Interview Series: Christen Gerhart of A Harmless Project
To say Christen Gerhart is just “of A Harmless Project,” her YouTube channel devoted to spotlighting modern chic vegan fashion, would be selling Christen short. Christen Gerhart is so much rolled into one human. Christen is a host, actress, and magician from Los Angeles. She is a Judge and Magic Critic on Syfy’s magic competition show, Wizard Wars. She’s hosted, Daily ReHash, for Ora.TV and currently hosts a magic news show, Exposé, for theory11. On top of all that, Christen is a former researcher for NASA’s JPL, and she currently works as a telescope operator at Mt. Wilson Observatory. Did you get all of that!?
But let’s get back to A Harmless Project. If you ever thought vegan fashion couldn’t be beautiful, Christen’s YouTube channel will happily prove you wrong. Take a look:
Are you in love with vegan fashion yet? Go ahead and binge watch all of Christen’s videos and then come back to read what she had to say in our April interview.
1. Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
I’m a magician, actress/host, blogger/photographer/videographer. Sounds like quite a lot when written out like that! I’ve been creating and performing magic for over a decade and I’ve been acting and hosting for television, movies, and web for just as long. About a year ago I launched my web series, A Harmless Project, to educate consumers on ethical fashion and beauty products and companies many of which are vegan.
2. Did you have a specific “aha” moment that led you to a vegan lifestyle?
I actually became a vegan to fix some awful stomach issues I had a few years ago. I was sick for months and only when I cut out overly processed foods and all animal products did I finally get better. It was then that I realized how much harm I was doing to my body with those kinds of foods and how good I feel when I don’t eat them. Knowing how good I can feel and how much healthier I can be, I’m a vegan forever!
3. What advice would you give your teenage self, if you could talk to her today?
Don’t be afraid to be strong; stand up for yourself and fiercely pursue what makes you happy.
4. What makes you feel beautiful?
Exercise. I’ve really upped my workout routine these last few years and putting in the effort to take care of myself by drinking more water, eating healthy, and getting lots of diverse exercise has made me feel more beautiful.
5. Have any extra tips or tricks? Any favorite sustainable/ethical fashion or beauty items you’d like to share?
I have a few fashion and beauty items that I simply can’t do without: Dr. Bronner’s castile soap which is great for DIY make up remover wipes, vegan sneakers from a company like Bourgeois Boheme, and period panties from a company like THINX for a healthier, eco-friendly period!
What thoughtful answers!
I love when I do an interview and am surprised by the responses I get. For some reason, I assumed Christen would have had an ethical reason to have originally gone vegan, since she makes sure to talk about the ethics of the brands she promotes on A Harmless Project. Hearing that Christen attributed her health to a vegan diet was not only interesting, but something I’m glad she brought up!
There are so many reasons to chose veganism. Usually one will come to the lifestyle for a single reason, be it the animals, the planet, or health, but that first reason generally leads one to a learn more about the other issues and become passionate about them all. Everything we do is intertwined. We cannot feel beautiful without our health. We cannot feel beautiful when we are contributing to the death of innocent beings. We cannot feel beautiful when we are adding to the destruction of our planet.
Lets get real for a second though. It would be hard to feel beautiful if we’re wearing clothes we didn’t like, just because they were vegan. Thankfully, we don’t have to. Thanks, Christen, for proving that!