I grew up watching my father Leonel Brayner painting beautiful landscapes and listening to music in his atelier. The old vinyl records spinning all the time. It was like going to an art school, where I had the chance to give my first steps and start to understand a bit of what art really is: the different eras, styles, colors, shapes…From Monet to Edward Hopper, Coltrane to João Gilberto, Hendrix, Frank Loyd Wright, Tom Jobim, Cartier Bresson, birds and waves. It was all there, in just one spot.

My interest for drawing, graphics and typography came naturally over the years, in different periods. I was always sketching in my note book different kinds of shapes, letterings, and even creating new typefaces by hand without even knowing what that was, or if I could use that for something. I participated in a drawing contest at school and designed my first logo when I was 12 years old and I remember how hard I worked to look good! Its funny to look back to it nowadays

I love art and I inhale it 24 hours a day. I’m always researching new music, graphic design stuff, surfing and studying software. Design, Surf Culture and music. This is my triad, like a major chord on a guitar, which is difficult to break apart.

I’ve studied Architecture and Urbanism at the Federal University of Bahia, but interrupted my studies to go to the road and work as a professional guitarist. It was a difficult decision because I love both, but the music was a strong call so I just moved on and accepted it. After that I’ve spent a few years performing and recording as a guitarist.

That lead me to live abroad for the first time, in Barcelona, Spain, where I studied music for 5 years at the Liceu Conservatory of Music from 2007 to 2012. The city is really inspiring and it light up inside me again the thing for design and that’s the sparkle I needed. I also became more interested in Photography and started to take pictures around the city and I also wrote a blog about Barcelona lifestyle called “Barceloneta a Las Ocho”. Without noticing, that was the seed that would take me to Hawaii years later. During all this time I never stoped making logos for friends and for myself, it was like a hobby.

Back to Brazil in 2012 I started my business in music production, giving support for bands on the road both as a guitarist and a guitar tech. But deep inside I wanted more, to continue traveling and learning.

Over the years I noticed that my interest was naturally going towards surf culture, its origins, surfboard building and design, which I love too. I think that surfing is the only reason I do all of this, it’s the element that blends all others.

In 2012, I decided to go on a surf trip, with a couple of surfboards, a guitar, and a microphone to record with local musicians. I tried to sneak in every corner from surf shops, surfboard builders and surf breaks that I could. I came to Chile, Australia, Indonesia, Sumatra, and the last one Hawaii. It was very interesting to see how surfing and its culture connects to people in different places of the world.

Maui was the final stop of this trip, and definitely it opened a new chapter in my journey of discoveries about the culture inside surfing world. Here, everything came together. I jumped into photography right when I came and learned a lot during the process. I also had a photography exhibition called “Colors of Maui” which happened in 2017. The graphic design increased too, as I started to help some friends with their business designing logos, brochures and event posters for local cafes and restaurants. People reached out me through friends and the feedback was a huge impulse to create a business around it.

Finally, the idea of “Squeeze The Light” came one day out of nowhere. It was like having an idea for a melody while I’m playing. I saw everything combining together, all the road that I had covered, the learning, the friendship I made, the love I put in…the light. Yes, that’s it. “Squeeze the light” I said to myself. Free the idea! Try to get the most out of it, learn with it, squeeze it…it’s there! Believe me.

Rick Brayner