[HELP] Eternal WIPs

[Cumulonimbus]

I finally have some time on my hands to continue my WIPs but I am confronted with a huge amount of unfinished work. My MOC list contains dozens of Technic projects, ranging from nearly finished to just an idea.

I heard the saying here that MOC is never truly finished, but I have some difficulty in reaching a satisfactory result in my projects: I typically grind to a halt when bumping into a problem I can’t immediately solve. I put the project aside at this point in search for inspiration, but this small delay often turns into weeks and months (in some case even years). In other words, I’m a great starter of Technic projects, not so great at actually completing them.

When this happens in my professional life, there is always external pressure in the form of a project leader or deadline to push me over the bump. In MOCing however, it is just me.

This leads me to my questions to you, fellow MOCers:

• Do you recognize the lack of motivation/energy to finish a MOC?
  
• If so, do you have tricks, methods, deadlines, etc to continue and actually finish?
  
• (related to B) Do you find that the community helps you in continuing your build process, for example with a WIP thread on a forum?
  

Very curious about your experiences and tips.

[J_C]

I do LEGOing because I want to. I do it for myself. And it is not goal oriented activity. Process is not something I have to get through. It is the reason why I do it.

On the other hand sometimes when I am finished with project I feel sort of anticlimactic, more like "and now what?".

Of course I put building aside - sometimes for day, week, months - due lack of free time. But that is normal, I guess. I enjoy moments when I pull out the boxes and build something, even if that is for very short time, before I gotta put it away again and go back to real life :-)

I would say, try to find joy in the process, do not focus on "goals" , finished MOCs, just enjoy the moment of building. It really does not matter if you finish your process today or next year of never - if you keep building, designing, inventing, creating in the process. Because THAT is the point.

[Lipko]

Just throw projects you are not at all passionate about.

If you have too many that you are passionate about, then throw out the ones that doesn't bring anything new to the world of MOCs.

For the rest, just practice some self discipline if you are concerned about having too many WIPs, which is IMHO not really a problem (unless you have limited space or limited inventory). I usually find it easier to jump to another project or part if I get stuck with something and keep a flow of continuous building by jumping back and forth (for me it usually only works with part of a single project, since I have limited inventory. In this case: self discipline and the urge to publish. I am pretty good at calling projects finished. One reason of the urge is that Technic is evolving. So a build can get outdated if you don't finish it in time. In this case: either start-over or throwing out the project. This is pretty hard. Drinking and sleeping on it helps).

Edited July 18, 2016 by Lipko

[JM1971]

When I hit a slump then its time to take few extra prescription tramodol, it stops me getting bored and that's all it takes to finish a wip.

However my creations turn out to be a little weird so its not for everyone.

Cannabis is available legally in America so that would work too, I reckon the EU will be next to legalise it.

[Erik Leppen]

I certainly get what you mean - if I leave a project untouched for too long, on a certain moment I just want to get rid of it. I might rebuild it later, but leaving anything assembled for too long gets on my nerves. It's almost as if I want to make the parts be free again ;) (well, in a way it's because I want to have the complete collection available again for a fresh project, or a fresh version of the last project).

One advice: join a competition (when there is one). The deadline helps you finish. At least, that is my experience. It also helps focus, instead of eternally improving tiny details.

But my favorite personal method is: don't build too big. I know that if I build too big (anything beyond 5000 pieces) my chances of finishing it are small. Your size limit may lie somewhere else, but you might want to start really small (like, 300 parts) and see if you finish that. If you can, you can slowly size up.

Also, build what you are good at, or something similar. Then you get the best results, and improve even further :)

And, most importantly, of course, the final model is not the goal. The goal is enjoying yourself. That's why it's called a hobby :)

[brunojj1]

Nice topic which won´t be answered honestly by many because of its nature. One can´t just imagine how many unfinished or dumped projects have / haven´t seen daylight…

But to answer these good questions:

- lack of motivation/energy to finish a MOC

Yes, too often. Especially when you don´t have much free time – entirely free from inferiority thoughts or simply without your kids who need most of your attention. You just need more than half an hour to get into some creative flow when parts “fall into place”. A project can also get too complicated if too ambitious. You just come to some limits regarding the needed space or used parts. Then after many try/error you think you are not able to fulfill your vision and that sucks!

- tricks, methods, deadlines, help

Don´t be too harsh with yourself. If you associate mostly negative or compressed feelings to your MOC, you can´t succeed. IMO the best trick is to come back to the original passion of you idea. Why did you start it? Look again from another angle at your vision or real vehicle /something you want to build. The beauty or functionality or sheer size of something was the main inspiration, isn´t it still?

The perfect MOC is only in your dreams, but will never exist in reality. So what, the long run is worth it anyway. Set priorities and make compromises you can live with. There are always several possible solutions to a problem, find at least one. The credo which I try to follow: never give up and try again the 21. time instead of skipping the task and creating another unfinished hate object (I have 3 of them now, too many already…)! The better is the feeling of success afterwards.

My personality refuses to get nailed down on a deadline. This hobby is more about creative playing than working hard. My MOC is not my boss, it´s the other way around. Of course you still need a lot of discipline to get things done. E.g. you work on a chassis which has almost nothing to with the imagination of the finished look of a vehicle. Or if you have to straighten things in the stage of completion and therefore half of your MOC has to be ripped apart.

IMO the community can help you with designs or ideas, but your main inspiration should be motivated and driven only by itself.

Edited July 18, 2016 by brunojj1

[zux]

Everyone has failed MOCs. I haven't build much to discover my pattern yet. However I found that during the time you are thinking of building certain model try imagining design of the most complex things you need to do. Completing that would give you much motivation to complete the rest, or at least move forward considerably.

I have also found that building scaled model is somewhat exhausting also. Like, you can figure out how to build the chassis with all the functions but then you find it is not so easy to recreate a body in great details you were thinking of earlier. Building non-branded vehicles is simply much easier. You can use your imagination or free build using parts that match the coolness of the model you wish to achieve.

Building size matters too. Bigger model can have much more details, but it is also gets complicated with chassis, due to extra weight, torque distribution in powertrain. However failing here gives you a valuable experience (I did that).

Do you recognize the lack of motivation/energy to finish a MOC?

This happens especially if something doesn't work as intended or there is a problem in a design you cannot solve quickly. Giving a day or two helps sometimes. Giving reasonable timelines to finish the MOC is good to do (yes, we all want to build a MOC a week). Completing a MOC kills motivation for some time as well.

If so, do you have tricks, methods, deadlines, etc to continue and actually finish? Do you find that the community helps you in continuing your build process, for example with a WIP thread on a forum?

There is no standard pattern. Some MOCs get finished quickly, some after a long period of time, others get failed. But what works for me is a deadline for public/LUG meetings. There is always urge for show off for unknown reason . However, at the same time competition deadlines don't work for me at all. Posting a WIP topic is basically stating MOC is never going to be finished, as this quickly kills the motivation if you still had any.

Ad besides that, failed MOC is not always failed. I had build a chassis for one of my models and worked very well before I lost interest in finishing (building a body). So instead of scraping it I have practised building in digital. In the end I got much experience, had made a step-by-step instructions and made them available on Rebrickable.

[Zerobricks]

All i know is that no matter what kind of a model or any kind of a thing I'm working on, as soon as I stop activly working on it and put it on pause thant it will never be finished (I'm looking at you Porsche and Silverfoxy). Funny enough It seems when there's a set deadline, it forces you to show your best and to put an effort into it. About actually finishing a paused model? Hmm I didint have many such experiences, but I guess a good start is to recheck and refresh your memory on how the model is built, check the notes and such and try to resume?

[Exetrius]

Some fantastic pieces of advice have been given above, I'd like to add a couple of things:

1. If you really need a deadline, you could participate in contests, or plan events where you are going to display your models.
   
2. It may also help to build smaller, so you can build it within the span of your motivation/creative energy. It's also easier for keeping an overview of the how the model will fit together in the end.
   
3. Try to build modules that will fit together later (instead of working your way from one point), it may help you to fill the difficult gaps between them.
   
4. Build your model in LDD first, maybe? (doesn't help for me, but who knows!)
   
5. Start a WIP thread on EB for boost of motivation and confidence.
   
6. Try to finish older projects first before starting new ones. If you get a spark of inspiration, you don't have to build it physically right away, LDD or simply a sketch of your idea are material to work on, later!
   

I hope all of us can help you finish your eternal WIPs! Happy building!

[TheMindGarage]

Just throw projects you are not at all passionate about.

If you have too many that you are passionate about, then throw out the ones that doesn't bring anything new to the world of MOCs.

For the rest, just practice some self discipline if you are concerned about having too many WIPs, which is IMHO not really a problem (unless you have limited space or limited inventory). I usually find it easier to jump to another project or part if I get stuck with something and keep a flow of continuous building by jumping back and forth (for me it usually only works with part of a single project, since I have limited inventory. In this case: self discipline and the urge to publish. I am pretty good at calling projects finished. One reason of the urge is that Technic is evolving. So a build can get outdated if you don't finish it in time. In this case: either start-over or throwing out the project. This is pretty hard. Drinking and sleeping on it helps).

That really helps. Sometimes I have two WIPs on the go, but I become much more absorbed in one of them and end up ditching the other. Recognise what you enjoy building and build more of those - don't force yourself to build a certain thing (say a Porsche) if you deep down really want to build something else. It's about the building process at least as much as the end goal!

[andrewganschow]

Usually when I'm building it's either to pass the time, or to explore what I can build, for the longest time I had a rough chassis for a Peterbilt 359 wrecker, it was long, but I couldn't get the front suspension right, and the rear wasn't to great either, so I eventually scrapped the project in order to get my parts sorted out that I put into the model.

[Tommy Styrvoky]

I understand the potential issues with motivation, I used to have a quota of roughly 1 moc per month, and this summer, I expected to build around 5 models, though so far I have built two, and am working on one now, and designing one in LDD, so I can order parts. With summer's end nearing in the next month, I abandoned most of the planned models and focused on the ones that I thought were the most important to me. Partially I feel, pushed by Youtube subscribers to please them, by building models they want, though It is discouraging, as it's Impossible to build what everyone wants, so I ignore most of the suggestions. ( I think it would be interesting to hear from someone else with a large YT channel, as this has to be interesting to deal with, as you want to please the majority, as it will increase popularity... It would be interesting to hear Sariel's view on this, as he is one of the largest Technic channels.) With my current WIP I am working on, It isn't rather complex in terms of the mechanisms, though the space limitations, and mechanical functionality has to be robust. Progress has been rather slow over the last month and now I am reaching a point where It gets very difficult because of space constraints. Though I have gotten farther with the current progress, then the last time I attempted this model, as I abandoned it previously. I would say now that I have my second year of college coming, I really appreciate the free time I had when I was in high school.

For tips I would suggest maybe work on something else, and come back to the WIP later, but I am very aware of the limited inventories that people have, so that isn't always an option. Another choice would be to do more research on the model, and find inspiration to continue it. Sometimes I find I get too lost just building the model, and forget the reason why they wanted to build it in the first place. Don't get discouraged when you reach a place where It becomes technically difficult. Just step back from the problem, and try reproaching it. Just remember, if it gets to a place where it's too hard, just take a break to think about it more, and it's only a matter of time and money to solve it.

I guess one of the driving forces for me is that if you have most of your PF parts tied up in a WIP, It either drives you to complete it, or scrap it.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Tommy Styrvoky

[dr_spock]

• Do you recognize the lack of motivation/energy to finish a MOC?
  
• If so, do you have tricks, methods, deadlines, etc to continue and actually finish?
  
• (related to B) Do you find that the community helps you in continuing your build process, for example with a WIP thread on a forum?
  

There are ways to motivate yourself. If you're building a complex MOC, you can do the project management trick and break down the building tasks to sections or features of the MOC and set reasonable target dates for completing them. Having some reachable goals along the way to completion provides feeling of accomplishment and motivation. Last year, I did a photo a day project which turned into a crazy MOC a day. Coming up an idea each day, building it and photographing it helped drive to the end of the project at day 365. Focusing on the one daily subtask of the project made it less daunting. If you have multiple MOCs going, you can prioritize and allocate cycles to work on each of them. Like at work when I had to work on multiple projects with mulitple deadlines and project "mothers" nagging me.

If you're a member of LUG, the LUG can help especially if they have monthly meetings and that's a good opportunity to show off WIP and get feedback from members. Sometimes LUG members drive each other to build. Having to display at public events is a good motivator for me to get my MOCs done before the event dates. Personally, I don't find WIP on an Internet forum having the same motivation. It can work for other people. Find something that works for you.

[Lipko]

Yup, building for LUG meeting is a good drive (and easier to explain to it to your spouse).

Too bad the Hungarian LUG is kind of dead recently. AFAIK the last meeting was in 2014, not counting truck trial events.

[SevenStuds]

A lot of wisdom has been laid out in this topic, and all very valid points not just for Technic, but life's goals and projects as well.

My take on it is that you can never let any project get too dusty, just do small updates each day. Even that shiny new Porsche will become "eh" after some time.

Having the reference or inspiration photos in front if you each day helps.

One last thing is that I think it's OK to let go sometimes and call it a "version 1", take photos (or build what you have digitally), pull it apart and continue with other things that make you happy. Perhaps a year down the line you want to come back, rebuild what you had, and that way the process stays current and inspiring.

Good luck!

[Cumulonimbus]

Thank you for the advice so far. It’s funny, my first reaction to the suggestions of just throwing the stalled projects was: “Noooo!” So I guess I must still be passionate about them.

Of course you are right that this is just a hobby and that the end result is not the goal, but I think my brain needs the end goal to keep going. The design process is cool in itself, but to own a model of an interesting machine, with some of it most crucial features represented, is a big part of my motivation. The other great motivator for me is learning to understand the real machine and its features.

I think there might be truth in the statement that I'm too ambitious. Not necessarily in brick count or size (I tend to start my creations based on official sets), but in complexity. Too many challenges in one project might render the puzzle close to unsolvable.

Additional challenge is that I don’t have a dedicated Lego room/area, so when I reach a standstill I need to make the table top free for other activities. This makes rebooting a project even harder because I need to “install” my bricks and tools again before I can do anything useful.

I already build as modular as possible , the tricky bit is in most cases the combination and interaction of these modules. I use LDD extensively in my build process, either to try different solutions for a sub-problem without the limitations of my parts collection, and again near the end to optimize the structure, part count etc. My build process generally looks like this:

Idea -> sketches on paper -> LDD sketches -> proof of principles/modules in real bricks -> first complete model in bricks -> optimisation in LDD -> rebuild model in bricks

Maybe I should make a WIP topic for one of my projects and see how it goes.

PS: Slightly off topic, but I wonder how active the Lowlug is in the field of Technic. I once tried to sign in, but my e-mail account was not accepted. From what I see on their Technic forum, it is rather quiet in the field of Technic.