CreativeLive founder, Chase Jarvis, has worn many hats during his career: artist, photographer, host, author, entrepreneur. But the one constant is creative. Now Chase, a long-time friend of and collaborator with the Virgin brand, has written a book about why creativity has been given a backseat in our culture – and how to change that. Here is the first of two exclusive excerpt from Creative Calling, in which Chase expands on his concepts of Creativity Zappers. Are you busy? Busy isn’t cool. Being busy shows a lack of priority. Instead of finding ways to cram more five-minute me ..read more

We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with advertising. But what if there was another way for companies to get their messages across? Branding expert Julie Cottineau, founder of BrandTwist argues that there is... I work with entrepreneurs all over the world that are passionate about their ideas, but pretty lukewarm (even shy) about promoting them. They struggle with coming across as too aggressive or too ‘salesy’. As a result, they miss out on proactively sharing their message with the very people that their product or service was created to serve, thus diminishin ..read more

We all like to feel great during the summer, and as exercise has been shown to boost our mental health, it makes sense to get up and get active.  Whether you’re a first timer or a fitness fanatic, there’s something for everyone to get involved in during the summer, whether that’s a chilled walk in a park or a game of footy with friends. Simon Avis, who has worked as a personal trainer for 11 years, says that in summer “the priority for most people is on toning up the body, which can actually be detrimental.” People expect rapid turnaround, but actually, he says, good fitness and ..read more

Just how ingrained is our sense of privilege, especially when it comes to key topics like race and gender? Jude Kelly, CBE, theatre director and founder of Women of the World Foundation asked a recent audience at Virgin Management, to consider a recent speech made by the actor and comedian Chris Rock.  “Chris Rock was recently speaking to several thousand people, and he said: ‘I earn millions of dollars per day, and out of all you white people out there, not one of you would change with me to be black.’ And there was this howl of understanding that rose from the black audience, and ..read more

It's national picnic month, so grab your hamper and get ready to eat, drink and be merry under the summer sun. The city is hot and the gauge is pushing 30.  The last thing you feel like doing is going for another walk surrounded by traffic and reflective surfaces. Humidity has reached 100 and the thought of even pretending to want eggs and avo for brunch is being replaced with the mind-flash “Cold shower. Winter. Ice” on repeat.  Image from London Outdoors During summer, getting out into the open air feels like a much-needed ..read more

When we take a holiday, or go see our favourite band, we rarely think about how eco-friendly the venue or transport getting us there is.  But now, businesses are starting to realise that their customers want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes.  The good thing is we may not need to actively consider how environmentally friendly our hobbies are for much longer, as performance venues, travel brands and even motor racing moves towards becoming more environmentally sustainable. It’s becoming a given that the ways we relax, and the companies we use to take some time out ..read more

Stonewall riots, 1969, image by Getty On June 28th, Virgin Atlantic’s pride flight will touch down in New York to celebrate 50 years since the Stonewall Riots. But why do LGBTQ+ and allies celebrate Pride each year, and what does Stonewall have to do with anything? It was an unlikely place for a civil rights movement to begin. The Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich village didn’t even have running water. But in 1969, when being gay was deemed as illegal as rape or robbery, it was one of the few places people could dance, let their h ..read more

Hussain Manawer wants to become a rockstar poet, and he's on track. This month he'll stand up at Glastonbury and perform to a noisy, jostling crowd.  But he didn't always perform to loud audiences. Hussain Manawer has performed spoken word events at Sofar Sounds throughout his career, and credits it with huge support. “The only place I have ever shed tears while performing was at a Sofar gig. Imagine that!” Intimate spaces allow us to focus, explains Rafe Offer, founder of Sofar Sounds. “We call the places where artists perform a listening room. There’s reinforced encouragement wh ..read more

June is Employee Wellbeing Month, in conjunction with Virgin Pulse and we're look at how companies could better look after their employees' wellbeing... According to Mind, the mental health charity, one in six employees experience anxiety, stress, or depression. Figures from the Centre for Mental Health show that stress alone costs UK employers £34.9 billion a year and according to the Chartered Institute of Personal Development, stress is now the number one cause of sickness absence. And yet, 95 per cent of workers who had taken time off for stress gave their boss another reason ..read more

Gill Springgay changes people’s lives. She helps them to walk with confidence, with their heads held high and finally recognise who they truly are. Her route to entrepreneurship wasn’t easy. It wasn’t as a result of an MBA after years in a city firm. Instead, it was graft, circumstance and changes in a personal situation. Gill Springgay With just two pounds to her name, Springgay bought as much red hair dye as she could from a local salon so she could begin her own makeover business, and Reinvent Yourself Makeover Girl was born. The onl ..read more