Giving my hands a break; or, using an SSG
My Dad has been programming since the 70s.
That’s probably how I, someone who’s (sidenote: Okay, who am I kidding. I’m techy to the extent that I’m a total nerd about computers and how they work. But I don’t know how to code in any other languages, I don’t work in tech, and you probably wouldn’t be able to tell unless the subject came up. ) ended up being an HTML-hobbyist and Linux user.
When I told him I was working on building a site from scratch, he asked how.
“I’m writing the HTML by hand,” I told him.
“That’s crazy. You’re going to need a program to help you do that. Or else you’re going to have to copy and paste everything.”
To which my younger self probably said something like, “Whatever, Dad.” 🙄
Speed and quantity were never my end game. So I embraced my craziness, and over the passing years, my site grew, slowly and tenderly.
Coding each page of my site by hand, with chill music or jazz in the background, felt as close to authentic as working with a computer can feel.
“Web weaving” – that’s what some people call it.
But then, life got real(er). Suddenly, I had little time for my art projects anymore.
The slowness of seeing my ideas come to life no longer felt relaxing, it felt stifling.
My Dad, surprise surprise, was right.
Around that time, I discovered static site generators, which are the type of programs my Dad was talking about. I looked at many SSG’d sites with (sidenote: For instance, the beauty of Rek Bell’s site is outstanding, and using a SSG probably saved them a lot of time so that they could focus on sharing their art! )
I worried I’d never have the technical skills to use one.
And, during my first attempts, I didn’t.
But I kept trying, and trying, and reading tutorials, and eventually I came to understand what I was doing!
Now, I’ve rebuilt Delovely using (sidenote: I like Eleventy because it feels simple and versatile. I understand the code that I am writing because they are languages I am mostly familiar with. There are also many tutorials for Eleventy floating on the web, which is obviously a huge plus for any amateur coder like myself. ) and my Ctrl and V buttons are thanking me for finally having a break.
Using a static site generator feels no less authentic than it did before. Each page is still made by hand.
But it’s like I moved from hand-sewing, to using a sewing machine.
It’s web weaving, infused with a teensy bit more magic than before.
It’s awesome!
Links out
While there are a lot of tutorials for Eleventy out there, I had trouble finding a tutorial made by a hobbyist for other hobbyists. You know, one of us “small web” folks.
Eventually, only after I really got the hang of Eleventy, I ended up finding two amazing tutorials, one by Petra and the other one by Whiona.
So if you want to learn how to use Eleventy, I highly recommend them!