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What a year! Our membership meter hit over 50,000 which was pretty wonderful. We’re now publishing six stories a week, running a mentoring in the arts program, and are broadcasting good news to over 26,000 social media followers. This year you and members of the community have loaded over 5,000 opportunities, events and announcements. The Big Idea is the online pulse for arts and creativity in New Zealand.  

We hope you are are looking forward to spending time with friends and whanau - we are! So from our team here, we wish you a Meri Kirihimete and a happy festive season.

Our last newsletter of the year will be on the 20th of December. We’ll be taking a break until 21st January 2019, but do keep your eye on our job boards as there will be plenty available for you to look at and apply for. 

In the meantime, we want you to enjoy 2018’s best stories, just in case you missed a goodie.

The awards for most well-read stories on The Big Idea in 2018 goes to….

Best Raves

1. Soapbox: Opinion piece by Jacinda Ardern
2. Soapbox: “You’re not Māori. You’ve just got Māori in you.”
3. Soapbox: Artists Copyright is a No Brainer
4. Passing the bucks: a living wage for artists

Best Arts Smarts

1. Making a living from creative talent
2. Instagram for artists - How to use Instagram to build your audience
3. Landing a job in the arts
4. How creatives deal with not knowing what they’re doing
5. Making a living by teaching your skills
6. Follow the Money: number-crunching, savings and taxes for artists

Best Advice

1. Advice to my 22-Year-Old Self: The Gospel of Ahi Karunaharan
2. Advice to my 22 year old self: if you want to travel, live in New Zealand!
3. Advice to my 22 year old self: Evie Kemp
4. How to survive and thrive as an introvert in the arts

Best Features

1. Lowdown #18: Sparks fly in funding fireworks
2. Who got the gig? The aggressively gentle Audrey Baldwin
3. The many colours of Jennifer Ward-Lealand

And that's a wrap!

See you in 2019 for lots more creative inspiration, wisdom, how-tos and celebrations of YOU - our fantastic arts community - you make Aotearoa proud. 

From the team at The Big Idea / Te Aria Nui