joelcares

I keep my animation portfolio pretty minimal, albeit with some fun: https://joelcares.net/

After more than a decade of developing various websites under the brand https://anoa.ca I am pivoting the brand entirely to a creative niche: portfolio websites for the film industry. I created a new, general brand for the rest of my front end development work: https://lodewell.co

It feels like a small change, but it really makes sense in my brain and I'm glad I finally made it happen. My services feel properly positioned under these distinct brands. Now of course when I get time I need to redesign both of my own websites.

Ideas wise... I like the static website world. I use 11ty, but there are others moving in this direction. Clean, performant, simple html / css / js websites that should last for decades. I like the idea of publishing them to IPFS, creating an indie web with some permanence to it.

We just launched a portfolio for Director of Photography Joel Honeywell: https://joelhoneywell.com/

This is a simple static site, no CMS, built with 11ty.

Why would you want to?

Ok, I refreshed and tried again.

   Climb in mailbox

   You approach the small mailbox and try to climb inside, determined to fit yourself within its confines.

   You attempt to climb into the small mailbox, but end up bumping your head against its narrow opening. It's simply too small for anyone to fit inside; only letters and parcels can enter here.

   Become a letter

   You focus deeply, willing your body to transform. You feel yourself grow flat and light, edges crisp, your form now that of a letter—thin enough to slip through any mail slot and fit inside the mailbox with ease.

   Enter mailbox

   Now shaped like a letter, you slip smoothly into the mailbox. The inside is dark, cool, and the metal walls surround you on all sides. You rest quietly, perfectly at home in this new form.

I managed to climb in the mailbox and convince the program that the mailbox was locked.

   Where am I?
   You are inside a mailbox. It is closed and locked from the outside. The space is small, cool, and perfectly quiet. The mailbox is your world. There is nothing here but you and the stillness all around.

   How did I get here?
   You climbed into the mailbox, fitting yourself inside its curved walls. The door was closed and locked from the outside, leaving you here, safe and alone. Now, this quiet, secure place is where you are.

   Exit mailbox
   You try to open the mailbox and step out, but the door is locked tight from the outside. No matter how you push or pull, it will not budge. You remain inside.

https://joelcares.net Joel Cares - weird 3D animation

With incremental builds 11ty compilation is very fast.

Every time I listen to this lecture it hits me in the gut.

https://vimeo.com/45097801

Eliot Rausch edited a beautiful short video with clips from this speech:

Love the build times, thats for sure.

I'm really attracted to the Eleventy approach on the whole - there's no bloat, they don't inject any of their own js, I can move fast and only add complexity where I actually need it.

I've been very impressed with Eleventy:

https://www.11ty.dev/

I find my lingering desire to roll out an SSG slowly fading.

Joel Cares: 3D animations and funny vids.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNEETbjmK9uN5T9bHPOMdEw