Inger-Katrin - Keepsafe (2020)

Growing up in Beiarn, a small village in Northern Norway, she longed for bigger cities and more people. - "Don’t get me wrong, I love the village. The mountains and the forests and the river. It is absolutely magnificent, and I recommend everyone to visit and see it for themselves. But I became restless, and I couldn’t figure out where I fit in. I still struggle with that, even though I live in Oslo.”

Moving to Bodø at the age of 16, she studied dance at Bodø VGS. Why not music? -“This was actually a stupid mistake, and although I am very happy for the three years I studied dance, I do sometimes wish I had taken the opportunity to study music after all. My mom and I missed the audition for the music studies, and I got in on my second choice, which was dance. A month after school had started, I was offered to transfer to the music-class, but I said no, because of the great social environment I had been introduced to in the dance-class. And I still have contact with these wonderful people, and dance gave and still gives me a lot of happiness.”

Trondheim was the next stop for you, where you decided to study to become a teacher. What inspired you to do so? - “Well, I guess I always kind of felt that if I was going to have any of the “ordinary” professions, I would have to become a teacher. I love learning new things, and if you spend time with children and youth, you learn something new every day. After school I finished my studies, I worked for two years with a lot of inspiring kids and colleagues.”

Do you ever miss being a teacher? -“Both yes and no. Besides the kids and the colleagues, I miss having a very strict routine each day, and making very visible progress with the kids. Like, when you see someone light up because you helped them find that last piece of the puzzle, that is priceless. And the connections you make. Also priceless. So yes, I do miss it. On the other hand, I feel like I can still make a difference by making music, and that I might be able to reach a larger number of people than I would being in a classroom. I have no idea though. Let's just see where this goes.”