pushing myself throughout the project. Most days were easy. Some days were hard. On a few occasions, I scrambled for an image at 11:45pm.

Completing this project was a great accomplishment for me. It taught me to slow down and practice the art of seeing. And it gave me the confidence I needed to step out and pursue photography in a professional space.

What is life like for you on a daily basis?

Weekdays are crazy, as I'm sure they are for you. I work as a consultant two days each week for Elemental Interactive, a firm I helped start with a business partner twelve years ago. Those days are pretty intense and I spend most of the day managing web projects, brainstorming new ideas for our clients, and writing proposals. On the days I work from home, I pick up my two children from school and my 76-year old nanny, Imogene. She is my right hand. Imogene is the laundry-master, button-sewer, supper-cooker, dishwasher-unloader, and the eyes and ears for my children while I'm tucked away upstairs. She's been a member of our family since my son was born eight years ago, and I'm truly grateful for her. During the other three days of the week, I'm building my own business, LittlePurpleCow Productions and forcing myself to develop an affection for QuickBooks.

Early evening hours are spent at basketball courts, baseball fields, or at gymnastics practice. We hem and haw through homework, study for tests, read, brush teeth and say our prayers. My husband is a great support and we trade tasks to keep life in motion. Thankfully, he knows how to fend for himself in the kitchen, and tolerates things like my messy closet and a cluttered kitchen table.

After we put the kids to bed, I lure myself up on my Stairmaster with a good book or an audio podcast a few nights each week, then I work my way back to my computer to focus on personal creative pursuits such as my photo blog. I let my mind run free, explore online, and catch up on my Shutter Sisters. I crave these late night hours and can often be spotted creeping into bed around 2:00am.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

Share my love. Ask questions. Listen. Encourage kindness and respect for others. Expect a best effort and good manners. Praise creativity, good ideas and hard work. Pray for guidance.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a business woman every day?

Give my best effort. Seek knowledge and new ideas. Ask questions. Listen. Be open. Take chances. Solve problems. Show kindness and respect for others. Praise creativity. Pray for guidance.

You have a wonderful project that you are working on with Imogene. How did that come about? What is the process you are going through to make the project have a heartfelt connection?

Thank you. I'm really excited about my documentary project with Imogene. Imogene is a strong, 76-year old African American woman and the part-time keeper of my home. Many years ago, she took care of my husband each week in a church nursery and developed a friendship with my husband's family. Though she never had children of her own, she's always loved children, animals (especially strays), and caring for families and their homes. Eight years ago, after my son was born, I was uneasy about returning to my career and knew that I needed the right woman to come into our home to care for my son. My mother-in-law suggested I meet Imogene and that's where our story began.

Our working relationship has evolved over the years into a friendship. She's stubborn and strong-willed, but kind and trustworthy. She's known to dish out a little too much ice-cream and syrup on pancakes, but her hymns and streams of laughter flow just as freely. She doesn't drive and she doesn't put clothes away in the proper drawers, but she whips up fried green tomatoes and irons like no other. As time has passed, she's shared stories with me about her life as a child and a young woman. I'm amazed by her strength and often amused by her perspective. We're different in so many ways.

I've felt a push to capture images of Imogene because she is a rare gift in my life. Having lost my mother to cancer, I know that life is precious and fleeting. So, I asked Imogene if I could create a series of images of her over the course of six months to a year, and she agreed. I've recently decided to expand this project beyond photographic images, and intend to capture audio and potentially video to give the viewer a deeper appreciation for this woman and her past. I think she enjoys having her picture made, and I have to say… she is quite photogenic.

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

I am a work in progress on this front (evidenced by my lack of sleep), but here are five tips that help keep me balanced.

1. Let some things go. Who says you have to make the bed? Just close the door.
2. Find a kind person who can help you in your home. You have special talents. It's okay to spend your time using these talents and to share your responsibilities with someone who was blessed with other special talents.
3. Buy the cupcakes. I lack the baking chromosome and I've struggled with burnt muffins and cookies at 12:00am too many times to count. Just because you're a mom doesn't mean you have to make the cupcakes (and sew buttons for that matter).
4. Commit to a personal project. Find something that fulfills you personally – kick off an art project, attend a creative writing class, start a study group, write a really bad first draft, read the classics you skipped in high school, etc. Assign a start and end date to the project or add it to your calendar as a recurring event. If you give 50% of your time to your career and 50% of your time to your family, there is nothing left for you.
5. Sit down and enjoy the sound of silence. Turn the radio off while you're driving in the car. Go to the library. Use this time to dream, to seek guidance, to unravel, to be thankful for all you have, to create, to think good thoughts for someone else... to find yourself.

***all images in this post are copyright Stephanie Roberts***