I’d never really watched a TED Talk until Rodney Mullen’s one came out, and when I did it really grabbed me. A TED Talk, for those not in the know, are short speeches delivered by people who have interesting things to say on entertainment, technology, science and world issues (to name a few things!).

They are issued by a fellow not-for-profit organisation and are an awesome way to learn about different perspectives, new advances and ideas, and in general some pretty cool stuff! Rodney Mullen is a well-renowned professional skater, company owner and innovator who spoke about the progression of his skateboarding, and about the skate community and how it contributes to society.

Whilst watching his talk I felt so inspired by Mullen’s attitude and words. I’ve always admired him as a pioneer of street skating, but now I was actually watching and listening to him draw parallels that I could connect with on different levels. If you haven’t watched it at this point I thoroughly recommend you do – here’s a link:

The name of the talk “Pop an Ollie and Innovate” is exactly the kind of statement that sums up Mullen’s career, from humble beginnings to the soaring highs of competition winning. He speaks candidly about the progression of skating’s popularity and styles, and how he fit in to these advances, whilst giving the audience an insight into his life thus far and how he has propelled himself forward. One of the most important things I took from his speech was that the only opponent you face in skating (and life) is yourself and that much like as skating evolved onto the streets, life evolves and you have to adapt to move forward. Mullen explains that to progress you have to use your knowledge and know your existing skills inside and out. You can then use your surroundings and instincts to create new tricks and styles of skateboarding. He talks about cruising around on the same streets, but changing the context of them to what you want to do.

This is such a strong metaphor for me as a Director of Heads Above The Waves, and something I 100% identify with. It would have been very easy to succumb to my personal problems and give up. But I spent a lot of time thinking about myself and what was happening to me mentally, emotionally and physically. I knew what my triggers were and all my negative thought patterns. I then decided to move forward and use this knowledge to get help. I changed my surroundings, and like forming a new skate trick in my mind, practising it until I could pull it off perfectly, I helped myself back to a decent head space.

Mullen says that all tricks are made up of combining 2, 3 or 4 movements and letting your intuition go. This can totally be said for mental health. It could be a combination of speaking to a friend, parent or teacher, seeing your GP, ringing a helpline or accessing some counselling. It could be finding a new interest to replace harmful behaviours, like starting a band, trying a new sport, and perhaps even skateboarding. It can be taking 5 minutes for YOU a day to chill, it can be accepting a compliment, it can be saying only positive things throughout the day to your friends and peers. But a combination of these things and your willingness to move forward can be the difference between dark and positive days.

Another area that Mullen covers in his talk is the sense of an outsider community that evolved around skateboarding. He discusses taking what others do and making it your own – then contributing back to your community. Again, this is something reflected in HATW: We are expressing our journeys and our individuality. We do this in the hope others put their own spin on our journeys and try our proven substitutes for self-harm, or are inspired by the sharing of stories to share their own. Sharing stories breaks down a misunderstanding around them and brings them to a wider platform- just like the TED talks themselves!

Sometimes it’s important to feel like an outsider to drive you forward and make others feel welcome and feel a part of something. We’re all connecting our stories together so others have a great big patchwork of stories to choose from to be inspired by. We want to bring people together in a different way, and that’s by people recognising themselves in us. Thinking about what drives you, what makes you strong and how to use that to connect with others is the heart of our community and the skateboarding community.

I think the reason Mullen’s words spoke to me so much (apart from being a rad skater) was because he delivered his speech passionately, in an excitable manner and if I’m honest he is a little goofy although very clever. That’s how I want to deliver my story: on a level that connects with you guys. And I still want to be skateboarding when I’m 46! I love that Mullen encourages people to “drop in” to a community of your own making. It’s what we’ve done and we hope it’s working for you.

– Si