Tell us about yourself:
i’m a retired teacher, an avid traveller and a huge fan of architecture, design and art. unfortunately i had no children of my own for whom i could buy lego, or whose lego i could “borrow.” i have a very supportive partner, who could not care less about the brick, who travels with me and helps me lug my models around to shows.
How long have you been an AFOL (adult fan of LEGO):
i refound lego as an adult almost 40 years ago but didn’t take it seriously until 1999.
How did your interest in the hobby develop:
i was 7 when i was first introduced to the brick, visiting friends. i couldn’t get enough but my 3 sisters did not show any interest in it, so we didn’t get much as children. i started buying for nieces and nephews to build at their houses until that eureka moment when i realized i could buy it for myself. that was 23 years ago.
How did you find ParLUGment:
i was aware the group existed, via a very (now) ancient lego forum for afols, but resisted joining, as their interests (space/train/robots) didn’t seem to mesh with mine. but resistance was futile, i found another person to join me for an inaugural visit to a club meeting and i was immediately hooked.
What is your favourite theme:
i don’t have a favourite theme, i’m not interested in sets per se, so i don’t call myself a real fan. i only want what the sets provide regarding elements and colours, to use as a building/ creating medium. my collection is mostly purchased for the parts themselves or the colours. although i’ve discovered a few rare pieces among my treasures, that’s not what owning the brick is about for me.
What is your favourite aspect of the hobby:
besides providing a method to meet “your pack”, people who get what you do and why you do it, the most important for me is the “maker” aspect. i crave the maker experience, the problem solving, the getting a square peg (block) to fit into a round hole, without breaking (or cutting) it. i love the limitations that are set (arbitrarily, sometimes) by the medium, and using them to devise a more interesting way to use the brick. i also love to see a build come together, i never know what the finished model will look like til it’s done, and sometimes i just have to stop at a certain point or it’s never done.
What is your proudest accomplishment within the hobby:
many of my models are my favourites of the moment, because many of them are architectural or design based and visually satisfying, reflecting the beauty of a certain era or style. i was invited to contribute models to the 2011 dorling kindersley’s “LEGO Ideas Book“, chapter 2, town and country. the house and furniture were within my comfort levels, but the other models requested (bridges, farm buildings, train station and outbuildings) were completely new to me. the challenge was to “simplify” my builds for the target audience, young children. nevertheless, the book was well received by children and afols alike. i have built commissions and sold models and had an ongoing display at the royal danish embassy in ottawa. my microscale gingerbread village was displayed in the LEGO house in billund, denmark for the christmas season of 2019.
“i’m so very grateful for a hobby like afoldom, where i can travel, meet new people, make new friends. something i did not do easily before refinding lego: i’ve been able to speak to the public at shows/exhibits, sharing my passion, trying to inspire others to pick up the brick. i am grateful to have enjoyed almost 6 years of building pleasure as i shared the hobby with my mother in her final years. she discovered the joys of the bricks, our shared passion, and we looked forward to our special building sessions. i was able to realise that my curiosity and interest in the visual/spatial aspects of creating, the attention to detail, all came from her.”
Deborah’s work can be found as “buildings blockd” on Flickr, Facebook and Instagram.
