Video: "Girl" - A New Zealand Surf film

 

"This is the journal of a lost girl . . .

3 years ago I stepped onto a plane headed to NZ for what I thought was a 6 month surf trip. A trip intended to satisfy the travel bug while also evading the “what are you doing with your life” question.

Escaping to the opposite side of the world seemed like a good place to hide. I needed some time to clear all the noise that had been ringing through my ears, put there by a society who had already sacrificed their “why” for this same question.

I would Not be one of them.

The next half a year was spent exploring a country unknown, meeting strange and friendly faces, surfing as much as possible, and running, always running.

However, it seemed that no matter how far I ran, I could never entirely evade this question’s probing sting.

6 months turned into a few years and I began to finally realise something, the question isn’t “what are you doing with your life?” but “how are you living your life?”.

You, Lost Girl, the one with many small talents but who is a master of none. You have so much to give to this world, even if it’s just showing up every day with that infectious smile on your face.

And you may never have a “good” answer to that question society seems to fixate on and that is ok.

Because you know that an adventurous and interesting life, the type of life you seek for yourself, will never have one."

I created this short film as a tribute to New Zealand and to celebrate one girl's attempt at pursuing curiosity and creating a life which is uniquely her own.

Hope you enjoyed it!

xx Jess