Overall Conclusion

The donation analysis for the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2024 reveals key trends in donor behavior, fundraising channels, and event-driven contributions. The total donations for 2024 amounted to £538,239.86, distributed across different channels, with postal donations (53.52%) and online donations (39.79%) being the primary sources. Small donations, particularly those under £1, dominate in volume but contribute less to the overall funds, while high-value donations from a small group of donors remain crucial to the festival’s financial health.

Comparing donation trends between 2023 and 2024, several critical observations emerge:

1. A decline in total contributions from the top 10 donors (down from £603,212.31 in 2023 to £332,015.00 in 2024) suggests that major donor retention is a challenge. The absence of some high-value donors from previous years has significantly impacted total fundraising.
2. In-person events remain the strongest fundraising avenue, with donations increasing by 21.1% year-over-year. This suggests that live events offer an effective platform for engaging donors and encouraging contributions.
3. The introduction of digital replay donations (DIGITAL_CATCHUP) contributed £58,988.04, a promising new revenue stream. This indicates that digital engagement could play a larger role in future fundraising.
4. Donation frequency per donor remained largely unchanged, implying that most donors contribute only once per year. Encouraging repeat donations through sustained engagement strategies is a key area for improvement.
5. Fluctuations in monthly donation trends suggest that fundraising efforts were not evenly distributed across the year. Significant drops in January (-96.71%) and October (-93.44%) highlight periods of weak engagement, whereas spikes in March (+258.06%) and December (+168.94%) indicate successful seasonal or event-driven campaigns.
6. New donors increased by 35% in 2024, but their average contribution was significantly lower than that of returning donors. This suggests that while outreach efforts successfully attracted new donors, retention and engagement strategies need to be improved to convert them into long-term supporters.
7. Not all events contribute equally to fundraising. The “Front List” series proved highly effective in generating donations, whereas children’s events and some online events received little to no financial support.

To build on these findings, the festival should adopt a multi-faceted donation strategy that strengthens donor retention, expands digital fundraising, and optimizes fundraising opportunities across all event types.

Recommendations and Fundraising Strategies

1. Strengthening Major Donor Retention

• Personalized Engagement: High-value donors play a disproportionately large role in total contributions. Implementing a dedicated donor relationship management program that includes personalized thank-you messages, exclusive event invitations, and tailored engagement plans can help retain and grow this segment.
• Exclusive Recognition and Benefits: Introduce “Patron Circles” or VIP tiers that offer perks such as exclusive author meet-and-greet sessions, premium seating, and behind-the-scenes festival access to encourage repeat and larger donations.
• Matching Gift Campaigns: Partner with corporate sponsors to offer matching donations for high-value contributors, effectively doubling the impact of their contributions.

2. Enhancing Small and Mid-Level Donor Engagement

• Optimized Suggested Donation Tiers: As 90.06% of donations are under £1, implementing a structured tiered donation system (e.g., £2, £5, £10 as default choices) can help increase the average contribution per donor.
• Gamification and Incentives: Introduce a “Supporter Badge” system, where donors receive digital or physical recognition for reaching cumulative donation milestones.
• Recurring Giving Options: Encourage donors to sign up for monthly giving programs by highlighting the long-term impact of their support and offering small perks for participation.

3. Expanding Digital and Online Fundraising

• Enhance Digital Replay Monetization: Given that DIGITAL_CATCHUP raised £58,988.04 despite being a new initiative, further investment in paywall options, donation prompts before accessing content, or exclusive replay content for donors can significantly increase this revenue stream.
• Live Donation Appeals During Events: Implement real-time fundraising drives during online events, with visible donation progress bars and live acknowledgments for contributors.
• Social Media Donation Challenges: Run targeted digital fundraising campaigns, such as “30 Days of Reading – Support the Festival”, encouraging donors to participate and share their contributions on social platforms.

4. Optimizing Event-Based Fundraising Strategies

• Leverage High-Performing Events: Events such as the “Front List” series generated significant donations (up to £19,178.50 per session). These events should be expanded with dedicated fundraising messaging and premium donation incentives.
• Improve Fundraising for Children’s and Online Events: Children’s events received minimal donations. Adding a “Parent Sponsorship” model, where parents can contribute to literacy programs or subsidized tickets for disadvantaged children, could bridge this gap.
• Festival-Wide Fundraising Integration: Ensure that every festival event includes a donation pitch at the beginning or end, with clear instructions on how to give.

5. Timing and Campaign Planning

• Address Seasonal Donation Drops: The steep declines in donations during January, October, and November indicate gaps in fundraising efforts. Introducing winter fundraising campaigns, anniversary fundraising drives, or pre-event donation challenges could help smooth out donation volatility.
• Leverage Successful Seasonal Spikes: Since March and December showed strong donation surges, running complementary early-bird fundraising initiatives, holiday-themed giving campaigns, or exclusive seasonal perks could further maximize revenue.

Final Thoughts

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has a unique opportunity to optimize its fundraising strategy by leveraging event-driven donations, expanding digital engagement, and strengthening donor retention efforts. While in-person events remain the primary driver of contributions, digital replay donations offer a promising new revenue stream. Addressing disparities in event-based fundraising, refining seasonal donation strategies, and enhancing engagement for both high-value and small donors will be key to ensuring long-term financial sustainability and growth.

By implementing these targeted strategies, the festival can increase donor retention, boost donation amounts across all levels, and future-proof its fundraising efforts in an evolving digital landscape.

Mar 12, 2025

1. Project Background

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is a globally renowned literary event that gathers authors, publishers, and book enthusiasts.

The festival’s operational funding primarily comes from:

• Ticket sales (primarily through event ticketing)
• Corporate & individual sponsorships
• Charitable donations (the focus of this analysis)

With rising operational costs for cultural events, the sustainability of donations is crucial to the long-term development of the festival. This report analyzes donation data from 2023 and 2024, identifies changes in donation patterns, and provides optimization recommendations.

Data Scope: Donation trends, donor behavior, donation channels, and the impact of ticket sales on donations in 2023 and 2024

 

2. Overview of Donations

2023 vs 2024 Total Donation Comparison

Year	Total Donation Amount (£)	Number of Donors	Change (%)
2023	730,816.06	1,894	Baseline
2024	431,170.87	2,308	-41.00%

• The total donations in 2024 decreased by 41% compared to 2023, which could impact operations.
• The number of donors increased by 21.86%, indicating that more people were willing to donate, but the average donation amount per donor declined.

 

3. Key Insights Analysis

The following are the key insights derived from the donation data in 2023 and 2024. Each insight includes data, conclusions, and recommendations.

 

Analysis 1: Total Donations in 2024

Total Donations: £538,239.86

Donation Breakdown by Channel

Channel	Donation Amount (£)	Percentage (%)
Counter (On-site)	345.50	0.06%
Phone (Telephone Donations)	35,691.49	6.63%
Web (Online Donations)	214,137.98	39.79%
Postal (Mail Donations)	288,064.89	53.52%

Key Findings:

• Mail donations (Postal) account for the highest percentage at over 53.5%, indicating that returning donors or subscription-based donations may be the primary source of contributions.
• Online donations (Web) account for 39.8%, showing that online giving is becoming a significant channel, though still trailing mail donations.
• Telephone donations (Phone) account for 6.6%, suggesting that this is a traditional but low-frequency donation method.
• On-site counter donations (Counter) are negligible at 0.06%, indicating that most visitors do not donate directly at physical locations.

 

Analysis 2: Distribution of Donation Amounts

• The majority of donations (90.06%) are less than £1, indicating that small donations are the dominant form of giving.
• Donations between £2 and £10 account for approximately 6.98%.
• Large donations (£100+) are rare, but significant donors still contribute high-value donations.

Detailed Distribution of Donations

Donation Range (£)	Percentage (%)
< £1	90.06%
£1 – £2	0.31%
£2 – £5	4.62%
£5 – £10	2.04%
£10 – £50	2.43%
£50 – £100	0.16%
£100 – £500	0.25%
£500 – £1000	0.005%
£1000 – £5000	0.085%
£5000 – £10000	0.005%
£10000 – £50000	0.012%
£50000+	0.005%

Key Findings:

• Most donations are small (£1 or less), but the overall donation total may still depend on a few high-value donors.
• High-value donations (£1000+) account for a very small percentage but contribute significantly to total funds.
• The £10-£50 range remains a crucial donation segment, accounting for 2.43%, and could be a potential growth area.

 

Analysis 3: Comparison of Top 10 Donors (2023 vs. 2024)

Total Contributions from Top 10 Donors

Year	Top 10 Donors’ Total Contributions (£)	Percentage of Total Donations (%)
2023	603,212.31	82.54%
2024	332,015.00	77.00%

Key Findings:

• The top 10 donors still contribute the majority of total donations (over 75%), highlighting their critical impact.
• The total contributions from the top 10 donors in 2023 were 81% higher than in 2024, which is a major factor in the overall decline in donations.
• The highest individual donor (Donor ID: 954) reduced their donation by half in 2024 (from £199,520 to £99,520).
• Some major donors from 2023, such as Donor ID 87085, 54854, and 49375, are absent from the top 10 list in 2024.

 

Analysis 4: Changes in Donation Frequency (2023 vs. 2024)

Donation Frequency

Metric	2023	2024	Change (%)
Average donation frequency (per donor)	1.97 times	1.96 times	-0.37%

Key Findings:

• Donation frequency remains almost unchanged, with the average number of donations per donor in 2023 and 2024 being nearly identical.
• There is a slight decline in donation frequency (-0.37%), suggesting that most donors still donate only once rather than making recurring donations.

 

Analysis 5: Donation Trends by Month (2023 vs. 2024)

Monthly Donation Trends

Month	2023 Donations (£)	2024 Donations (£)	Change (%)
January	155,766.20	5,120.41	-96.71%
February	77,780.67	106,026.52	+36.31%
March	16,908.80	60,542.91	+258.06%
April	21,005.70	44,379.42	+111.27%
May	119,514.00	46,234.91	-61.31%
June	65,657.42	38,607.94	-41.20%
July	32,636.71	31,435.91	-3.68%
August	15,839.92	18,662.93	+17.82%
September	10,499.71	14,211.56	+35.35%
October	167,749.05	10,999.41	-93.44%
November	29,785.97	7,422.54	-75.08%
December	17,671.91	47,526.41	+168.94%

Key Findings:

1. Donations in January, October, and November 2024 saw a significant decline, particularly:
   • January (-96.71%)
   • October (-93.44%)
   • November (-75.08%)
   • This may be due to fewer fundraising campaigns or reduced marketing efforts.
2. Donations increased significantly in February, March, April, and December:
   • March saw the highest growth (+258.06%).
   • December also increased significantly (+168.94%).
   • This suggests that special fundraising events or seasonal campaigns were effective during these months.
3. The overall fluctuation in donations indicates that the fundraising schedule in 2024 differs significantly from 2023.

Analysis 6: Impact of Different Event Types on Donations (2023 vs. 2024)

Donation Comparison Data

Event Type	2023 Donations (£)	2024 Donations (£)	Change (£)	Change (%)
DIGITAL_CATCHUP (Digital Replay)	£0.00	£58,988.04	+£58,988.04	New Addition
PHYSICAL (In-Person Events)	£655,991.41	£794,433.17	+£138,441.76	+21.10%

Key Findings:

1. In-person events (PHYSICAL) remain the primary source of donations, with a 21.1% increase in 2024 compared to 2023, indicating that physical events continue to be a crucial fundraising channel.
2. Digital replay (DIGITAL_CATCHUP) contributed £58,988.04 in 2024, a category that did not exist in 2023, suggesting that online replays may become a new fundraising opportunity.
3. Online events (such as live streaming and replays) are gradually becoming part of the donation model, representing a potential growth area for future digital fundraising.

 

Analysis 7: High vs. Low-Donation Events

Top Donation Events

Event Title	Total Donations (£)
The Front List: Matt Haig	19,178.50
The Front List: Richard Osman	18,896.00
The Front List: James O’Brien	18,684.18
The Front List: Alan Cumming & Forbes Masson	18,121.43
The Front List: Philippa Gregory	17,029.00
The Front List: Dolly Alderton	14,427.08
The Front List: Salman Rushdie	14,352.50
The Front List: Alice Oseman	13,648.00
On Making it Count: Oliver Burkeman	5,499.50
On Reflection: Richard Holloway	5,412.00

Key Findings

• Highest-donation events: “The Front List” series, with the top event generating £19,178.50.
• Lowest-donation events: Certain children’s events and some online events (SEE ONLINE EVENT) recorded £0.00 in donations.
• Conclusion: Some events have strong fundraising potential, while children’s and certain online events lack an effective donation mechanism.
• Recommendations:
  • Enhance donation strategies for children’s events, such as parent sponsorship models.
  • Optimize the fundraising process for online events to increase engagement and donation rates.

 

Analysis 8: New vs. Returning Donors

2024 New vs. Returning Donors

Type	Number of Donors	Total Donations (£)
Returning Donors from 2023	980	£325,789.00
New Donors in 2024	1,328	£105,381.87

Key Findings:

• New donors increased by 35% in 2024, but their total contribution was only £105,381.87, significantly lower than that of returning donors.
• Returning donors contribute substantially higher total donations, reinforcing the importance of donor retention.
• Targeted donor engagement strategies should be developed to increase the donation amounts from new donors.

 

Mar 12, 2025

Before analyzing how to enhance donation strategies for the Edinburgh International Book Festival, we first need to organize and understand the five datasets available and establish a comprehensive analytical framework. This article outlines the data processing steps and key analytical directions, laying the foundation for further exploration of donation patterns.

1. Data Structure & Cleaning

The five datasets include event details, revenue, donations, audience data, and transaction records. Before analysis, we must perform data preprocessing to ensure completeness, consistency, and correct relationships between different datasets.

Key Data Processing Steps:

1. Standardizing Data Formats:
   • Ensure all date fields follow a consistent format (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD).
   • Identify and align currency values across different datasets to maintain comparability.
2. Deduplication & Data Integration:
   • Are donations recorded separately from transactions?
     • If so, we must distinguish donation_amount from ticket_revenue to prevent double counting.
   • Can each transaction be linked to a specific event?
     • transactions_2024 (event transactions) and income_2024 (daily income) must be correctly mapped to ensure donations are attributed to the right events.
3. Handling Outliers & Missing Data:
   • Negative ticket revenue or refunds—do they impact donation calculations?
   • Are there large one-time donations that could skew the overall trends?

2. Key Analytical Directions

After data cleaning, the analysis will focus on donation behavior patterns to identify the key factors influencing donations. The framework includes the following four core areas:

1. Donation Trends Over Time

• Objective: Identify donation peaks & lows, assessing variations over different time periods.
• Methods:
  • Compare 2023 & 2024 daily income trends to determine year-over-year donation changes.
  • Identify whether specific dates (e.g., festival opening, closing, or specific author talks) correlate with donation spikes.

2. Online vs. Offline Donation Analysis

• Objective: Assess the effectiveness of different donation channels (Web, Phone, Postal, Counter) and their contributions.
• Methods:
  • Calculate total donations & contribution ratios by channel to find the most effective fundraising medium.
  • Analyze conversion rates of online viewers donating, identifying the potential for increasing digital contributions.

3. Impact of Events & Guest Speakers on Donations

• Objective: Identify which events or guest speakers generate the highest donation amounts to inform future programming.
• Methods:
  • Calculate ticket revenue vs. total donations for each event, evaluating the fundraising potential of different event formats.
  • Assess whether high-profile authors or speakers significantly influence donation behavior.

4. Audience Donation Behavior Analysis

• Objective: Understand the characteristics of donors to refine fundraising strategies.
• Methods:
  • Categorize donations into ranges (£0-5, £5-10, £10-50, etc.) to compare small vs. high-value donations.

3. Expected Research Outcomes

By following this analytical approach, we aim to answer the following key questions:

1. When do donations peak? Are there recurring fundraising patterns?
2. Do online or offline audiences donate more?
3. Which events or speakers attract the highest donations? Can we replicate successful models?
4. Do most donations come from small donors or high-net-worth individuals?
5. Can donation strategies be adjusted to improve overall fundraising rates?

This research aims to use data-driven insights to optimize the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s donation model and provide actionable fundraising recommendations.

Mar 10, 2025

After two full days of lectures on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), I’ve come to a stark realization: someone like me—who already considers themselves quite liberal back home—might actually come across as unnervingly conservative in this environment.

This disconnect feels especially pronounced in the cultural industries, where my instincts seem entirely misaligned with the prevailing mindset. The biggest difference? In the UK, there is a genuine, deeply held belief that cultural industries should not be driven solely by economic profitability.

I respect this perspective, but as someone with a background in investment and consulting, I find it hard to comprehend how cultural organizations can be so detached from commercial realities. Many of these institutions and professionals operate under the default assumption that funding should come from the government. Not only do they unquestioningly trust the government, but they also seem to believe—without a shadow of doubt—that the government has money to give.

Even in today’s economic downturn, with funding streams drying up, their response is never “How do we generate revenue?” but rather “Who else can we ask for more money. If anything, this feels less like capitalism and more like a socialist system in disguise.

And with the growing emphasis on EDI, government policies now fund not just cultural institutions themselves, but also an ever-expanding list of EDI-driven initiatives—supporting minority communities, LGBTQ+ representation, accessibility for people with disabilities, childcare subsidies for women, and so on.

These efforts are, without question, meaningful and necessary. But the biggest question on my mind is:

Where does the money come from?

How can an entire sector sustain itself purely on goodwill and government grants? No society can advance simply by expanding its wishlist indefinitely. Even when you go grocery shopping, you can’t just bring your shopping list—you need money, too. Or is public funding one of those things, like cleavage—where the more you squeeze, the more you can make appear?

After these lectures, I also have a clearer understanding of how postgraduate education here operates—a place, it seems, designed to dream big and build grand ideals.

When the semester started, every professor emphasized how crucial critical thinking would be. And I must admit, after half a year of experience, they do an excellent job cultivating it. Whether discussing ethics, diversity, law, or technology, students are actively encouraged to challenge surface-level harmony and uncover underlying contradictions and conflicts.

But perhaps because of my background in business consulting, I’ve now come to see critical thinking as merely a baseline skill. Plenty of people can identify problems. Even more can feel the barriers firsthand. Eliminating wrong answers is easy. Even picking the “right” answer isn’t that difficult. The hardest part—the real test of impact—is translating those paper-perfect solutions into reality.

In other words, getting things done.

How do you navigate constraints, work within limited resources, and cut through bureaucratic complexity—all while still achieving something that is (at least somewhat) ethical and (at least broadly) recognized as valuable?

That is the ultimate question.

And it will require trade-offs—human limitations, economic realities, resource scarcity. It means making compromises—between competing priorities, between ideals and feasibility. Demanding everything, refusing to yield an inch, leads only to either “division” or “bankruptcy.” (Which, incidentally, sums up the current states of the US and UK quite well.)

At this point, whenever I take courses on ethics or morality, I feel like the most morally bankrupt person in the room. Maybe I just care too much about money and trust too little about society’s moral standard. Perhaps I’ll never master the effortless detachment of old-money capitalists, who can afford to be unbothered by such concerns.

Feb 8, 2025

During the winter break, I’ve been immersed in Gaudí’s works, and I’ve finally figured out a question that’s puzzled me for a long time: why do luxury brands overseas struggle so much to create successful designs inspired by Chinese traditional culture?

Looking at Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Milà, and Casa Batlló, I can really feel the “violence” of Western aesthetic innovation. By “violence,” I mean the absolute disregard for established rules—something that’s especially evident in Spain.

Spanish art is something that grows in the cracks.
Religious beliefs have been a constant tug-of-war—Islam, Judaism, Christianity—each influencing and overlapping the other. Buildings often tell this story: one group builds it, another conquers it, makes some modifications, and continues using it.

The same applies to art. There’s no fixed or unified cultural paradigm—artists do what pleases them. Take Gaudí, for example: he mixed Gothic architecture with Art Nouveau, then added a touch of naturalism. No one accused him of betraying tradition or said, “This isn’t true Gothic.” Even across Gaudí’s own works, you can sense that aside from his rule of “no straight lines or sharp angles,” he had no fixed style—it was all about playing freely in the moment.

Their cultural freedom isn’t just about political freedom; it’s a freedom from the concept of “authenticity.” Everything is possible—if it’s created, it’s art.
This is most evident in their cultural and creative product design. It’s incredibly easy to create something inspired by Gaudí: just stick to “colorful mosaics + quirky shapes,” and you can design anything. Jewelry, clothing, shoes—you name it, and they’ll look perfectly on theme and full of charm.
This kind of art is fundamentally about “piling elements based on personal aesthetics.” Sure, there’s skill involved in how well you pile them, but there’s no such thing as being “wrong.”

Now, compare that with Chinese traditional culture, and it’s easy to understand why artists accustomed to this style of innovation can’t design good Chinese cultural products.
Chinese aesthetics doesn’t allow for mindless piling of elements. Its essence lies in “negative space” and restraint. Throw together “bright red,” “monkeys,” and “gold”—even if the elements are right and visually pleasing, it’ll never feel authentic.
The art of knowing where to leave empty, where to subtract—this requires a level of skill far beyond just adding more elements.

 

But this high-concept, high-threshold state also creates another problem: some highly orthodox cultures can easily suffocate within their orthodoxy.
In Chinese traditional culture, “authenticity” matters deeply.
Every ritual, rule, color, material—what patterns go on what clothing, how jewelry is paired, who can wear silk versus who must wear hemp—there are rules for everything.
Writing, painting, and craftsmanship all have their doctrines. Nothing is left to whim, and there’s almost no field where you can freely experiment. Even an old man playing with a string of beads can lecture you on the proper way to do it.
This inherent structure and tension in Chinese culture creates a sense of distance between the public and art. Forget about innovation—most people are afraid to even touch it. Afraid of making mistakes, afraid of falling short, afraid of breaking the rules, and afraid of being criticized.Fields like Peking Opera, crosstalk, traditional Hanfu, and ancient makeup styles are examples of areas that have managed to flourish despite criticism—but many other cultural domains still sit stiffly, burdened by their ancient glory, too afraid to move.

Our “test” is a harder one, but solving it would be infinitely rewarding.
Take Hanfu as an example—while the mainstream has only popularized the horse-face skirt, this “test” isn’t fully solved yet. After all, culture in circulation is living culture, and there’s still so much worth reviving.

Jan 23, 2025

I was reading a case in a Data Ethics course about a nonprofit mental health organization that considered selling its data to a for-profit company for “service optimization.” This sparked a huge ethical debate, and after much back-and-forth, they decided not to sell the data in the end.

Reading this, I couldn’t help but think of all the mental health projects I’ve come across as a venture capital investor in earlier days. The scenario described in the case feels like a standard pitch for securing funding. And as for data ethics? That’s not even on the radar. I’d bet that in every mental health project I’ve encountered, not a single investor has ever raised concerns about user privacy or ethics. If anything, they’re more likely to ask about code security than user privacy.

I’m not bringing this up to criticize privacy issues in certain contexts. What really intrigues me is the question: To what extent can “ethics” actually rein in the natural impulses or desires for economic growth, scaling up, and technological advancement? Because, judging by reality, it seems like ethics doesn’t stand a chance.

Artists’ work gets fed into AI models. Patients’ data gets sold. Databases get breached. Everyone’s a victim, but who has the capacity to care? Websites that store passwords in plaintext are still in use, and people continue to use facial recognition payments. For most people, their only “action” is to click “Agree to Privacy Policy Updates.” What else can they do?

What’s more, the decision-making power often doesn’t rest in the hands of the people who need protection. In all those projects I’ve seen, decisions about features and data use are entirely up to the team and their investors. Legal counsel merely ensures the bare minimum compliance, let alone addressing ethical concerns.

Reading this kind of material always makes me understand why “the humanities are in global decline.” Sure, some aspects of the humanities are meant for gazing at the stars. But sometimes, the stars feel so far from the ground. Compared to the starlight, you’re more likely to feel the mud caked on your legs.

I can’t figure it out. Maybe expecting the humanities to be “useful” is a mistake? Maybe they’ve just been stuck in their self-referential bubble for too long?

Jan 23, 2025

When I discussed the outline of the paper with Paul, the professor of Economic Narrative, he gave me very useful advice on writing.

1. The most useful advice was: let me start writing from the part I want to write the most, not from the introduction, but from the core content of the text. Specifically in this article, it starts with how the public narrative is formed, then introduces China’s macroeconomic narrative, then writes the conclusion, and finally writes the introduction. If I had heard this advice earlier, I would have spent one hour less writing the introduction from scratch, and this introduction has been changed back and forth due to the subsequent writing ideas. My actual experience is that it is very easy to write from the part I want to write the most, because this part is the starting point of the entire text, and it is also the part that took the longest time to think about, and it is also likely to be the place with the clearest ideas. Write this part first, and the rest of the text will be clearer.
2.  In addition, Paul has been emphasizing that you must proofread, not just for grammar, but to see whether the expression is fluent, whether the key points are clear, and whether there are any ambiguities. The most effective way is to read it out loud, read it many times by yourself, and even consider playing it out loud to yourself, so that it is easier to hear where there are problems. In addition, I feel that if I have time, I should even set aside more time to let more people help me read, and getting feedback from readers is more direct and effective.
3. One point that Paul repeatedly emphasized to me is that the first draft will definitely be garbage, and you must accept this calmly. The first draft will definitely exceed the word count, the expression will be upside down, and the key points will definitely be very unclear, but it doesn’t matter; you must write the part you want to write the most. Having a garbage first version is more important than anything else.

To be honest, I think the inspiration this professor gave me may be worth at least half of my tuition this semester. This logic is very effective in any writing, not just academic writing.

Dec 10, 2024

I attended an art exhibition hosted by a friend, featuring another friend’s work. Before the event, I visited the artist, played with her cat, and helped hammer a few nails into her artwork. Afterward, I assisted the curator in removing nails from the exhibition boards.

I really enjoy this kind of hands-on involvement, as I’m deeply curious about the behind-the-scenes—how things are actually accomplished. Even small tasks offer a window into the immersive process of creation.

This exhibition stood apart from traditional galleries, being truly community-oriented.

The artists found by the curator are all very young artists. They have very straightforward or rough expressions, which are unique to this age and this stage of creation.

Even the venue is quite interesting, and the activities they usually undertake are of various themes.

After the exhibition, the lessee needs to fill the nail holes on the exhibition board with putty. Everything is done by yourself as much as possible, so the price is not expensive.

Perhaps one rule is that the cultural industry really needs a large number of cheap venues and supporting facilities to conduct experiments.
At the exhibition, I was talking to a friend about the local comedy club. He said that occasionally there would be actors with a net worth of hundreds of millions to speak in the basement of the bar for an open mic with a ticket price of two or three pounds.
I also talked to another dancing girl about a dance company in Manchester, which has been providing free workshops and free rehearsal space and commercialization platform for early artists.
There must be a small but complete place for artists and creators to try out all their ideas and receive all the feedback.

When it comes to lean entrepreneurship, it is natural to bring in commercial companies. In fact, cultural creation may need the logic of lean entrepreneurship more than any other industry.
A five-minute talk show is polished in a theater for a month, and a one-hour special show can be produced in a year.
A hundred art exhibitions with audiences and feedback may produce a few artists who are better at expression and communication.
It is a great thing to grow flowers, and it is also a great thing to cultivate soil.

Nov 17, 2024

Visiting Liverpool Cathedral, I encountered a guide who shared so much valuable insight, which helped me understand Christianity in a way I hadn’t before.

In the past, I participated in Christian activities back home, but I always found it difficult to grasp the rationale behind faith. However, through this cathedral, it became much easier to comprehend.

The cathedral truly serves as the heart of the city, preserving its history and connecting the community.

Liverpool is primarily known for its identity as a “port city” and its significance in both World Wars, and these city characteristics are deeply embedded in this cathedral.

In the 1920s, the cathedral compiled a record of every soldier from Liverpool who died in World War I, with over 40,000 names and related details. The entire archive is displayed in a glass case, and the cathedral flips a page every few days—taking many years to complete the cycle.

Wealthy locals contributed directly by donating stained-glass windows, and beneath each window is the name of the donor (I even saw that the captain of the Titanic had donated one).

The guide explained it as a form of competition among the wealthy elite to donate, and I thought of it as similar to the modern “fan voting” phenomenon, where people compete for the top spot.

Many sculptures inside the cathedral are unconventional, featuring sailors, naval officers, the air force, and dockworkers.

There is even a spotlight on a Titanic-related sculpture.

In sum, the cathedral is an incredibly direct community project. It is a religious, political, and cultural project all rolled into one.

The cathedral was constructed from 1904 and completed in 1978, enduring two world wars, with generations of people raising funds to bring it to life. It is the largest cathedral in Europe, and had the public not recognized its value over time, the project would have failed.

In some ways, it represents the “Good Old Times,” a period with less division and a shared sense of honor. It’s hard to imagine any organization today raising such large sums of money for a similar project (it’s said to have cost nearly 1 million pounds at the time, which would be equivalent to about 200 million pounds today).

Additionally, the guide shared something rather amusing: the cathedral removed all traces of Judas. His figure was left out of sculptures, and his image was excluded from paintings.

He said he didn’t understand why, as those stories no longer make sense today. I replied that I understood now—this was essentially an early form of cancel culture.

It made me reflect on how, compared to that era, we now have much more powerful tools to enforce “narrow-mindedness and hatred” on a larger, more complete, and ruthless scale. In comparison to their time, we modern people have far less leeway to make mistakes, and the space for forgiveness has greatly diminished.

Nov 11, 2024