I think this is a good case study in downsizing.
I told myself this past year that I’d like to do one or two Lego projects, somewhere along the lines of finishing a mech I started building years ago and maybe building a house or two based on designs from the 1920s. Neither has happened.
Building Lego houses in intricate detail used to be a source of fun and pride for me, but over the past decade, hyper-realistic Lego sets far more detailed than mine have hit the shelves. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t still have fun, but it’s honestly a little discouraging when the extra effort used to go a long way, but we now live in a world of hyper-achievers. I feel out of my league. Also, it’s just not as fun as it used to be.
I also have a knack for playing around with pieces in different ways and stumbling upon some very useful and unexpected designs, which is how I created one of my favorite mechs. But a knack is very different from raw talent, and I think I’m lacking in the latter. Moreover, building mechs, too, has lost some of its appeal, though I still like the idea of building the A.G.W.S. models from Xenosaga Episode I. It’s extremely difficult to build those to the proper minifig scale, though. Hence why I haven’t completed the one I started.
Because I haven’t gotten around to any of these projects, I’ve been finding Legos to get rid of. It’s hard to believe that just 5-10 years ago I spent a lot of money on technic pieces to bring my arsenal up-to-date, but I’ve really never used any of those pieces and the variety has been so large as to almost be stifling, paradoxically. I’ve learned over time that too many options actually overwhelms me, rather than freeing me to be creative. I played Minecraft for a little while before just completely losing interest in it when I learned how expansive it could get.
What’s odd and frustrating about going through all these bricks is how I still have some of these old projects stuck in my head. For some reason I thought the E.S. Asher had a lot of dark blue in it, but really it uses a lot of light purple. But it’s hard for me to let go of the dark blue pieces just in case I want to use them. Likewise, I’m keeping far more red bricks than I will ever need, because I remember that time I built a “brick” courtyard for a Lego house when I was in middle school. “But what if I want to build something like that again?!”
It’s the devil. I don’t need half of these bricks to keep my foot in the world of creativity, but I’m also simply not a creative. If I had gotten rid of all my Legos at the beginning of the year, I would hardly have noticed. But I’m not opposed to keeping some.
This is how it is. This is how it goes. This is how the boxes build up in the closet, under the bed, in the basement. “Gee, I’d love to finish this project some day! Funny how I haven’t touched in 10 years, but maybe someday!”
It’s even more important with little stuff like this. The physical space savings gains are small, but the mental effort is important because you’ll never get rid of this stuff otherwise. “But it’s only four or five boxes!” …and you haven’t used them in forever, so why do you have them?
Owning things can be nice, but there’s no peace in the obligations of untouched projects, started at a different time, by a different you. No peace at all.
I need to comb through these Legos more thoroughly. I guess I just want freedom from all these projects I’ve surrounded myself with.