Designing Art and Packing Kits One LEGO Brick at a Time!

October is just flying by, probably because I’ve been very preoccupied with my work with LEGO bricks! I’ve spent hours each day designing LEGO memory activities for those with dementia which my Mom has absolutely loved! I’ve also been sorting, organizing and packaging my LEGO Inspiration Kits that I’ll be using for my LEGO Serious Play sessions in November and posting my Motivation Monday content on social media. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so many design ideas for memory activities and actually made them a reality in the same day! I love the bright colors of the pairs of designs that participants can match up either with a timer or just as a leisurely activity. Even though Mom can’t match the different patterns, the smile on her face as she interacts with the pieces is all that matters. I’ve made 50 pairs of designs so far including some with heart and circular shapes and can’t wait to create more!

I had never made a puzzle out of LEGO bricks before this week, but once I started it was pretty simple…. I created a design onto four separate plates which at first glance looks like one piece. The four pieces of the puzzle fit into a very small bag and can be used anywhere there is a hard surface. Mom loved the puzzle too!! After 20 minutes of work, she sat back and gazed in amazement and satisfaction with her work. She is always so focused when she’s working with the LEGO bricks which in turn inspires me to create more designs for her to try!

I also gave my first in-person LEGO Serious Play session for Sunrise Senior Living Silver Spring, MD on October 6th where residents with dementia and their care partners together Built Memories of favorite vacations, holiday celebrations and what brings them JOY. The models they made were incredible and memories that were uncovered were just amazing! A great time was had by all and it was so awesome to do a live presentation again that was very safe with masks and social distancing.

Most of you know I have been a trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator since 2014 and in my sessions I’ve always used the sealed packages of 48 LEGO bricks sold by the LEGO corporation. Every now and then the Exploration bags that LEGO sells are of stock, especially since COVID so I began thinking about what bricks I’d include in my kits if I made my own. I finally wrote down the bricks I wanted to use and since I work a lot with caregivers and care receivers one of the pieces I wanted to use was a heart!! I took a social media poll of which type of LEGO heart I should use and got some great feedback. I ordered resealable bags from Amazon and ordered hundreds of the LEGO pieces from a website called Bricklink that would make up my 46 piece Inspiration Kits for my sessions. I even ordered Loretta Veney Inspires labels to add to each kit. I didn’t think I’d be able to begin using my kits until January, but the LEGO pieces, some of which came from dealers outside the US, came so quickly that I was able to get 110 Inspiration Kits assembled and packed today! While I certainly need to improve my assembly line process and speed, I’m so proud that I got it all done by myself and just in time for a really cool gig!

I can’t wait to share 85 of my personally packed sealed kits with a company called Honor, which recently acquired Home Instead. They’ve hired me to do a LEGO Serious Play teambuilding exercise in Redondo Beach in CA on Nov 3rd that will honor their partners. In our planning meeting a couple of weeks ago they were so excited about what I plan to have the team build and there may even be prizes!! Because of my love / hate relationship with the US Postal Service, I’m taking the LEGO bricks on the plane with me!! I had originally planned to keep it simple and just use the original LEGO bags, BUT I’m thrilled to know that I can rise to the occasion give my clients a personal touch highlighting my brand.

November is National Family Caregivers Month and I’m getting ready to celebrate caregivers every single day of the month!! I’ve been told that Episode 6 of Robin Roberts Thriver Thursdays series featuring Mom and me will be aired during November because I am a caregiver. I couldn’t be more pleased with that decision. These days I’m excited that because I only have one job now I can totally focus on everything I love! I had always dreamed that LEGO bricks would make up a significant portion of my business one day and that day has arrived. Mom Inspires me to keep creating presentations and LEGO sessions that will inspire other caregivers! The Joy I get from this work wakes me up every morning ready to build my next piece of Inspiration!

Today I even took apart the 62 piece Art Exhibit I created in June for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day event. Tomorrow I’ll likely start to think about what I will rebuild with the pieces from that exhibit. Whatever it will be, I know it will bring me Joy that I can share with Mom and others! I hope you can find your Inspiration that you can share with others too!! It’s so worth the time you put into it!

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