Haslam on Brainchild and Mental Health
If, over the course of your skateboarding life, you're lucky enough to cross paths with Chris Haslam you'll soon get to know just what a warm and kind human he is. Though there's no doubt this industry and lifestyle has made many magnificent moves forward over recent years, kick started by the bravery of the legendary Brian Anderson and his Vice 'coming out' video in 2016, there's still progress to be made when it comes to just talking with each other. Chris' BrainChild project is firmly focused on pushing that message of opening up and sharing problems, so tragedies like the passing of Ben Raemers (and numerous other young men and women) becomes a thing of the past, not a heartbreakingly regular occurrence.
This piece for Jenkem explores the heartache Chris experienced first hand through the death of his close friend Ben and how it shaped the reasons for his continuation of his brand. In a world where the mainstream narrative often prescribes looking out for number one, we need reminding that we are genuinely all in this together and there's nothing more important than talking with friends and family and helping each other through the tough times. Skateboarding is the glue that holds so many of us together and people like Chris are there to remind us of how important it can be.
In a week where the message couldn't me more pertinent, we hope watching this can help you be like Chris and take a little time to #bekind. You never know the difference it might make.