Hello readers! As anticipated, the frequency of blog posts has been declining as I write up my PhD thesis. All the drafting, re-drafting, writing, editing, re-writing, and re-editing has left my literary batteries running a little low – which is why I have been craving mind-numbing, semi-productive activities to fill the hours when I’m not working. It turns out that Lego fills this niche nicely. I have been clicking together some designs of my own, and I thought I’d use this brief blog post to share them.
Obviously, we’re keeping things on brand. This is a castle from the Highmoor series (or at least, something vaguely like what I imagined).
Hopefully those of you that haven’t read the books can still get some enjoyment from a small-scale Lego castle. And apologies if large-scale spaceships are more your thing – maybe I’ll make a few of those later. If you’re wondering, I put this together virtually using BrickLink Studio. I’d love to have built it in real life, but I don’t have the pieces!
A new age of Lego
These days, a large portion of Lego’s profits come from sales to adults, not children. If you want proof of their target audience, just look at the prices and the sizes of some of these sets. What kid can afford the $850 Millennium Falcon, or the $680 Lego Titanic? These sets are aimed at people with disposable incomes. After many decades of denial, Lego have finally realised that adults are interested in their little bricks, and it’s a growing market.
I suspect that one reason for the surge in Lego popularity is a shift in societal norms. It is now more acceptable for adults to enjoy building models, and it is now easier than ever to share designs with other enthusiasts online (see similar booms in Warhammer or 3D printing). The main attraction of Lego is that it feels good to build something with your own two hands. The act of making and mending is probably just an evolutionary itch that humans need to scratch now and then, to feel as if our lives have meaning, and it feels good to stand back and look at something we have made, even if it’s just a tiny Lego castle. It might be of no use to anyone, but its cute and cube-y existence provides a sense of achievement. With Lego, we can scratch the creative itch without any pressure. The pointlessness of it all makes it a great deal less stressful than fashioning something to fulfil an actual use.
Of course, that’s just my take on this new age of Lego. Maybe its surge in popularity is actually a sign of the end times. Who knows.
An update on Highmoor: book three
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, I am currently writing a thesis. This has slowed down the late-stage revisions to my upcoming book, not so much due to demands of thesis writing, but of sorting out what happens next. I’m attempting to start a career, and that has turned out to be rather emotionally draining (who’d have thought?). That being said, I still hope to get the third book out this summer. Keep an eye out for a cover and title reveal at some point soon.
With that, happy reading (and happy building), and I’ll be back next week with a more substantial post!
Find my books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CFPFNMXD
C. W. Clayton 