Issue 74: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ CREATIVITY

Perfect is another word for boring

💬 Sir John Hegarty

Agriculture isn’t considered to be among the creative industries, but farming carries many lessons to do with imagination, innovation, and intuition. In what some might view as a rash move some years ago, I took ownership of a small vineyard in an effort to put forth some great bottles. Earlier this year, I was talking to our wine-maker Jessica Servet Chardron about the importance of timing.

A personal choice allows for serendipity, imperfection, subjectivity

There’s an opportune moment to harvest the grapes, she explained. It’s when the fruit has acid and sugar in the right proportions (this is called phenolic balance). While some winemakers rely on lab tests to figure out when this occurs, we prefer just to pinch a few off the vine and let Jessica make the final call on whether it’s go-time. Why make a personal, rather than a science-informed choice? It allows for serendipity, imperfection, and subjectivity. It enables us to avoid perfection, and hence – boredom.

Nobody has ever been drawn to a wine on the strength of its empirical credentials. Wine is about story, meaning, and art. There’s a lesson here for entrepreneurs who allow themselves to become ruled by the idea of doing things right, relying too heavily on evidence over intuition. Pursuing ‘correct’ can put us on a course for blandness. As Leonard Cohen put it: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

THE AGENDA

🗓️ Diarise this: your agenda for the coming week

1.
Berlin Fashion Week returns. Over four fashion-filled days, the city will spotlight a mix of established names and rising stars – all with a sharp focus on innovation and sustainability.
30th June – 3rd July

2.
Denmark’s Roskilde Festival throws open its gates this weekend. The headline spots are dominated by British acts. Expect riotous showings from Stormzy, Charli XCX and FKA Twigs.
28th June – 5th July

3.
The winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year will be revealed on Thursday. There are five finalists up for this year’s £120,000 prize pot, including The Living Museum of the North and Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery.
26th July

4.
Saturday marks International LGBTQ+ Pride Day – a vibrant, global celebration of love, identity, and visibility. From New York to São Paulo, this weekend sees city streets come alive with parades, music, and bold declarations of unapologetic joy.
28th June

5.
Next Monday is Social Media Day. In our smartphone-obsessed world, isn’t it every day? Rather than spending twenty-four hours scrolling, the event is a call to reflect on the impact of the technology, and determine how we might make its contribution more positive, and less malign.
30th June

EDINBURGH / CINEMA

‘Cinema Paradiso’ (dir. Tornatore, 1988): Playing at the renewed Filmhouse from Friday
Source: Filmhouse

Backing the (smaller) big screen

After a three-year closure and a £2 million refurbishment, Edinburgh’s beloved Filmhouse cinema is set to reopen its doors on 27 June. The independent venue – shuttered in 2022 – returns with improved facilities, upgraded tech, and a renewed sense of purpose, thanks to a passionate fundraising campaign backed by stars like Brian Cox and Emma Thompson. In a challenging moment for the UK’s independent cinemas, it’s a rare glimmer of hope. Nearly a third of venues report being at risk, according to the Independent Cinema Office, with urgent calls for greater investment. Elsewhere, actor Cillian Murphy stepped in to save a cinema in Dingle, while directors Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan have lent their voices to efforts in London. Filmhouse’s return is a powerful reminder: independent screens matter, and audiences are willing to fight for them.

ON CREATIVITY /

Contributor: Sir John Hegarty

GLASTONBURY / FESTIVALS

Crowd control

Peace at Glastonbury: The Pyramid Stage in a quiet moment
Source: Glastonbury Festivals

Glastonbury returns to Worthy Farm tomorrow with a heavyweight line-up led by Rod Stewart, Neil Young, and US pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo. But after last year’s record-breaking 210,000 attendees overwhelmed smaller stages and sparked safety concerns, organisers are playing it safer this time around. Emily Eavis, the festival’s co-organiser, has confirmed that “a few thousand less tickets” have been sold for 2025 to ease pressure on the site. Last year’s overcrowding saw popular sets halted and areas temporarily closed to prevent crushes. While the music roster is as strong as ever, the true test will be whether lessons have been learned. With Glastonbury’s reputation on the line, the balance between scale and safety will be under as much scrutiny as the headliners themselves.

NEW YORK CITY / GAMING

At Parsons this month: Inspiring purposeful design and innovation
Source: Games for Change

Power play

The Games for Change Festival returns to New York’s Parsons School of Design this June, spotlighting the power of video gaming to spark real-world impact. Now in its 21st year, the non-profit initiative brings together game developers and educators to explore how interactive media can tackle global challenges from climate action to mental health. This year’s theme, Designing for Tomorrow, invites forward-thinking perspectives from industry leaders like Minecraft Education’s Allison Matthews and Marvel Games’ Eric Monacelli. Even wellness guru Deepak Chopra will join the conversation, sharing insights into his upcoming game Oasis of Quantum Consciousness. With 3.2 billion gamers worldwide, the festival underlines the growing responsibility – and potential – for the industry to educate, inspire, and empower. In an age of screens, finding meaningful, immersive ways to engage has never been more vital.

Don’t wait for the stars to align, reach up and rearrange them the way you want.

/Pharrell Williams