Hello folks. It's been a long time since my last update on this site, but plenty has been going on behind the scenes. I had to carry out a major update, intended to help with search engine optimisation, before I could post this.

Downsizing my collection.

I've talked about it for a long time, and now it's finally happening: I'm downsizing my private collection of LEGO elements, whilst simultaneously building a collection of GoBricks elements.

Along with trying to raise some spare change, the main reason for downsizing is that I don't build nearly as much as I could, especially since I don't attend events as often as I used to.

There are also a lot of parts in my collection that I would be very unlikely to use: parts in colours I generally wouldn't touch, and especially the larger, older elements that have just one or two uses.

Why GoBricks, a third-party brand and a prominent LEGO alternative? Because - as someone who isn't part of the mainstream LEGO space - there's no longer any reason why I should limit myself to just LEGO. In particular, they've been extremely useful for part/colour combinations that LEGO doesn't produce.

Incorporating GoBricks elements will make it more challenging to display them at fan events, because of policies surrounding non-LEGO elements in builds.

I believe it will be less of an issue in the near future, especially when it becomes okay for certain, specific people to do it.

(As an example: while I received disrespect for suggesting a 3D-printed display at the Reading Brick Show years ago, there was no issue with YouTuber Nate from the Internet showcasing his upscaled castle at Brickslopes earlier this year.)

New Creations in the works.

In keeping with this year's theme of Less Anger, More Creation, I actually have been working on new designs and builds this year.

In most cases, the parts (LEGO, GoBricks and in some cases, other brands) have already been obtained.

The only thing standing in the way of completing them is sheer motivation. It takes time to make long-form videos, which I haven't effectively done in a long time.

In addition, I'm still concerned about the outcome: the very real possibility that, not only would the videos and photos not do well, but that someone else would take credit (the LEGO space's penchant for promoting other people instead, or claiming someone else does it "better").

Despite these concerns, it's my pledge to stay true to the theme, and complete the works-in-waiting by the end of this year.

I had also intended to sell instructions for my Creations on Rebrickable, but the plans fell through after having a bad and time-wasting experience. Instead, I will instead be offering them through my Patreon page.

Real Figures Don't F.O.L.D - the Finals

My song contest project is currently in its Finals stage, where 32 versions of a song were narrowed down to just ten, and it's up to the public to vote for the winner and three runners-up.

It's been another one of those projects where I hyped myself up into oblivion: thinking about how exciting it was to introduce AI-generated music, how viral it was going to go, and as a result, how much money would be raised (for charity).

Instead, despite promoting it as much as I could, the campaign has been widely ignored.

I've seen certain people on YouTube, despite seeing the videos and links posted, openly claim they have no idea what it is (and didn't bother asking).

Even Google, Bing and other search engines have refused to index the site, meaning it didn't show up in search results.

While I believe it says a lot about general attitudes toward bullying (which is what the songs and the project are about), I remind myself that the whole thing has been a significant accomplishment anyway. It's a project that's never been done before, and - realistically - could never be done again.

Anyone who isn't actively ignoring the campaign, and is interested in getting involved, has until 5PM on October 2nd to cast their votes. I extended the deadline by a week, because listening to all the entries would take some time.

My next event?

I'm currently uncertain as to when my next event as an exhibitor is going to be. Along with not having anything noteworthy to display at the moment, my level of disdain and distrust toward the mainstream LEGO space has grown in the last year.

While fan events don't have the allure they used to, it's still very important that I make the occasional appearance.

It's more of an opportunity for the general public to see something different (if they want to), and to be aware there's some crazy guy doing crazy things they haven't heard of. It's become even more important to do, given that most people within the LEGO space won't mention my Creations or my presence at all.

As things stand right now: if the opportunity presents itself, I wouldn't mind doing a Brick Festival before the end of this year.