Beginnings
The internet has so much potential for creativity, and yet so many websites end up feeling a bit samey. After browsing through countless portfolios with familiar color schemes and that unmistakable “template” look, I was inspired to do something different. That’s how this site came to be. I built the website with React, Next.js, and TypeScript, to gain more experience with modern frontend frameworks.
Inspiration
Choosing a theme for this project turned into quite an adventure! After plenty of research, a bit of procrastination, and a few moments of indecision, I discovered the Homebrew theme. Its gentle, rising waves reminded me of the days I spent developing Wii games, and sparked the idea for an underwater theme—something soothing, dynamic, and totally unique.
Homebrew Channel Theme
Since the Homebrew theme is copyright-free, you’ll find a fun little feature here: just use the unmute button, and the theme will play as you scroll down the page.
The First 3D Dolphin on the Internet
One feature I was really excited about making the 3D dolphin cursor as it was something unique that I hadn’t seen on any other portfolio site. Getting it set up was quite the challenge. At first, the dolphin’s smoothness varied a lot depending on the device, which meant a lot of trial, error, and refactoring. But eventually I got it to work smoothly on every device. I disabled the dolphin on touch devices as a cursor is not necessary.
Testing the dolphin on every major operating system, on every popular browser architecture.
Easter Eggs
I’ve sprinkled little surprises throughout the site, like playful bubbles on the 404 Not Found Error Page, along with just a few fun touches to make your visit a little more memorable.
Tip: Try clicking on the Dolphin when it’s at your cursor to make it do a trick!
Outcome
I’m really happy with how everything turned out! Every feature I had in mind, from the underwater waves to the playful Dolphin cursor, came to life just as I envisioned. This project has inspired me to keep exploring creative ideas with React (and maybe even some backend systems), and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next.
