I was born in Norway and grew up sailing around the world with my family.  In 1999 I tried to be the first women to row solo across the Atlantic from Tenerife to Barbados. It all ended in disaster when my boat capsized due to a huge storm on the morning of the 11th day. I survived and was rescued by my emergency beacon that sent out an SOS signal. I was picked up by a Norwegian oil tanker and taken to Brazil. It was a wake-up call - I realized that life can be short and we have no time to waste and that nothing in life is secure - we need to challenge ourselves. As soon as I got back on dry land I started shooting.