Ainsley DS Creative

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Ainsley DS Creative

Photographer, writer, blogger & advocate
Telling stories that centre lived experience, including chronic illness, identity & body image.

Meaningful visual storytelling for creatives and brands
NZ based Empowerment photography Blogging about both luxury and low budget adventures.

24/10/2026

Sometimes you just gotta do it.

Is there a name for some kind of post-illness recovery syndrome where everything has to change!? Or is it just me? 😂

11/10/2026

It’s truly something magical to be in a place where you feel at home as soon as you enter, and what’s even more magical is when it’s with people you’ve never met before. 🧡

I am so grateful to HI ESTATE | Northland NZ for giving women a place to come together and dream, scream and build a team. This whenua truly feels sacred, holy and healing.

I’m also so grateful for my friend Jamie Wise for seeing and nurturing the potential in every person she meets. It truly feels like the matriarchy is coming 🩷🧘🏾‍♀️🧞‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🧚🏽‍♀️👩‍🌾🧕🧝‍♀️👵🏽👩‍🦼‍➡️🧙‍♀️

Funnily, I was going to put some chill piano music on this reel but this song by my Endo icon Dolly popped up perfectly 🩷

03/10/2026

Thank you so much Sans Pareil for this beautiful feature. What an honour it is to be considered an "interesting woman" 💗

SP: Hi Ainsley! Who are you and what do you do? Kia ora! I’m Ainsley, an Aotearoa-based empowerment photographer, storyteller and chronic illness advocate, ...

11/09/2026

05/09/2026

This week has been brutal. In the past I would have blamed my body for being weak, dramatic, stupid and thought “why is it doing this to me”.

Now I know better. My body is not the problem, the diseases that inhabit it are.

Endometriosis is one of the world’s most painful and complicated non curable conditions. She’s doing her best.

It’s not my body’s fault that it was infested with endometriosis lesions that caused adhesions to grow on my bowel.

My body is doing its best to live with it.

I think this wording is so important, it’s not the body - it’s the disease, illness or injury. This takes the negativity, blame and shame off my poor little body and helps reframe us as a team working together against a mortal enemy.

I no longer think my body is the enemy…. But Endo definitely is 👿

04/09/2026

But alas, she persisted.

Serious thank you’s to this wonderful community who have all pitched in to make Endometriosis Empowerment Project- Now You See Me happen! I’ve been blown away by the power of this little community. Travel expense donation by One Million Small Things, practical and emotional support from Endometriosis (Endo) Warriors Aotearoa and offer of a tens machine by Period & Pelvic Pain Relief, supplement advice by els lovers 🎀, offers of donations and support from The Quiet Support Project | Community | Illustrator and so many others 🩷 🩷

Thank you thank you thank you.

This just proves how much stronger we are together 🧡

T-3 days and counting!!!

01/09/2026

Friends, I am down and I need your help. Does anyone know how I would get 17 a1 size prints down to Wellington on a flight or courier that doesn’t cost $$ before Monday? I was supposed to be driving down on Saturday with all the gear. Currently that is not possible.

Is there some kind of risk free way to get them on a flight?

Please share this and send it to your artsy friends. Any advice appreciated.

I’m going to be so pi**ed if my Endo stops me from being at my own Endo exhibition. I really hope it’s not the case.

28/08/2026

A story that sees the whole picture.

A huge thank you to journalist Niki Bezzant and MAS for this incredibly detailed and thoughtful piece on endometriosis — and for giving space to both the realities of this disease and the hope for what’s ahead.

This article accurately reflects just how serious and complex endometriosis can be, while also highlighting the progress being made in research, diagnosis and treatment. From the reality of delayed diagnosis and dismissed pain, to emerging research into the immune system, genetics, microbiome and potential biomarkers — there is still so much we don’t know, but there is also so much reason to keep pushing forward.��I’m incredibly grateful to have been included alongside other endo warriors in this conversation, and to share a little of my own story — including why I created Now You See Me.

Because this is exactly why visibility matters. Endometriosis is not “just a bad period”. It can affect every part of a person’s life, and for far too long, people have had to fight to be believed.

Now You See Me is one small part of that bigger conversation — using photography and storytelling to make the experiences of people living with endometriosis visible, human and impossible to dismiss.

And as Now You See Me heads into its first exhibition in Wellington this September, I’m always open to media enquiries, interviews, podcasts and opportunities to talk about endometriosis, invisible illness, photography, advocacy and the project.

📩 Media enquiries: DM or get in touch via my website.

📖 Read the full article: Unravelling the mystery of endometriosis https://www.mas.co.nz/hub/unravelling-the-mystery-of-endometriosis/

30/05/2026

I had so much lovely feedback from this story I’ve decided to throw it on the main grid. 🧡

It’s amazing how many of you struggle with this same thing! The pressure we put on ourselves that might be doing more harm than good.

So this is your reminder to take a break and check in with your body! 🧡

Address

Auckland

Website

https://www.ainsleydscreative.com/, https://www.instagram.com/ainsleydscreative/

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