Architect or Gardener

[Slobey]

Hi all,

I recently heard a radio interview with George RR Martin (author of Game of Thrones for those who don't know) and he described his writing style as being a 'gardener', i.e. Starting with an idea and letting the story 'grow' rather than an 'architect' who plans everything in advance.

My question is when you build are a gardener or architect?

In the past I have done a lot of planning and arranged my collection so I know where every piece is but lately when building with my kids and their collection i have had a lot of enjoyment starting with a peice or idea and just going for it, pulling pieces that spark my interest to incorporate into my builds.

I'm almost at a point where I'm thinking of throwing all my carefully sorted small bins and containers into several large bins and building this way myself.

I know we are all degrees of both style but which way do you lean?

[robuko]

I know people who build in each style. Personally, I start with an idea then throw some parts together and see how the idea evolves as I go along. I usually start with some particular details that I want to include, and then I shift them around in relation to each other until I'm happy with it, and then shoehorn the basic framework in. But I do keep bricks sorted by type and size.

[Sir Brickalot]

Hmmm, that's interesting. Personally, I'm a little bit of both. If I think of something to build, I will build it. However it will not turn out how I wished and/or expected. In that case, I just let imagination take over and I just build with no end goal.

I usually use such an approach to all my MOCs. To me, it is the key to building something great. For example, I usually build the ideas I post on the future ultra agents sets thread in LDD. I have an idea in my head of how it should look like. Sometimes systematically it doesn't work, and sometimes it's the aesthetics. I just fit it how it needs to be, not how I want it to be.

[Bennemans]

I would say I'm a gardener. I begin with an idea or a picture I took/found and just start building and experimenting. Often, when my MOC is done, I take it apart after looking at it for a couple of weeks. Then I start over, order parts from BL if I need to, and rebuild it; changing the parts I didn't like and ending up with a much better version. Further alterations are not uncommon.

I do sort my bricks pretty neatly though. Space is finite. I sort mostly by type. Bricks, plates, tiles and slopes are sorted by size and color as well.

[Yzalirk]

I'd say I'm a combination of both but I seem to be more of a "architect" since when I build, I use use lots references for certain things, like buildings, but I tend to do some stuff freehand but I like to have an idea for what I want my creation to look like when finished.

[Peppermint_M]

How about a Landscaper?

I have an idea that I want to start from but then as I build it just grows. There may be one or two key features or effects I desire that I will lay in groundwork for but I will happily cultivate as I go along.

Sometimes I do have a seed piece that grows into a cool MOC, sometimes I am building from a photo/diagram but most of the time it is an Idea I wish to create from.

[MikroMan]

It really depends for me. When I'm at home, I usually fiddle around with leftover bricks on my table while doing stuff on computer, and sometimes this evolves into an idea or some concept I'll eventually use. So that's me as a "gardener".

However, when I'm at college during the week, I have a very small assortment of LEGO at my flat, so I prefer to imagine it in my head and then recreate it in LDD. That's my "architect mode", since I have to know what could/would fit together and I have slightly more limited selection.

[Kivi]

I'm more of the architect type - especially for larger projects where foreseeing the type and amount of bricks needed could be a decisive factor if the project is feasible or not.Though for smaller things and details I also use the 'gardener' approach - sometimes the best ideas just come out of blue.

[mccoyed]

Total Gardener. Probably as a writer as well, come to think of it. I don't understand where people find the time to LDD and build stuff. Yikes!