With passion comes sacrifice, dedication yields abandonment. Ask any athlete, actor, politician or luminary – they’ll tell you. In order to get somewhere in life, in order to amass some measure of success, they had to endure hardship. Whether it be the countless hours dedicated to your pursuit or the pain of leaving behind family, friends, and a hometown. For Brazilian surfer Bruna Schmitz, her devotion to surfing led her through all these sorrows. But in doing so, she also found solace.
In a new short film, self-titled “Bruna,” the young surfer opens up about the hurdles she’s overcome to get where she is today. Coming from humble beginnings in the small Brazilian fishing village of Matinhos, Bruna fell in love with the ocean at the ripe age of nine. From then on, she was hooked – ready to sacrifice whatever necessary to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional surfer.
“In the beginning it was hard to face the fact I was traveling alone in the world,” Bruna says about her early years as a pro. “Over time, fear and insecurity turned into willpower.”
Bruna went on to compete on the elite WSL tour, after she became the youngest Brazilian pro surfer ever at the age of 14. After two years, however, she left the tour, instead focussing on travel and modeling with her main sponsor Roxy and other prominent fashion industry mainstays like Estee Lauder.
Shot through the lens of rising surf filmmaker, Tyler Haft, “Bruna” is a cinematic journey into the life of the Brazilian both in and out of the water. As Bruna pulls into heavy, beachbreak barrels of consequence, she narrates her experiences growing up and pursuing her dreams. Just like dropping into a heaving, overhead wave and pulling into the barrel, her life as a professional has been a risk worth taking – putting her head down, paddling with commitment, and taking the plunge.
“Leaving your comfort zone can be a frightening experience,” Bruna says. “But I believe life is about learning and embracing every opportunity. That was the biggest lesson for me – not settling for anything less than what I believe. Even though it might take sacrifices, it’s better to take a risk doing something you value, than to make safe decisions and wonder.”
Learn more about Bruna Schmitz over at BrunasLife.com
