A discussion about MOCing

[Velliscig]

Subconsciously, that is how I think, no doubt - especially considering I've not released anything in years... I've never felt the public would think much of it, and after that long of a wait, it has to be good!

[Blueandwhite]

Well, I must say that I started in building for my own pleasure and now I'm buiding for the others...
A quick introduction: I love castles first of all for their own architecture and building structure, I love to study them and learn about how they were built, about their inner plans... I can build a castle, look at it and find it beautiful even if it is empty and without layout. In a quite dogmatic position, I assume that sometimes minifigs distract from the castle itself.
A simple exemple: when I build the Krak des Chevaliers, after two years in drawing plans and elevations and five months in building a 58,000 bricks castle, I was really disappointed when I read a lot of comments and critics annihilate my efforts saying that the Krak had no minifigs... no layout...
SO, I confess that all my later castles have minifigs and layout only to please all those who look at them.
Please let me be a little "critic": I often see a lot of castles who integrate some "strange" elements such as fantasy creatures, syrens, aliens, SCI-FI characters... well, I have never seen anything of that in hundreds of castles I visited. This make me believe that those MOCers include all these elements not only for their own pleasure, but first of all to please all the others who are often fantasy lovers...
ATTENTION: I'm not saying that those castle are not true ones, but only that sometimes they will be more appropriate in a "Fantasy" category than in a "Castle" category...

I appreciate your honesty here.

I think that it can be very frustrating to invest so much time and effort into a MOC only to have it glanced over or picked apart by others. Personally, I've found your MOCs to be some of the most inspiring builds I've seen in the past few years.

[peggyjdb]

I build for myself, but it's nice to get some good feedback.

I consider this hobby as an art and as such people's opinions are some what subjective. Van Gogh was never really recognised during his life, which I find of some comfort. I'm often surprised as to what goes down well and what doesn't. My models that I reallly like often fall on deaf ears, so to speak.

Good discussion.

[Tastymuffins]

Everything I build I try to mostly just impress my dad and other people who see the castle at my house. I'm a TFOL and the castles usually stay on the floor of my room for several months. So I try to make it grand and impressive so people will like it.. I really get a ton of satisfaction out of just building, no matter who I build for. And I really think I just post things on here and other websites for attention and maybe to inspire others. Cause let's be honest, having someone tell you your castle is inspirational makes you feel good

[soccerkid6]

I mostly build for myself, if I think people online are not going to like it I just don't post pictures. But I think building creations to post, challenges me to build as well as I can.

[Redav]

I build for me just to experiment or build for buildings sake. Not that I've done much over the last few years.

Interesting to get other peoples POV.

[Blego7]

Very good question! Especially for those of us who build for public conventions, keeping them in mind is very important I think. While building for yourself is great I think building for the public is just as fun.

For example one of my favorite things to do is to put in a little detail that I know that no one else will see. That is part of what makes LEGO so much fun is building for yourself.

But we should keep the public in mind when building because our creations reflect who we are and who AFOLs are as a whole. Therefore it would be wise to consider how to appeal to the public and represent the AFOL community well. Great question!

[L_space]

Well, I just build for my own pleasure. However I do show my MOCs, if no-one likes them that may be a bit of a bummer but then I can always faall back on my kids. They still love what I do.
Being a builder in a particulair niche makes people less able or willing to respond. So I can live with that.
if it's good enoughfor you likely someone else will like it too.

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

Good topic. I don't think someone should feel that their creation has to be spectacular and amazing before they can post it here. If you made something, then clearly there was a core idea you were trying to get at with your model. Even if you didn't execute it well, maybe it will inspire ideas in other folks. Of the few things I've posted, there has usually been some little story to tell, or a fun idea, or once a different technique to share -- even if the actual models weren't that great. And the audience for the better half of the things I make are two nieces that usually play with them when they come over for visits.

[FirebenderDude2]

Personally, I've had a particular issue with this. I'm a TFOL, and every time I sit down to build something, I think, "Wow, this will never compare with what I've seen on Classic-Castle." This is partly due to the fact of my tiny collection (at least when compared to other people on this site). I can hardly build a hut without using 7 different colors, and most of my creations end up flat and detail-less. It also doesn't help that I go through multiple 'mini-dark ages' during the school year with sports and everything. Also, my skills are relatively undeveloped as of yet. You should have seen some of the things I built BEFORE I came here. Have you ever seen a castle with red, yellow, gray, brown and black walls? It's not pretty. I built like a 4 year old let loose in a LEGO collection. My building has become more mature, but it's still hard to build something good.

I think the point I'm trying to make is that some people, like me, don't have the necessary parts or skill to create something that others will like, and not seem like some little kid hacked his brother or father's account and posted his creation. It's also hard for us little guys to sit here and gasp and drool at the site of the awesome creations of the more experienced builders (who also probably have larger collections), and then go back to your own scrawny collection and try to build something that you think is worthwhile. So I try to build as though somebody might be judging me, but a lot of the time I do build simply for the pleasure of it. But even then, it still nags me that I'm not quite as good as some people or that the LEGO-building community won't like it.

[Blueandwhite]

FirebenderDude2,

Let me tell you that some of the best builders in the community often start out as TFOLs. Many of these builders have very small collections, but they show a degree of innovation that most AFOLs will never achieve. In short, the size of your collection or your (perceived) talent level shouldn't discourage you from posting your MOCs. I understand your feelings all too well, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't post. These days I consider my building skills to be very average but I don't let that discourage me from showing my work. There are literally thousands of builders who have produced more impressive MOCs than I have but it doesn't mean that I'm going to stop sharing my work. I also like to look at the work of others, irrespective of their abilities. While I may not post comments or feedback for every MOC I come across, I do enjoy seeing what others are working on. A small, flat MOC still has merit and is worth sharing. Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others.

The LEGO community is one of the most positive and supportive fan groups I know of. There is very little negative criticism and most builders are more than willing to lend you some advice if you are polite. Don't let the relative skill level of other builders bring you down as I very much doubt that any AFOL is going to criticize you for making your best effort. Remember, just because your MOC doesn't receive a lot of attention doesn't speak badly of you or your work.

[Bluesecrets]

There is something that Aliencat taught me a few years ago, and I think its pretty relevant for this thread.

He believes that LEGO is a hobby, and if you aren't building for your own pleasure then why in the heck are you building? It isn't a hobby anymore then.

This is something that I have decided is really important.

I have tried build to impress others, and the funny thing about those times...they are the builds I look back on and think "What the heck was I thinking?! This is junk!" Those usually happen around contest and convention times, but the simple fact is...when I have won is when I have just decided to let myself play and have fun. I don't focus on all these "techniques" because quite frankly, that isn't what makes me happy when I build. I build until I come up with a challenge, then find a solution. I often back track and start what I'm building over, play a bit, then go on.

Now the thing is, I have been very lucky to count some of the amazing builders as my friends. I was taught and guided by some of what I would call the best. I don't build as often as I used to. (For my collection is in a total state of non-sorted and it is making building frustrating...but spending months sorting just gets boring after a while). As amazing as those friends build, it just isn't my style of building to go about SNOT-ing all over the place.

I have been looking back at a time when I would build a MOC a day. They aren't great work, but it was a fun time when I didn't "know" what I was doing. I didn't "know" all the rules that everyone seems to think are important. I took risks. I did what I wanted, and if it turned out good to me, then great. My friend, never discouraged me.

So I guess what I'm wanting someone to take from this post is:

Build for YOU and have fun. Its all about fun. Screw the needing all these "techniques" if they get in your way and suck the fun out of it. Don't build to win. Build for the pure joy of it. If you don't think you are good enough, then I ask you this "Who the cheese cares what other people think?" Life is waaaaaaaaaay too short to go around trying to compare yourself and what you love to do to other people. Put money on it they are feeling inadequate too. Oh and one more little thing, if an MOC takes you a bloody year to build, then take a year. Do what feels right and good to you. For the simple fact is, its only you who can make yourself happy with the build.

We have this WONDERFUL thread, where a lot of us went back and showed off our first builds. It can do a lot of good to see that not EVERYONE is amazing, and yet...we were all pretty proud to show off those builds.
Take a gander...and PLEASE add on. Its a thread that is worth realizing that even the best of the best...started somewhere.

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[eilonwy77]

I really try to just build what I like and not care what people think. I do have to admit that after having built a few things that people liked, it became harder to not care what they thought. I know there are people who will look at what I post, and I don't want to waste their time, so I want it to be good. But then I have to tell myself, "to heck with them! They don't have to look if they don't want to!" and then I feel freer to try new things and post more. It's an ongoing discussion I have with myself.

The most miserable time I had building was when I entered the CCC last year. I put so much pressure on myself to make something good that it just destroyed all the fun. My fun is in exploring and playing around, not in pumping out something good on a deadline. Sometimes I get comments (sometimes from my mother) that I should be making "real" MOCs more, but that isn't always as fun, unless I get a good idea. So I'm always trying to not care what people think, but then I find that I do, and then I have to have a serious talk with myself about not caring again.

[BiggerJim]

I really try to just build what I like and not care what people think. I do have to admit that after having built a few things that people liked, it became harder to not care what they thought.

I haven't posted a lot of MOCs online, Mostly due to a poor camera. But because I am an active browser of others work I find myself trying to build things I think would please others as well as myself. I don't think wanting to build to a high standard is a bad thing unless you let it take the joy out of building and becoming a better builder.

[Quickblade22]

I build for my own enjoyment. I post for the enjoyment of others. Since I have joined this community and got to know some members fairly well, I often find myself thinking of them when I build. I wonder if this member will like this detail, or that member will be surprised by 'this'. Case in point was my latest few builds. When I built my Tower of Long Curse, I was considering the opinions of those that had seen my previous tower and wondering if AC would like the trans neon elements I added. When I built Avaloch Abbey, I took into consideration Trevor, and people like Karrde that seem to enjoy 32 x 32 castles. When I built my Camouflaged Outpost redo, I had used a technique that EK had shown me and thought of people like Blue and Josh that were familiar with the classic set. I'm always hoping to inspire new or young members or show others something they might enjoy. The great thing about the internet and it's communities is that you can just build to build. Others will see it and maybe they'll like it/be inspired by it/ comment on it. If I like it, then I am eager to show others. I already know how good it is.