I'm on the same boat, here are some UX Designers portfolios that I found interesting and bookmarked. Even if it's a different profession, you may find inspiration there:
Which makes me think, where do we draw the line in terms of web page size? What's acceptable as of 2019? Also considering mobile?
We look at the business case. TVS' website would be a disaster if it was targeted at the general public, with millions of hits each day. But it's not. His work on Spotify however does have to be optimized for that audience.
His personal site however can be whatever. It's showcased on industry sites like awwwards.com and the like, and those sites are all form, no function. In this environment, Pretty = useful, because it makes his work more noticeable, which is good for getting consulting work.