Advice on getting out of a building funk...

[kibosh]

Hi guys,

I just posted a bunch of stuff about me in the Announcement forum.

I have a problem. My problem is, as my wife puts it, I'm more of a hoarder/accumulator/sorter than a builder/collector. I keep gathering and buying and sorting, but only building the official models, and then letting them sit. No REAL, inspirational building.

How do I get started? I have tons of ideas in my head, but I think I almost have too MUCH Lego. It's intimidating.

Do any of you fine builders have advice for me on getting my feet wet so I can start creating my domain???

Thanks!

[Athos]

Start small. Vignettes are a nice way to go. You can play with different techniques, tell stories, all kind of things. And they don't take a huge investment in time or effort or parts.

I was similarly unmotivated, until I set up the Market Street sets and decided I needed some more buildings and didn't want to wait for Lego to make new ones.

Steve

[kibosh]

I like the idea of the vignettes. Those are very cool. What are the "rules" for making them? Their seems to be a bit of a standard involved.

I should be ordering the Cafe Corner or Green Grocer next week, and I was hoping they would get my creative juices flowing to build city vehicles!

[Bruce N H]

Hey,

On vigs, check out my blog, VignetteBricks. In particular you might want to check out some of my longer essay posts, linked here on the right. There's also a FAQ here, though I thought they got a little overzealous in characterizing vigs.

Another suggestion for anyone getting started MOCing is to start with official sets that you own and modify them. Try and decide how you can make the set better. Also, if you have older sets, they always had alternate models pictured on the back of the box, but without included instructions. Try to figure out how to make these. That's probably ultimately how I got started with my very first set.

Bruce

[SavaTheAggie]

There are no rules for vignettes, more like guidlines. The most common vignettes are usually limited to a 6x6 or 8x8 stud base, and go from there. But vignettes can be any size or shape, from free form scenes to 32x32 giant dioramas (sometimes called a bignette).

--Tony

EDIT: Curse you and your speedy post, Bruce!

[RebelRock]

What are the "rules" for making them? Their seems to be a bit of a standard involved.

Really, it just needs to represent a snapshot of an interesting situation. I don't buy into all that crap about having to be built on an 8x8 plate. It can be whatever size it needs to be to show the point.


Edit: You guys are fast!

[Sir Nelson]

I have tons of ideas in my head, but I think I almost have too MUCH Lego.

That doesn't make any sense, friend. You had better build something soon before your wife puts the kibosh on your hobby!

I totally disagree on the vignette thing. You should take about 10 bags of LEGO parts from sets and dump them all together into one big pile. Then, just start building with what's in front of you. With a little time and your tons of ideas, you should be able to come up with a MOC very quickly, then refine it to make it something you can be proud of.

[Athos]

I totally disagree on the vignette thing. You should take about 10 bags of LEGO parts from sets and dump them all together into one big pile. Then, just start building with what's in front of you. With a little time and your tons of ideas, you should be able to come up with a MOC very quickly, then refine it to make it something you can be proud of.

I don't know if that would work for me. It sounds like a long process (the refining, at any rate), and, when I'm in a building funk, a long process doesn't appeal to me. For me, having a project in mind is the best way to build. Free-building never seems to work out well for me.

On the other hand, such a process sounds like an interesting building exercise/experiment. I may have to give it a try.

I think smaller is better, in this situation. That way you can try new things, and if they don't work for you (like Space for me, it always turns into an unstable mess) you stop, without losing a large investment of time. Or if you find you like the new thing (Town or Miniland in my case) you can always go bigger and better.

Another suggestion for anyone getting started MOCing is to start with official sets that you own and modify them.

That's good advice too. I was in kind of a slump but spent the weekend modifying the Model Town House set to fit into the Market Street style and I've been inspired to try it again.

Also, a good motivation can be contests. Especially if there is a cool prize. Eurobricks usually has a couple [dozen] contests running, at any given time. Josh's Battle Contest should also be interesting.

Steve

[Count Blacktron]

How to get out of a building FUNK?!?

You got to release your inner FUNK!

http://music.yahoo.com/ar-303776-bio--

George Clinton IS funk, may his music break you OUT!!

[Voran_the_Scholar]

If having too much lego is a problem, you could always give it to certain...interested parties.

I like this thread. I needed the advice too, but was just a little ashamed to ask.

[superdave]

Great advice from some veterans.
Several have suggested "doodling," which is something I do from time to time. I like to build the official models when I get them, but after taking them apart sometimes I'll try to build something else just from those parts (or maybe throw in some bits from the rest of my collection). I don't try for perfection or even a great build- just to get my fingers working and see if something interesting comes out. Sometimes I get something great, sometimes I get something that looks like I built it when I was 6, and sometimes I get some good parts in a mediocre model. Then I can rip off the junky parts and work with the good, like a sculptor "releasing the sculpture from the stone."
Sometimes when my creativity is running dry, I'll look for inspiration on some of these Lego sites, even directly copying builds. I've learned some cool techniques and improved my building skill, even though I'm not building something original.
Finally, I'd suggest that you transfer some of your ideas from your head to paper. Sketch things out, brainstorm elements of your creations (how would I put a tower together so it'll look like this? what about arrow slits? maybe I need a sensor array), and lay out the main skeleton or base. You may not finish it, but you'll have started moving it from your brain to real life.

[Tanotrooper]

brose Brickshelf:

http://www.brickshelf.com

and keep certain small elements near you when you are browsing it, so that if you get an idea or want to copy a design, you can do it right away without forgetting about it.

TT

[teraflop122]

Are you sure you've correctly identified the source of your problem? I tend to do the same thing: I buy and buy and buy, but build nothing. However, I'm constrained more by lack of space than anything else. All the usable surfaces in my room are occupied, and for those of use who aren't sub-100 lb stick figures, sitting on the floor is uncomfortable.