Out with the new, in with the old
Lacking motivation. Inspiration deficient. Stuck in a plastic rut. Brick block.
We’ve all be there.
I too was recently on the precipice of a tumble deep into the inability to initiate.
And what does someone like me do in these times? I clean.
Whilst I’m in the clutches of inspiration, there is a silent, unseen victim in all the creative outpourings that ensue; the room where I keep all my Lego. It cops an absolute battering.
Mismatched minfigures fill surfaces resembling a plastic Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. The carpet is a sea of wieners. Disemboweled figs lie a strewn the floor in a horrific Jonestown-esque scene played out in plastic. Previously filled containers of sorted Lego accessories resemble lolly bags from a kid’s birthday party, with unfairly lopsided quantities of random plastic treats.
Bad guy shanghai
If I lose my friends
I hope I’m told
I hope that someone tells me
Death From Above 1979 – Losing Friends
As I spent the day (yes, it is that messy) reuniting minifigures’ legs, torsos and heads, and placing them back on their shelves (as I should’ve done immediately after they were called to duty), inspiration began to bubble.
Reassembling neglected minifigures initiated impetus.
Reacquainting myself with Lego minifigures that had either been dismantled, or hidden amongst the masses on the shelves made me think of ideas, stories and shots. Reunions with long overlooked Lego rekindled excited thoughts that were comparable to those felt when those figures were newly acquired. It was akin to that anticipatory feeling of shooting brand new Lego as all the potential new stories and imagined shots flickered across your thoughts.
I don’t like no one, well except for you
You’re my only friend, you don’t even like me
GOD – My Pal
And now, thanks to an impending “brick block”, my messy traits, and my contradictory need for cleanliness and order, it’s like I’ve ripped open a Lego box or a polybag for the first time again.
One angry dwarf
So now I plan to keep my Lego tidy and reorganise the shelves on a regular basis. I plan to bring the minifigures tucked away, all the way back there in the nosebleed section, down to centre stage. I’m throwing the spotlight on some of the neglected cast members. I propose to maintain a “sushi train” of Lego. “Choo-Choo-Choose me!”
Clean sheets mean a lot to a guy who sleeps on the floor
I wanted your love and a shelf on your dresser drawer
Descendents – Clean Sheets
And this new code of keeping my Lego tidy will not only keep my motivation functioning, but will also keep my wife happy.
Ha, Ha, Ha!!! The lament of the active, or not so active, Lego photographer. I just acquired little craft boxes to sort and store my mini figures (the bag wasn’t working anymore), despite the fact that I’ve been unable to produce more than a very few images this year. Yes, organizing and sorting help to reacquaint one with the crowd… Wish me luck, but most of all inspiration!
Good luck! An organised collection is a wonderful source of constant inspiration, as I’m rediscovering!