Issue 71: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ CREATIVITY

Creativity requires ambition (and the more the better)

💬 Sir John Hegarty

The greatest artists are always clear about their own potential. Renaissance virtuoso Michelangelo once said: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” The danger with this statement is its implication. Success is simply a sign that you haven’t been ambitious enough to fail – and spectacularly. Nonetheless, I agree. The most vital ingredient for creativity, (and creative teams more specifically) is ambition.

Ask yourself how your work will alter its world

While running advertising agencies I witnessed this in effect. A team that understands the significance of the work it is trying to do will always over-deliver. And if you are the one in charge, then it’s your job to cultivate ambition. This is never more important than at the start of a project – the brief. Great leaders don’t issue orders or micromanage, they elevate the purpose of the job itself. Which means painting a clear picture of how the work might alter the world it inhabits. Broadly speaking: if your brief contains instructions, the result will be mediocrity. Whereas if it contains ambition, the result will be brilliance.

Art has more to teach business than we often give it credit for. Sometimes we overlook the fact that businesses themselves are creative constructs. Whether you are painting a canvass, sculpting out of stone – or building something digital, there’s a question you should ask yourself: ‘is this ambitious enough?’. Or even: ‘what would Michelangelo think?’

THE AGENDA

🗓️ Diarise this: your agenda for the coming week

1.
The next few weeks see Somerset House transformed into a hive of creative activity as London Design Biennale takes over the historic Thameside location. This year’s edition explores the theme of Surface Reflections, investigating how design interacts with the world around us through a rich programme of installations and exhibitions.
5th – 29th June

2.
Paris will be transformed into an open-air gallery on Saturday night for Nuit Blanche – the city’s annual celebration of contemporary art. Museums, streets, and public spaces across the French capital will come alive after dark with performances, installations and exhibitions designed to surprise and inspire.
7th June

3.
Legendary R&B singer Mavis Staples will be serenading the Windy City on Sunday when she headlines the Chicago Blues Festival. It’s the world’s largest free festival of blues music, with stages set up around the city to host a soulful line-up of local talent and international stars.
8th June

4.
Luminato Festival returns to Toronto this week, animating the city with a mix of performances, exhibitions and public installations. Celebrating creativity in all its forms – from theatre and literature to music, dance and design – the event will take over venues and streets alike for three lively weeks.
4th – 22nd June

5.
Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest free contemporary art festival, kicks off on Saturday. Installations and exhibitions will be unveiled across the city, with highlights including a glow-in-the-dark skate park by South Korean artist Koo Jeong A and a towering pyramid of technicolour boulders by Ugo Rondinone.
7th June – 14th September

ANNECY, FRANCE / ANIMATION

Michel Gondry: ‘Honorary Cristal’ from Annecy for his contribution to animation
Source: Annecy Festival

Cartoon boom?

As the Annecy International Animation Film Festival gears up for its June showcase, the state of the animation industry is in focus. At first glance, things look rosy: recent box office wins like Moana 2, Flow and the Lilo & Stitch reboot suggest strong audience demand. But behind the scenes, a different narrative is playing out. Studios like On and Jellyfish have shuttered, casualties of an industry grappling with the fallout of the post-streaming boom. During the rush to populate platforms like Disney+ and Netflix, studios ramped up output – only to face a sharp cutback once subscriber growth slowed. And now, the spectre of AI looms. In an industry already defined by digital tools, the temptation to replace human craft with faster, cheaper machine alternatives raises big questions about creativity, sustainability, and what the future of animation should look like.

ON CREATIVITY /

Contributor: Sir John Hegarty

FOZ DO IGUAÇU, BRAZIL / ART

Pompidou at Foz do Iguaçu: near the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay
Source: Solano Benítez / Centre Pompidou

French touch

As its Paris headquarters prepares for a five-year renovation, the Centre Pompidou is extending its global footprint – this time to South America. Slated to open in 2027, the new satellite will be built in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, joining a growing network of outposts in cities like Shanghai, Málaga, and Metz. The Brazilian site will feature exhibition galleries and research facilities, with a dual mission: to elevate South American artists and showcase selections from the Pompidou’s vast 150,000-object collection. This international expansion comes at a time when cultural institutions are increasingly rethinking their geographic and social reach, with new ventures like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and MoMA’s contemporary art satellite PS1. For the Pompidou, long a symbol of avant-garde creativity, the move represents not just logistical necessity but also a strategic shift – one that embraces decentralisation, cross-cultural dialogue, and a more globally engaged vision of contemporary art.

NEW YORK CITY / THEATRE

Othello: Denzel Washington
Source: Othello Broadway LLC

All the world’s a stage

Broadway is basking in a blockbuster season as this year’s Tony Awards approach, with box office revenues reaching a record-breaking $1.89 billion. That eye-watering figure isn’t just down to celebrity appearances – though they’ve certainly helped. Denzel Washington’s turn in Othello and George Clooney’s Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck drove ticket prices north of $900. But the season has also seen creative risk-taking pay off, from the surreal breakout play Oh, Mary! to the crowd-pleasing musical remake of Death Becomes Her. A mix of limited-run prestige projects and inventive new works has reinvigorated the industry, proving there’s room for both spectacle and substance. As theatre lovers gather in New York for this year’s Tonys, Broadway is reminding the world that it still knows how to put on a show – and put bums on seats.

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.

/Antoine de Saint-Exupery