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Alice Skinner is the artist behind the artwork for our Creative Matters Spotlight. Here she talks about using her art as a tool of protest and how we can all become involved in activism...

"I never thought that art, as a profession, would be difficult."
We went back into the Student magazine archives to bring you David Hockney...
"It was secure being at college, and still having another few years there. It only occurs to you when you are about to leave: and by that time I had already got a dealer and was selling pictures.
... Art cannot be anything but a medium of communication, but I don’t know whether it is a very good one or not.
There are probably better ones. I don’t know why I paint and draw. If it is anything, I suppose it is a celebration.
It is a recreation, and it’s also a way or earning a living. I work methodically, it depends upon circumstances.
But I don’t stop or philosophize too much about my vocation. If I did, I might not do any work at all. I paint for myself, and I wouldn’t change if people didn’t like my work.
I don’t get myself involved in the art world too much anywhere. This is one reason why I like Los Angeles. The art world there is tiny. It’s a very sexy city. It wouldn’t matter to me if there was no art there at all. I don’t necessarily have to be surrounded by art - some people do, I know. But, on the other hand, I don’t like being alone. I’m terribly gregarious really."
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Everyone knows what STEM stands for: science, technology, engineering and maths. Of course, these skills are vital. But our future also demands people who can be creative across these disciplines, too.
Welcome to a STEAM-powered world: an education framework using science and technology, interpreted through engineering and – crucially – the arts, all based in mathematical elements.... https://virg.in/3qa

Her name may be an acronym for missing in action, but the Tamil/English rapper M.I.A is anything but. Under her roster of professions she can include musician, visual artist, activist, photographer, model and fashion designer, and there's no stopping her.
Here's the story of M.I.A and how she infuses her politics in her controversial persona - leading to the Guardian dubbing her "the anti-popstar"...

"I think cuts in funding and the arts has the potential for a disaster” SofarSounds CEO Rafe Offer on live music, community and funding cuts... https://virg.in/3xS

"I just do what I do and I’m not too bothered what people think of me.”
From declaring independence and embracing not fitting in, to getting creative with technology and helping a new generation, how Bjork is an artist who's definitely making a difference...

How can street art bring a community together? Just ask the residents of Stokes Croft in Bristol...
When a Tesco Express opens in most city suburbs, it’s good news. After all, the convenience of being able to pop in and pick up groceries after a long day at work is hard to resist. But when Tesco opened in Stokes Croft, Bristol, in 2011, all hell broke loose.
That’s because Stokes Croft isn’t like most suburbs. Even in a creative, modern city like Bristol, that was known for i...ts culture of shunning big business in favour of supporting local suppliers way before it became trendy, Stokes Croft stands out from the crowd.
Here, the people think and act differently.
They are creative to their core. They are diverse and, often, from poor backgrounds. They are activists - and proud of it. There is one thing that represents everything that Stokes Croft stands for: the street art that covers almost every wall, shop front and blank space in the area.
It’s not a few sketches done with a can of spray paint. The street art consists of incredibly detailed, well-planned and usually politically motivated murals.
Read more: https://virg.in/3pU
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Is an artistic or creative approach good for building a business?
I studied acting in college and at the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center where the core philosophy is "Risk, Fail, Risk Again".
The confidence I had to start something from nothing came from my years of acting, auditioning and training. Auditions are a big part of an actors’ job - show up, be seen, be rejected, continue on.
... Practicing an artistic discipline is a lot like training for a marathon. You show up, train, day after day. Some days are better than others and over time you get stronger and better at what you do and still there are no guarantees.
This is not about getting comfortable. This is about process. It’s training to be comfortably uncomfortable to stretch yourself, to be more agile.
Whether you’re performing, presenting new ideas in a meeting or leading a team, the more you do things the better you get. The focus needs to be on growing into our roles and evolving in positions versus showing up perfectly. Allow for process.
Read the full article: https://virg.in/3cN
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Remember Richard Branson’s first business venture, Student Magazine?
For our Creative Matters spotlight series we’re rerunning a collection of articles that first appeared in the magazine. First up, we hear from celebrated British sculptor Henry Moore...
I had twenty years or more of, almost every day of the week, looking at the human figure, trying to draw it and understand it. I believe the human form is the most complicated, the most difficult, the most subtle, and because... it is ourselves, the thing we are most critical of.
My abstraction is not a literal, conscious process - I don’t give myself a problem and try to solve it. Each day is a continuation of the day before, and the work evolves. I work much more by inclination - it’s like poetry. You cannot write poetry by rules of grammar: it is an organic evolution, and neither can you sculpture.
I would never try to analyse art. Art is a human activity and a necessity which nothing can put an end to. People cannot live without art - those who think they can don’t understand their own natures. In a way art is like a religion in that religion is a belief that life has a meaning - and an artist would not bother to work if he did not hold the same belief. Art is not a game.
Read more: https://virg.in/3c4
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Graphic design has played a pivotal role in dictating and reacting to the major political moments of our times and one design can change the face of a campaign forever.
The Design Museum’s exhibition, ‘Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-18’ brings to life the connection through a range of design work and creative campaigns that have influenced the way we respond to world leaders, party policies and global crises.
The earliest work featured is from 2008; by no coinciden...ce a year of financial crisis and the Occupy movement. It was also the year that the Obama campaign started.
Shepard Fairey’s ‘Hope’ poster became an iconic part of the campaign, highlighting Obama in a graphic stencil style, emblazoned with the word hope in bold typography.
As a Street artist, Fairey’s creation was originally underground, but soon became an influential part of the campaign, showcasing the possibilities of simple design that inspires and provokes.
Read more: https://virg.in/3Ty
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72% of first-time customers say that they would return to stores playing music they enjoy, so can music and art do more than just create a mood in business?

Check out the @VirginAtlantic engineers in action changing the wheel of a Boeing 747

Music can have a huge impact on the way that we feel and can inspire us to take particular actions. Amika George, founder of #FreePeriods, shares the 5 songs that inspired her in her campaign…
’Flawless’ - Beyoncé I can’t listen to this ultimate feminist anthem without feeling inspired, and the incredible excerpts of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ speech will forever serve to remind me why our fight for gender equality is so necessary and important.
... ‘Unwritten’ - Natasha Bedingfield For me, and a lot of my friends, this was a defining song in our childhoods, and it makes me so happy to imagine myself as a child, completely oblivious to the injustices of the world, or what the future would hold.
‘Girls Get Angry Too’ - GIRLI This song just has to be on my list of empowering songs. The ridiculously cool GIRLI performed it at the #FreePeriods protest, and I really can’t think of a better song to sum up the feeling of fierce, feminist energy that was almost tangible in the crowd.
‘A Change is Gonna Come’ - Sam Cooke Inspired by Cooke’s personal experiences of racism in 1960s America, I think this song epitomises the importance of hope, and the power of individuals to persevere in their fight for justice and equality, no matter how oppressive or demoralising the circumstances.
‘My Shot’ - Lin-Manuel Miranda Like the rest of the world, I’m completely obsessed with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius hip-hop musical, recounting the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. ‘My Shot’ truly reflects the importance of self-belief and unwavering determination with its rousing repetition of ‘rise up’ and, possibly my favourite Hamilton quote of all time, one that certainly encapsulates the wave of teenage activism we’re seeing at the moment - ‘This is not a moment, it’s the movement.’
Read more about the #FreePeriods movement: https://virg.in/3ix
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While @Virgin_Orbit’s NewTonThree engine was being tested at full thrust, for those 220 seconds it was probably the most powerful thing on planet earth https://virg.in/3Ui

"We actually found that people were searching for slippers 60% more than flip flops" Watch how Mahabis founder Ankur Shah used data to discover an opportunity in a multi-billion dollar industry https://virg.in/3ZM

80 ways AI could be applied to help save the environment. Can you guess what they are?

You only need one idea to work. Just one. Technology lets you get through those 10,000 attempts faster than ever, so what will you build today?!