Who am I and what do I do for a living?
My name is Emma Hughes and I am a Frontend Developer at Spindogs
Where can you find me on the internet?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celkie/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmahughes/
Question time!
If you could interview anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
A lot of people would probably choose someone no longer of this earth for this one. But I would probably say the author Terry Brooks. I grew up with his books and am still making my way through them slowly. I adore his writing and characterisation and as someone who aspires to one day be an author I would love to sit down with a cup of tea and pick his brain!
What hobbies do you have?
I spend a lot of time creative writing outside of work, and I play a lot of D&D. Currently I'm combining the two and have started writing my own adventures - I have one published on the DM's Guild which I wrote last year and am working on another at the moment. I also do a lot of crafting specifically with resin and am working on setting up a space for me to start making my own dice in the summer.
What's your favourite book?
As a youngling I was absolutely obsessed with the Lord of the Rings - I read it about 7x over between ages 11 and 16. For anyone that is really into epic fantasy I'd also recommend the Heritage of Shannara series by Terry Brooks.
What's your favourite movie?
This is going to be really predictable and one-note of me, but the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Seeing my pre-teen obsession coming to life on the big screen in such a perfect way is just *chef's kiss*. Also I think they still really hold up 20 years later!! Big comfort films are stuff from my childhood and teenage years like Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, Empire Records, The Craft. Most recently I watched Promising Young Woman and was absolutely enthralled. What an important film.
If you are in to music, what are you currently listening to?
My tastes are quite eclectic but I tend to favour rock & darker alternative music. Some of my favourite artists at the moment are Sleep Token, MXMS, and ††† (Crosses). More recently I've been listening to dark jazz while working; I am really enjoying Manet and Bohren & Der Club of Gore. I'm also a 90's grunger at heart, so there is a lot of variety happening in my Spotify!
If you are currently learning something, what is it?
I'm constantly learning! I have a small habit of taking online courses to satisfy personal interest. At the moment I'm taking a course on writing D&D Encounters, and I'm also partway through learning Tarot. I'm also always learning new techniques for my resin & dice making through awesome communities on social media.
Umbraco related questions
What first interested you in using Umbraco CMS?
I first heard about Umbraco when I was in a design role and was always impressed at how clean and easy to use it was compared to other CMS's that the agency used. Since moving into development at Spindogs I've had the opportunity to learn more about it and I still have the same impression!
How long have you been using Umbraco CMS?
My first ever training session was in 2018 so that makes coming up three years, but I've definitely learned the most over the last 12 months.
If you could change one thing in Umbraco, what would it be?
Maybe some more plain English in the error reporting - as a Frontend developer without MVC experience the jargon can be a bit bewildering at times.
Do you use any other CMS? How does it compare to Umbraco CMS?
I have dabbled in others but only from a content editor's point of view - Umbraco is definitely very simple to pick up from that side of things.
What packages do you use regularly?
The all-important Usync!!
Published on: 14 May 2021