I am an avid fan of the kid’s interlocking building brick toy known as LEGO; in fact, there is a whole community known as adult fans of Lego or AFOLs who build different creations, hang out together and do shows displaying their work all over the world.
Especially with the surge in popularity of the TV show Lego Masters (and let’s be honest, the Aussie version with Hamish Blake is the fan favourite), Lego is now more popular and accessible than ever.
These are some of the more recent builds that my Spouse and I (shown below as Lego Minifig characters) have built. They are on a huge scale and are known as “My Own Creations” or MOCs, which I am showing to cement my authority as a Lego fan and has been the result of years of collecting.
This may seem odd that so many adults spend money on this, but one thing I notice when I talk to other AFOLs is they often mention the sense of calm that building Lego gives for them, finding order within chaos.
For a lot of these people, whether they realise it fully or not, they are partaking in what is known as Mindfulness or may be a form of meditation. Depending on where or how you grew up, those words may have connotations of Buddhist monks, sitting very still, or other new age-y, burn incense and chant type of ideas.
According to Mindful.org, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” The website for Headspace, the meditation app, says, “Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.” Headspace.com
That’s a very wordy way of saying it is a practice of taking time to stop and be present in what we are doing, tuning down distractions and slowing ourselves, connecting our brain and body and creating a moment. Some people use yoga, some use art, some people it’s sport, throwing themselves around at concerts, or even the process of making a coffee to stop and ground themselves. These, too, are other examples of what mindfulness practice may look like.
I am being treated for ADHD, and I am often chaos-mode braining with a million and one thoughts at once. I forget steps or can fall very easily into disorder and mess, or into “ahh, I’m so overwhelmed by everything I must do nothing”, but I find when I do Lego, I can focus for hours and lose track of time building.
Many factors come into play that can be seen in all ages. If working with other people, maybe it’s building together with your spouse, kids, nieces and nephews, or maybe working with other people for bigger builds, we can see the importance of teamwork, of taking steps and process. Even working as an individual, you are working on nurturing your inner child through play, working on problem-solving skills and imagination. Play and imagination especially are great tools for dealing with the stress of life, especially if work life is intense, as researched and confirmed by PsychCentral.com.
Lego has products for all ages and interests, and although it can get expensive, there are things for a range of budgets.
Another benefit of Lego is that once you finish building, you have something you can show off. Maybe it sits on your work desk or a shelf at home or even on the walls of your house; maybe you play with it all the time when people aren’t nearby, swooshing (yep, that’s a real word) a spaceship, or just a conversation piece. There is LEGO for many interests, from Video games and superheroes to Star Wars, plants and animals, to Art and with enough imagination, anything.
One thing I really enjoy doing while building Lego is what is known as “knolling”, which is laying out the Lego pieces nicely before actually doing the building. Generally, I build one bag at a time as there are fewer pieces everywhere that way, and keeling makes this look nicer and easier to find parts. It is also very satisfying and another way to connect to your body and mind.
I have curated below some of my favourite Lego sets that may provide a gateway into the Mindfulness of Lego; if you are in Australia, you may likely find Lego cheapest somewhere like Kmart, or go to a Lego Certified Store and experience that if you wish. In this curation, these range from $15 to $150 as a means of showing off the range and diversity of what is currently possible with Lego, and this is only a diving-in point, as there are full-on robotics and moving creations and some very expensive sets that are out of pretty much all but the serious collector’s price range.
John’s Curated Lego List:
(Priced in AUD, therefore cheaper around the world)
Bonsai Tree
Ages: 18+ | Pieces: 878 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$99.99
Tiny Plants
Ages: 18+ | Pieces: 758 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$99.99
Botanical Garden
Ages: 12+ | Pieces: 1072 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$139.99
Vibrant Creative Brick Box
Ages: 4+ | Pieces: 850 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$79.99
Retro Radio
Ages: 18+ | Pieces: 906 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$169.99
Sunflowers
Ages: 8+ | Pieces: 191 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$22.99
Majestic Tiger
Ages: 9+ | Pieces: 755 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$79.99
Inside Out 2: Sadness, Joy and Anxiety
Ages: 10+ | Pieces: 300 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$29.99
Simba the Lion King Cub
Ages: 6+ | Pieces: 222 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$29.99
Burger Truck
Ages: 5+ | Pieces: 194 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$29.99
2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
Ages: 9+ | Pieces: 319 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$32.99
Batmobile™: Batman™ vs. The Joker™ Chase
Ages: 8+ | Pieces: 438 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$72.99
Robot World Roller-Coaster Park
Ages 8+ | Pieces: 986 | New
Price: A$149.99
Jungle Explorer Off-Road Truck
Ages: 6+ | Pieces: 314 | Rating: 5/5
Price: A$49.99
The Mandalorian Helmet
Ages: 18+ | Pieces: 584 | Rating: 4.5/5
Price: A$99.99
