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High summer
It’s heating up. This week’s issue looks at men sprinting in stiletto heels, how to avoid the blues in Montreux, and whether a Labour government in the UK will be a good thing for creatives. But first, Sir John busts the myth of hard work.
OPINION/ CREATIVITY
The creative case for bunking off
💬 Sir John Hegarty
How did Charles Darwin write On the Origin of Species? Some might assume that the foundation of evolutionary biology was built from a punishing schedule of work. That Darwin spent extended periods at his desk, toiling as his beard took on an ever-whiter hue.
History’s most famous botanist had a routine, but this wasn’t it. Turning out his best work involved bunking off for a long walk twice a day. Every morning and afternoon, he would take a ruminative traipse down a track called the ‘sandwalk’, a gravelly route a short distance from his home in Kent. That way, his creative subconscious could perform the hard work – and the bit at the desk was easier.
The process of play helps one prepare for the hard work
Studies of the world’s most productive people have shown a similar pattern. Highly successful folk seem to take their hobbies seriously. Bill Gates is obsessed with the card game bridge. Albert Einstein played the violin. Ada Lovelace was fond of gambling. Unfortunately, her mathematical formula to win large bets on the horses failed spectacularly, and left her with an impressive amount of debt.
In each instance, the leisure activity simulates the actions taken in the person’s profession. The process of playing is restorative, but helps one cognitively prepare for the hard work that will come later.
Modern business – particularly tech – glamourises a culture of overwork. And the assumption is that more time grinding leads to better results. Where creativity or problem-solving is concerned, this theory is flawed. Want to do better work? There’s evidence that the best way is to spend a bigger chunk of your time getting good at something else entirely.
THE AGENDA
✏️ Pencil it in: your agenda for the coming week
1.
For an exhilarating union of art and science, head to The Royal Society in London this week. The Summer Science Exhibition will feature personal brain scanners and dark matter detectors.
2nd – 7th July
2.
The Spanish capital has erupted into rainbow-coloured revelry this week for Madrid Pride. The zenith of celebrations will take place this Saturday with a parade, and a running race where men must compete in stiletto heels.
6th July
3.
Each July, Switzerland reminds the world of its sax appeal. The 57th Montreux Jazz Festival counts off this week.
5th – 20th July
4.
There are conferences and award ceremonies for everything. But don’t those who put on such occasions deserve a bit of credit too? Organisers of the Annual Conference Awards think so – it celebrates the best industry events from the last twelve months.
5th July
5.
Too young to scoop a Young Lion award at Cannes? The winners of the D&AD New Blood Awards will be presented this week. The competition spotlights work of precocious student creatives.
4th July
LONDON / POLITICS
Sir Keir Starmer: PM in waiting?
Contributor: Richard Lincoln / Alamy Stock Photo
Ballot dance
Britain heads to the polls this Thursday. A historic political episode is expected: a Labour landslide, and a wipe-out for the Conservatives. While the Tories have been criticised for overlooking the arts and creative industries, will Sir Keir Starmer’s government-in-waiting offer a better alternative? There is reason to think so. At the Labour Creatives Conference in London last spring, the leader pledged to turn the arts from a luxury to a necessity. And declared the sector to be “essential to our economic growth and our national identity”. Beyond this, the party has promised to lend more support to creative entrepreneurs – start-ups, scale-ups and independent retailers. That means cutting business rates on physical shops, clamping down on late invoices and helping growing companies export to new markets. Such policies make for encouraging reading. Here’s hoping they materialise.
ON CREATIVITY
CATANIA / BUSINESS
Student to start-up
Entrepreneurship is largely missing from school syllabuses around the world. Today, more programmes are ramping up that encourage young people to turn promising ideas into great companies. For instance, Conception X is an initiative in the UK that turns PhD research into deep-tech start-ups. This week, Gen-E, a festival co-funded by the European Commission, will showcase the brightest budding entrepreneurs in the region. Those who are fifteen and older will compete for awards including ‘best company’ and, ‘best start-up of the year’. Encouraging youngsters to forge creative companies is laudable, and vital to sustain economic growth in the coming decades. Education ministers globally should take note. More skills for creative entrepreneurship would help future founders fare better in an uncertain world.
HOUSTON / SPACE
Starbunks
Contributor: NASA/Bill Stafford
One small prep
Four Nasa astronauts have been sealed in a tiny apartment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for over a year. The 3D-printed structure, called Mars Dune Alpha is designed to simulate the conditions of a real colony on the red planet. The initiative, called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), is a prolonged test to pre-solve any issues that might crop up on an actual mission. The problems thrown at the crew range from resource limitations, and equipment failures, to communication delays. This Saturday, the participants are expected to emerge for the first time in over 378 days. When attempting any feat of technical or creative effort (especially one that’s likely to be costly), never underestimate the value of a dummy run.
Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.
/ Bruce Garrabrandt
