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| My current unsorted mess of Lego. |
So, I'm 42 years old, married, with two children - a boy (age 16) and a girl (age 18). Vera pretty much tolerates my Lego enthusiasm, and even points out when a MOC isn't working, or points out what could make it better, but isn't keen on me spending so much money on it. So, my collection grows slowly, but steadily.
My interest in Lego started when I was a wee lad of 5, back in 1976. My great-grandmother had Lego sets in her house for all the grandchildren to play with when visiting, and it was one of the greatest reasons for visiting her. Heh.
Through the intervening years until I was 21, I collected bricks of all kinds, mostly the classic space line, and I had buckets, and buckets, and buckets full of bricks. However, when I was 21, I joined the US Air Force, and donated all my bricks to Good Will, thinking I could no longer keep them, and besides, I was "too mature".
B I G - M I S T A K E.
After that I was too disheartened to get back to the bricks, until after I was married, and had children. Christmas 2005 , my wife asks what I thought about Lego as a present for the family, and it was like a fire had been lit: The torch rekindled. The passion was suddenly there again, and now as mentioned, slowly and surely, the collection grows. However, I still wasn't very good.
I found Brickshelf around 2006, and that kicked my skills up a notch. Then I was reading an article about Nannan Z in Brick Journal and he mentioned the Builder's Lounge. I took a look, and a whole new world opened before me. Suddenly there was so many possibilities with the bricks, to be used in every possible way. I don't know what it was about BL that inspired me so, but everything I've done since then, has been better, because of that place. Now, to be a member of it, is truly a great honor.
Since then, due largely to time constraints, living conditions, and other outside factors, I've had to retreat away from building with Lego, and in fact, I've just gone through a 'dark age' of 3 years. Come January when living conditions will once again change, I plan to get back to it.
With my small collection and assortment of what most would consider useless parts, I hope to return the favor of inspiration to others, showing what can be done when means are limited. Creativity and imagination can make up for whatever you lack in pieces. Less Talk...more MOC (my own creation) as it were.
I realize plastic bricks might not be considered part of the authentic experience I've previously mentioned, but we all have our guilty pleasures and exceptions. Besides, some Lego creations border on artwork. I leave it for you to judge what is a toy and what is a creation.
-Brent
"Whatever good things we build end up building us." - Jim Rohn
