About

There's also a formal bio at the bottom, if that's what you'd like.

On LinkedIn, your profile is required to have a headline. Many people use it to highlight their current job title, but other list their their skills, passions, and interests. I chose the latter approach, but I have so many varied interests; how was I to cover them all without going on forever?

After brainstorming, testing out how different word combinations sounded, and probably consulting a thesaurus, I landed on the following trio: "Artist, Programmer, Digital Citizen". These three terms encapsulate just about everything I enjoy, and I don't think I'll be changing them any time soon. I'd love to be proven wrong, though!

What follows is a breakdown of what each term means to me.

Artist

I studied Drama at New York University. I went as an aspiring film actor, and I came out as a performer with the desire to do everything. I'm still frustrated by that at times: I invested a lot of time and money into university and came out less driven to do what I went in for! But I always remember to look at the other side of it: I learned so much about different artistic mediums, the ways in which I can express myself within those different mediums, and the role art can play in society at-large.

Artists can use their skills and their influence on culture to highlight issues, call for change, and bring people together under a common cause.

When those people come together, they'll need to communicate, both in real life and digitally. While at NYU, I also minored in Web Programming and Applications.

Programmer

I'm a full-stack developer with a Trusted Tester certification from the The United States Department of Homeland Security, which means I can build entire web applications from scratch and test them against Section 508, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and other accessibility standards.

I'm passionate about accessibility, security, and performance. Digital tools should be usable by everyone; they should be fast, easy to use, and only collect information that they actually need.

I've built websites and digital experiences for individuals, arts organisations, and non-profits. You can visit my work page to check out specific projects. Before you do, let's touch on that third and final item...

Digital Citizen

In my lifetime, I've watched the Internet—and computing generally—grow from what felt like a niche community into something that is nearly impossible to escape. Computers are in our pockets, our cars, and even our refrigerators! So much information is collected—either consentually or otherwise—and stored in these devices every single day. We spend countless hours staring at screens for work, play, and everything in-between.

The digital world is no longer separate from the real one—if it ever really was. It is important to recognise this fact and treat digital spaces with the same respect we give physical spaces. This means seeing digital life not as a collection of tools, but a collection of people; people with differing needs, desires, and talents. The struggles of the real world are just as prevalent in the digital one. We must work to ensure that healthy communities full of support, creativity, and self-determination can exist not only now, but far into the future. We must defend against bigotry, corporate greed, and any other threat that would seek to dilute the incredible diversity that is present in humanity.

Thanks for reading.

Bio

Ainsley Ellis an artist, programmer, and digital citizen. Moving through various mediums and disciplines, she utilises her talents to serve others, and focuses on creating unconventional work that explores the power of language, the beauty of the mundane, and the necessity of community. She is the founder of Public Offering, a not-for-profit digital organisation created to share free and low-cost digital tools and resources.