Fusing Tech & Style: Inside The Creative Brain Of This 25-Year-Old Coder

Have you ever wanted to combine the functionality of your tech accessories with the playfulness of your personal style? That’s the question Emma Orhun, a 25-year-old creative technologist currently based in Ottawa, Canada, asked herself before building her own AirPod earrings and Tamawatchi —  a hybrid Tamagotchi-Apple Watch innovation. “I think there's a Venn diagram between a lot of things, and I love finding where they can connect," says Orhun, who enjoys merging the exteriors of beloved, Y2K aesthetics with the hardware of modern software. "And it's usually something technical with something less technical.”

Computer science and coding serve as the framework for not only Orhun’s unique creations, but the way she sees life. “I love the way coding has made me think," she says. "Even in my normal life when I go about things, I’m thinking, If this was a program, how would it be written? I love that there’s a digital way to reference basically everything, like hex codes for colors. My brain is like a biological, organic computer. ”

Her passion for combining art and technology started from a young age. When she was 16, her high school graphic design teacher sent her to an engineering conference for girls. Soon after, she became obsessed with her computer science classes, taking a prerequisite class in 12th grade and going to coding events outside of school to catch up to her peers and learn as much as she could. While researching university programs, she came across Shopify’s Dev Degree program where she could earn her degree while also gaining work experience at Shopify’s headquarters in Ottawa. 

It was there that she was able to meet people from different walks of life, explore a variety of teams and positions, and eventually land a job as a creative technologist. In this role, she contributed to the design system of Shopify called Polaris, which holds the code for every aspect of the website’s design, including color, typography, icons, and layouts, making it seamless for sellers to update their Shopify stores.

But it was through sharing her work on social media during the pandemic that Orhun found an artistic avenue for expressing herself and connecting with others around her love for coding, creativity, and computer science. Her videos showcase behind-the-scenes footage of her experimenting and building new digital and physical creations in her room. And when she feels stuck, she shares tidbits from her personal life, including the motivational quotes and inspirational references that keep her going in those moments, too.

With the help of the internet, her opportunities have broadened even further: She's given live design talks and has found IRL collaborators through the community she’s created online. “I love the idea of building the internet," she says. "I want to encourage people to be sillier. We spend so much time online, so let's make it cool."

What’s the first thing you’ve ever coded? "I was obsessed with computer games growing up, like Club Penguin and Webkinz. There was another website called Stardoll, and I became so invested in the world. I'd want these rare items you can only get if your computer was based in France, so I started using proxies to get rare items.

"There was also Tumblr. I loved blogging. My cursor needed to be cute, and I'd want a little fake fish pond on my website. Coding felt natural. I figured out HTML to be able to blog better."

What’s the most recent thing you’ve coded? "More creative coding. There’s this software called Processing, and I coded simple visual things in there, to make art using code."

The one you’re most proud of? "I'm proud of my ability to say yes to random things and trust my gut. One of my favorite experiences was designing a website for a restaurant in Ottawa when I was still working at Shopify. I met up with the artist who designed everything at the restaurant and he said, 'I'm going to the Yukon to teach kids how to build Shopify stores. Do you want to come?' So I went to this town of 400 people in the middle of nowhere and taught these kids how to build Shopify stores. They have so little business in their town, so if they can learn to build something online, that would benefit everybody so much. So, exposing them to the possibility of that was incredible."

What’s a project that was the most challenging? "My first design client was this Chicago-based skate company called froSkate, and the founder found me through Instagram. At the time, I was still getting my degree and working at Shopify. And over time, we built a really cohesive design language, and it eventually led to making a Nike shoe. I was having trouble balancing everything at the time, but it was such a cool opportunity that I had to do it. Managing the pressure of it all was really difficult, but I'm really glad that I stuck through it, because I was able to go to Chicago and see people line up to get the shoe and the clothes."

What’s the very first thing you do when you wake up? "Not check my phone. Not doomscroll for an hour. Wink, wink. The better answer is: There is this book called The Artist's Way, and the author Julia Cameron says the first thing you do is write three pages in your notebook of whatever is on your mind. And shockingly, it’s very grounding to dump everything before proceeding with the day."

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed? "The last thing I do before falling asleep to reality TV is draw. There was a point where I stopped drawing because I'm so content-pilled now that I was like, My art is content, content, content. But I had to remind myself, Girl, it started off with just you in bed with an iPad or your notebook. I find that if I draw just to draw, I feel so much better about myself. It's such a cool way to make things without too much effort."

When do you do your best coding? "I’m a night owl, so anytime between 10p.m and 2a.m."

When does inspiration strike? Morning or night? "Night. Absolutely."

What does your workspace look like? "I’m a hoarder. I love collecting things from everywhere. My desk is an absolute disaster, but I like it, and to me, it even feels like art in and of itself. Unintentionally, these are all my favorite things laid out in an organic way that’s super maximalist."

How did you know you were good at coding? "I would say in high school computer science. My friends in the class were also trying really hard, so I felt like that’s where the bar was set."

What do you do when you’re stuck in a rut? "I've started going to the gym. I'm so in my head all day that when I feel tired at the end of the day, I know it's my head. I need to get out of my head and make my body tired so it revitalizes my brain. That or travel. Every time I travel, I get a new idea, and it's hard to come up with ideas when I'm just in my room all the time."

How do you find the motivation to keep going? "I had a rule for myself: If I'm on social media, I need to be creating as much as I consume. That gave me a healthier approach, versus just scrolling and comparing myself to everyone that I saw. Now, it's seeing how much I can make. The greatest motivator was always wanting to make thing that I'd never seen before. Our brains are like computers — we can come up with things that haven't been made before."

What’s one thing you wish to accomplish? "I want to make physical products. I've become really comfortable with social media, but making something physical is the next avenue that I'm confused and scared about. I've made toothbrush and toothpaste holders with a 3D modeling software. I'd love to make more of that. I'd love to make a graphic novel. I'd love to make these [AirPod earrings] functional for people, so that they can just put in their own AirPods and have their own earrings."

What’s your favorite piece of advice that you’ve gotten? "My boss at Shopify once told me, 'You can turn a good idea into a great idea by talking to people.' And I feel that way with the internet. Anytime I have a question, I just post it online, and I get this wealth of knowledge from so many people all over the place. I want my social media to feel like a big group chat."

Who inspires you the most? "There's a designer named Neri Oxman who uses natural materials to design things, and she combines technicality with everything in such a crazy way that I was very inspired by her. I'm mostly inspired by artists who aren't afraid to fail."

Who, if anyone, do you try to emulate? "Grimes, and I know she's been through the wringer recently, but she is such a cool combination of everything: an artist who is also obsessed with technological advancement. I have really, really talented friends. I have a friend, Andrew Doxtater, who's a furniture maker. And I have a friend, Danny Cole, who's creating an art project called Creature World, and he's making comics, making clothing."

What’s something people ask you for advice about often? "Number one is: How are you not scared of being cringe online? I've always really liked the sentiment: Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind, don't matter. All of my dearest friends would tell me if I ever take things too far online, but I know they would still be there. I would rather try and fail than to have never tried at all."

What’s a piece of advice you felt proud to give? "I grew up as a very shy introvert. I love talking to people about how malleable your mind is, because I put in so much effort to make friends. In high school, I was Googling how to make friends. I was watching YouTube videos and taking notes. Overcoming shyness was such a barrier breaker to me that unlocked everything. I don't think I was the best coder, but I still got into this program. I don't think I was the best designer, but I still shared enough until I reached a point where people trusted me. I think overcoming shyness helps you see yourself as an equal."

What is your most-used app on your phone? "Instagram. Or my Notes app."

What do you do when you feel yourself burning out? "I hang out with friends. I have a beer. I step away from my work. Stepping away from the stuff I have to do, to do stuff I want to do is the ultimate revitalization for me."

What’s something you consider a secret weapon? "Curiosity. I really like the idea that curiosity is a compass. As an overthinker, sometimes I don't really trust my brain. But after a certain point, if I have a thought over and over and over again, my brain is like, You need to figure out the answer to this, and the only way to get that answer is by doing it."

Where are you, compared to where you thought you’d be at 12 years old? "I thought I'd be doing something more technical, but I really think that I'm doing what I was meant to do, and what I would have dreamt of doing. I always wanted to be an artist. I thought I would be more like a video game developer, because that felt like the intersection of technology and art. I'm just doing that in a different font."

If you could change one thing about your professional life, what would it be? "The ability to take more risks. I still feel pretty risk averse, and that sounds crazy to others, but I wish I could take bigger risks and have faith that things are going to work out. Leap and the net will appear."

What’s been your biggest piece of support, helping you get to where you are? "My parents. My friends. And people who are also doing creative things."

What do you do to start your workday? "I have a journal, and every day I start crossing off my to-do list. It's also kind of a brain dump page. I doodle in it all day, and I always write the date in cool characters. I love making small goals."

What do you do to end your workday? "I try to make my to-do list for the next day at least."

Why do you code? "Building things is really cool and fun. I’ve tried painting, I've tried doing every single medium, and I love being able to build something wherever I am. I could be in my bed and still build something. I love that it feels so accessible."

What’s one thing you’d change about the tech industry? "It's a bit pretentious. I hate technical jargon. I wish we could talk about things more casually, because there is a language barrier. It's not the ideas that are hard to understand, it's the way they're being taught. Everybody thinks computer science is so hard and you have to be super smart to do it. It’s actually a lot easier than people make it out to seem. I think everybody can learn everything. Some people just learn quicker than others. I've been super slow at learning things, but if I show up every single day, I'm going to learn it."

What are you hoping the future of tech will look like? "I hope it's used to make confusing things easier. Working in tech at such an early age taught me the benefit of efficiency and optimization. And when I interact with systems on a day-to-day basis, I'm like, Why isn't this approached the same way? Everything feels so behind compared to the tech world. I want the technical world to be a little bit more experimental, playful, and accessible."