In Nerida's words " My biggest reward in my job is to put my commercial creativity to use and grow as a creative, as much as a mentor and agent. Thinking up my own concepts and colour creations for fabric design has been a pivotal point in the growth of Nerida Hansen Fabrics. Along with the wonderful artists I work with I am able to fill gaps in the fabric market with my own concepts and creativity. I am challenged daily in how I can see and interpret design and colour to create interesting and unique ideas, challenged to interpret trends in the marketplace and constantly learning from mistakes. In many ways I have become a surface artist myself. All these years and experiences have resulted in a complete immersion of the life of a surface artist, but with the added presence and insights of agent and buyer. Prior to the changes that the Covid 19 world presented us with, I thoroughly enjoyed presenting many workshops on the topic of setting up a successful surface art career. I also offered one-on-one mentoring with artists all over the world, to help answer gaps in knowledge or to offer my opinions on how to commercialise their portfolios.