What made you choose this particular folk high school?

When choosing a folk high school, I looked at several things, such as electives, course, field trips, curriculum, rooms and facilities. I particularly liked that Elverum folk high school has several small boarding houses instead of one large one. The variety of electives and facilities also made the choice easier.

So far, my electives, my room, the dorm I live in, and the class have been exactly as I hoped – and actually even better.

Why did you choose your line?

When I was choosing a course, two things were important to me: variety in teaching and study trips. There are many different art courses around the country, but I chose Elverum because it's not just about drawing and painting here.

We also get to work on things I would never have done on my own, like glass fusing, knife making, ceramics and silver jewelry. Being able to travel and experience art in new ways, while also trying techniques we have never done before, is absolutely fantastic. It is a unique experience that I truly wish for everyone.

Were you nervous before you came here, and how did you experience the start?

Of course I was nervous. I thought about everything before I arrived: which boarding house I would stay in, what the room would look like, what it would be like to share a room with another person, whether the teachers would be kind, and what my classmates and the rest of the students would be like.

I spent hours looking through the website and social media, calling the school and sending numerous emails. When I arrived, there were hardly any students here yet, but I was greeted by warm and kind teachers who welcomed me and showed me around the school and to my room. I also met my roommate and many others who were just as excited about the school year as I was.

How would you describe the environment at school and in the classroom?

The environment at school is absolutely fantastic. Even though there are many of us who naturally divide ourselves into smaller groups, you can actually be with everyone. There is no exclusion, as you may have experienced at previous schools. It feels like everyone is friends with everyone, and that is very nice.

In the class, everyone is friends with everyone, and we have a lot of variety in the class, which I really like.

What surprised you most when you started here?

What surprised me the most was how many foreign students there are here. We have students from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, among others. That's actually one of the things I like the most about the school.

I have made friends from all over the world, and it's thanks to Elverum Folk High School.

What “rooms” or activities at school have become “your places”?

As an art student, I almost have to say the art room. Several of us have sat there until three in the morning painting, working on creative projects and just chatting together. The art room can be both a social place and a place where everyone sits with their own things without necessarily talking that much, and I really like that mix.

Other places I like are the billiard room, the fireplace room and the boarding house at Nordigard, where I live.

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What have you learned about yourself so far?

I've learned that everything doesn't have to be perfect. I came from high school with a mindset that everything has to be perfect all the time. Here at school I feel free to do what I want, without my work being graded.

Has the stay given you more self-confidence or security? In what way?

Yes, I feel like I've grown up. I trust myself more and make my own decisions, instead of calling my parents like I did a lot at the beginning of the year. I've become a more independent person, and I'm very proud of that.

What do you feel you get here that you wouldn't get in a regular school year?

I feel like I get to experience things I never would have done otherwise. I go on trips I might not have thought of before, but which have now become some of my favorite places. I also get to express myself creatively in a way I haven't had the opportunity to before, by making and painting what I want.

The best thing of all is the people I have met. I have grown to love people from all over the world in a short time, people I would never have met if I hadn't come here to Elverum.

What would you say to someone who is considering applying but is unsure?

Just apply. I was very unsure myself when I applied to folk high school, and especially right before I was going here I was very nervous. I didn't really believe people when they said this was going to be the best year of my life, but it already has been.

No matter where in the country you end up, I think folk high school will be a year you will never forget. It becomes a new home, and you become part of a big family with other people who have also been just as excited as you. At least that's what I've found here in Elverum – a home away from home and friends for life.

It becomes a new home, and you become part of a big family with other people who have also been just as excited as you. At least that's what I've found here in Elverum – a home away from home and friends for life.

What do you wish you knew before you came here?

I wish I knew that you don't just make friends with the people you're in class with. You make friends across grades and through boarding school. Where I live, we've become a little family, where we hang out in the living room and watch movies together in the evenings.

My group of friends consists of people from Norwegian, Snowboard/Freeski, Backpacker/Extreme Sports and the art department, among others. Everyone gets along with everyone else, and that's something I really appreciate.

How do you think this year will affect the path forward for you?

I think I'll be more confident in my choices going forward. I no longer need to ask others if what I'm doing is good enough, because I can make that decision myself.

As an art student, I also believe that I will continue with creative work. After high school, with stress and grades, the year at folk high school was exactly what I needed to be able to continue with creative ideas and a mindset that everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time.

What do you like best about teaching – techniques, projects or freedom?

What I like best about the classes is that we get to try out so many different techniques. So far we have worked with cyanotype, acrylic paint, analog photography, glass fusing, and making our own knife with a sheath. Many of these are things I would never have tried if I hadn't come here.

At the same time, we have great creative freedom to make the tasks personal, and I really appreciate that.

Which art project are you most proud of?

There are many projects I am proud of, including my ceramic bowl, the glass vase I blew, and the glass fusing window hanging. But the project I am most proud of is my “Think big” painting.

When we were in Lofoten, we took a lot of pictures, and we had to choose one picture to paint. The picture was painted in just one color, plus black and white, both in a small version on a 10 x 10 cm canvas and in a larger version in about A3–A2 format. The assignment was called “Think big, think small”, and it is the large version that I am most proud of. I painted a landscape with water and mountains in the background in blue tones, and it is the sky in particular that I am most pleased with. It took me about three hours to complete.

What inspires you?

What inspires me the most are the people around me who support me every day and motivate me to become the best version of myself. Those who cheer me on when I do what I love, and those who comfort me when I'm having a bad day.

In art class, I am also very inspired by my classmates. Everyone is so different, but has the same love for art. The most fun is finishing an assignment and seeing how everyone's personality is expressed through the art. Nothing is the same, and that's exactly what makes it so great.