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The Big Idea Q&As have been a popular and great way to capture a glimpse of the diverse creative community in New Zealand. Since it's our 10th birthday we thought it was time we stepped out of the virtual shadows and shine a light on the team!

The Big Idea Q&As have been a popular and great way to capture a glimpse of the diverse creative community in New Zealand. Since it's our 10th birthday we thought it was time we stepped out of the virtual shadows and shine a light on the team!

First up is Margaret Lewis who shares how her creative life combines with her business development, marketing and communications role at The Big Idea.

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During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

It’s more a place than a time – my two favourites are on the open road and in the shower. Someone once told me that running water on the back of your head is good for creativity – seems to work for me.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Quirky. The professional term would be eclectic.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

Conception – the spark of a whole new idea. And completion – my challenge is to finish with style and grace.

How does your environment affect your work?

I live a life surrounded by textile - in particular wool. Its in my room, in my car, on my desk at work...It gives a place to rest my mind and refocus. So long as I have that around, my environment doesn’t matter too much.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Detail, schemtail – but oh so necessary.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

You never know where the next opportunity is so, be prepared, be flexible and never be dismissive.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

Usually it’s the most recent thing I have finished.

Who or what has inspired you recently?

I got this beautiful embossed card that was inserted in a magazine. It says “Inner children must be accompanied by outer adults at all times”. What inspiration.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I never thought I was creative – and often still wonder. I worked in the corporate sector for 20 years as a marketer until I got made redundant. At the same time I had been playing around designing knitwear. I was asked to design something for Whale Rider. The production people liked it and so did a whole lot of other people [I’ve been asked innumerable times for the pattern]. With insurance to cover my debts, I thought I’d see if I have what it takes in the creative sector. I’m still finding my way as a designer making handcrafted clothes, with some success.

At the same time I get to combine my creative and business brains at The Big Idea. I love that I get to think strategically and work tactically with different organisations in our sector. There's some great thinking and delivery going on and this in itself is heartening for the future of the creative sector.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you’ve chosen, what would it be?

I’d still want to be where I am now, the journey might have been different however.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

My parents used to drag me down to the West Coast to visit my grandparents. Travelling around in my Grandad’s old Austin 1100, hunting out bits of our past, openly walking into pubs [no beer for us tho] – we were wide-eyed kids from the city introduced to the wild ways of the West Coast.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?

In my car – I can sing out loud and not bother others – apart from people in cars going the opposite way – they may think I’m a bit strange.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

It would involve snapping the stick - something knitted, of course.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

SNAP OUT OF IT.

What’s your big idea for 2012?

To take my designs off-shore and see what the world thinks.

* * * The Big Idea 10th Birthday Questions * * *

What does The Big Idea mean to you?

Such a hard question when you are immersed in it so many hours each week – it can be hard to have a sense of perspective. To me, The Big Idea is a great way to feel connected. Every day I find inspiration and often a renewed sense of the value of what I make and do. This comes from the people I get to work with, those I get to talk to and those whose work I get to see or engage with.

What changes have you noticed in the creative sector in the past 10 years?

I think acknowledging that there is a creative sector is the first change. Richard Florida may have signalled the way with his thinking around the creative class. The success of businesses like Weta Workshop, Park Road Post and Natural New Zealand, our fashion designers showing off-shore, the Royal New Zealand doing a show-all TV series – all of this has brought the creative sector far more into view. The means of creating and making are much more readily available. And social media and the internet make it much easier to share what we do. With all that change, one thing remains constant however, great ideas and thinking are rare - great execution even rarer.

What are some of the opportunities and challenges for the next decade?

I wish I had a better answer, we're entering into uncharted territory. The current economic and climatic environments pose some of the greatest challenges. It all seems daunting and hard to know where to begin. I think the opportunity lies in identifying what you are good at and what you love to do, how that might be of benefit and then finding a way to make that work.