Hi all,
Welcome to our ongoing Q&A feature, where we introduce a member of the Artfinder team to our community. This time, we speak with Sean, our DevOps engineer.
Q: Could you start by introducing yourself to our community?
Hello there everyone, I am Sean and from St Albans in Hertfordshire. I really enjoy travelling and my happy place is in the sun by a body of water. I am a big nerd, having loved all things tech since I was very young. I made a career change around 6 years ago from sales into technology and have loved every second since. When I am not travelling you might find me creating stories for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns or painting miniatures.
Q: How long have you worked with Artfinder and what is your role in the company?
I have worked at artfinder for 15 months in the tech team. My role is DevOps engineer and I look after the infrastructure. We are always trying to find new ways to make the website more stable and secure for everyone.
Q: What have been your highlights of working with Artfinder so far?
I really love that every day is different. There is always a new problem to solve and love to feel challenged in what I do. I also loved meeting the team for the first time at Christmas. It was a blast.
Q: Do you come from a creative background? Do you engage in creative activities yourself?
I actually studied art at A level and have a foundation degree in Art and design. I have always loved painting. Now I mainly paint miniatures and find it very relaxing. In the last year I started to write stories for dungeons and dragons campaigns, these are stories tailored around the people who will get to play through them.
Q: What does working for a B Corp mean to you?
For me, I love the fact we consider more than just the business in the decisions we make. It does lead to some interesting talks around the tech we use and how that will impact our customers and the environment.
Q: What do you like doing in your spare time?
Gaming! I am a real nerd at heart and love playing games with my friends, computer or board games. I also take part in several dungeons and dragons campaigns. I am a bit of a social butterfly so I always enjoy going out with friends to have a drink and a dance!
Q: How have you been coping with the recent Covid situation and do you have any words of advice for anyone who is not coping well with it?
My brother who I live with, was rather ill during the first lockdown and considered vulnerable. I did find it hard looking after him and it gave me a fear of the virus. I eventually realised I can’t control what other people do so I should stop letting it affect me. I guess my advice would be, don’t worry about what others do and focus on controlling what you can control.
Q: If you could take only three items with you to a desert island, what would they be?
This is hard and I have so many questions! Am I planning for a long stay or trying to be rescued? I guess the survivor in me would say a mirror to help get people's attention and can be used to start a fire. A bottle of water as you can only go three days without, gives me some time to find fresh water. Finally a swiss army knife, lots of tools in one.
Q: Finally, do you have any message for our community?
Thanks for being part of our community, I really hope the tech improvements we work on help Artfinder and the community to grow and prosper. I really do love seeing the artworks being produced, you are all very talented.
