bo·he·mi·an
a free thinker.
Risk taker
EMPATH
DREAMER
AN OUTSIDER.
Creator
entrepreneur
writer
seeker
Vanessa Schulz
My first love is photography, and the doll had to play along. Deeply shy, I wanted only to photograph animals because their behavior doesn't change when I point a camera at them. Fly-on-the-wall cinematography came as naturally to me as breathing. Fast forward 20 years and Cinéma Vérité (Cinema of Truth) was becoming more than just technique. It was the message.
As a filmmaker, I began my career pushing for more ethical and truthful animal content at Fox, National Geographic and Discovery. Out-funded and sidelined by a male-dominated industry obsessed with sensationalized, often violent human-on-animal interaction, I founded 21st Paradigm (incorporated as an NGO in 2000) to tell the stories mainstream media was ignoring. This lead to seven independent films that have garnered 16 prestigious awards — including “Best of Festival”, “Best Documentary” and “Best Screenplay.”
As Lifestyle Curator and CEO of Haven Art (founded in 2020) I'm able to express my passion for interior design, drawing from a degree in graphic design and a lifetime’s worth of travel throughout Africa, Europe, Australia, Canada and the Americas. Composition, aesthetics and meaning come naturally to me, helping me create spaces that are beautiful yes, but also balanced, calming to the central nervous system, functional, efficient, gentler on the planet. My preferred style is organic modern. Earthy textures and simple lines. Vintage. Industrial. Eclectic. Designs that tell a story, without too much clutter. Less stuff = more Earth.
My spiritually is informed mostly by fifteen years of study and teaching as an AYTT-certified yoga instructor. Prior to that I was a NAUI scuba diving instructor in the Comoros Islands with specialties in deep diving and underwater photography.
Thanks for being here. Please, take a look around and don't hesitate to get in touch.
