Two years and a project
It’s surreal… but I’ve just realized it’s been over two years since I last wrote a blog post.
Two years where I’ve been stuck. Not in plastic but in a deep creative rut.
Last year, I focused on trying to get out of this rut. For this, I had to overcome three pain points.
One of my biggest creative blockers was the lack of motivation to post-process photos. This led me to an increasing backlog of photos to process… And avoiding further increasing that backlog by purposely not taking pictures.
Another blocker was the loss of my go-to toy photography spot when I moved from Finland to Sweden.
And finally, I lacked inspiration. Inspiration in toys, particularly LEGO.
My project for 2025 was centered around my not-so-new-anymore home of Luleå. It aimed at solving the first two blockers. By working on a project, I also set the goal of emptying my backlog of photos to process. And by focusing on where I live, I had hope of finding a new toy photography spot.
2025, success or failure?
My 2025 project is incomplete and often feels like a semi-success.
The first success was emptying that backlog of photos to process. But very early in the year, I started once more procrastinating with processing images. And I’m now sitting again on a backlog of unprocessed photos (albeit much smaller than the one I had a year ago).
I didn’t complete my project: I don’t have 12 images. Still, I could just break the rules and trim it down to 8 images. But even then, I still have images that are not processed, including one that I just dumped the files from my camera and haven’t yet even looked a single time at the result.
But more importantly than the project itself, I haven’t really managed to address any of my blockers. I still lack motivation/interest in processing images. I still lack an outdoor spot that is close and easy to access and inspires me photographically. And I still lack inspiration in general.
Overall, my feelings about 2025 are not so positive.
Yet, I often have to remind myself that 2025 was a huge improvement over 2024 for a simple reason: I created something, even if incomplete.
Reconnecting with LEGO in 2026
During our first hangout of the year with the crew, we talked about going back to our roots.
For me, this means addressing my third blocker: trying to find the toy photography muse again.
During our hangout, we discussed sharing on the blog our favorite LEGO set of 2025, while going back to our roots. Focus on what inspires us and how it impacts our photographic process.
I have been disconnected from LEGO for the past few years. I barely follow LEGO-related news, and when I do, it’s mostly because of Google news recommendations. I’ve also barely bought any new sets.
One exception is maybe the Jurassic Park/World sets. Dinosaurs always managed to trigger something in me. Even deep in the creative rut, I was really excited when LEGO first released a giant sauropod figure in 2023, and another one last year.
So last week, I went out with the Titanosaur for a lunch walk in the ice in -25°C.
Sharing the Adventures in The North of my Plastic Friends.
