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When I was looking at my loot on boxing day, I came to a realization.
For the first time in over ten years, I got no Lego for Christmas. What
was really odd to me was that I didn't mind at all. In the past, no
matter how much Lego I got on Christmas or my birthday, I always
thought "Yeah, but I wish that shirt was a twenty dollar set that's
still on my 'to get' list." But not this year. This year I was gifted
some awesome stuff, and wouldn't trade any of it for Lego. This made me
question the personal value of my collection. I can't figure out what
the appeal is, I just know it's there. And I have a lot of Lego. Follow this link for a table of all the sets I currently own. But there's still more needed to complete the collection, and I'm not sure if that's what I want. So now it's time for me to figure that out. The first thing I did was
research if there's any kind of mental illnesses associated with
collecting, and I found these three articles (two of which contain
similar text in the middle, but wrap up differently):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con
http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/arti
http://www.journalism.ryerson.ca/online/r
Having read these articles, I decided that there's nothing truly wrong with my hobby, as it doesn't really negatively impact my life, but the dilemma remains.
Then I went on to make a pros, cons, and possible solutions list. Jenn has gone through and bolded items which she finds to be important. Now, I'm sharing that list in my livejournal, and I invite anyone who reads this to share their thoughts with me, especially if they've ever wanted to or have discarded a large collection of personal items. Basically, I'm at a crossroads, and I want to get as much input as I can before I make any decisions. This is a lot more intimate than I usually care to get in my LJ, but I really want more viewpoints here.
----------------------------------------
Reasons For the Lego Collection:
1: I have invested a huge amount of time and money in it
2: it gets a positive reaction from people
3: I am afraid that losing it would be like losing part of myself
4: I may, in the future, become nostalgic and appreciate it more
5: most of it is now rare and difficult to replace, which makes it special
6: I feel like I might not be unique without it
7: I'm not sure if I'm actually tired of collecting or just randomly depressed about something else whenever I'm in the mood to get rid of it
8: whatever gap in my life that it filled in the past may need to be filled again
9: there is a final limit of what I want to collect, and when I reach it my income will be free to spend on other things
10: all that's left is Star Wars, which is something I love with or without Lego (but with is better)
11: I have enjoyed creating my own models (vignettes, the Remembrance Day dioramas, the obstacles for a miniature battle game...)
12: if I finish the collection and decide it was a bad idea, I can always sell it and get my money back, whereas not finishing it and changing my mind would mean shelling out nearly twice as much later
Reasons Against the Lego Collection:
1: it seems unhealthy to define part of myself by having a large amount of a particular type of thing
2: sometimes I feel like an addict, I don't know why I do it, but I feel like I have to
3: I haven't enjoyed assembling for several months now (seems more like a chore than a hobby)
4: if I were to lose it in a fire or a natural disaster it could not be easily replaced
5: even when I have something assembled, I keep it under a dust cloth where I can't see it, and I rarely have guests to display sets for
6: even disassembled, it nearly needs its own room
7: it is expensive to maintain
8: it is a frozen asset I can easily liquidate
9: I want to spend money on other things, like comics, dvds, an X-box, and most importantly debt reduction so Jenn can get a daytime job and I can see her more
10: if I died tomorrow, it would be difficult for my wife and family to sort through and deal with the collection, unlike books, dvds and video games, which all have designated second hand stores or are accepted by pawn shops or charities
11: selling it would free me from having to worry about where to keep it, whether or not to assemble any or all of it, how much to insure it for, and how much of my money it's tying up
Possible Courses of Action:
1: finish collection (only Star Wars sets from 2005, 2006, and 2007, current wish list roughly $800 before taxes)
2: finish collection by selling specific "less interesting" sub-themes (Sting Rays, Royal Knights, Spyrius, etc.)
3: stop collecting after purchasing only Revenge of the Sith sets from 2005 which represent significant parts from the movie (estimate: $200 before taxes?)
4: stop collecting immediately (which will leave me with no "post colour change" sets, which is fine, but also no Revenge of the Sith sets), and keep the collection
5: stop collecting immediately, and sell all but the most liked of sets (may or may not include Star Wars sets)
6: stop collecting immediately, and sell everything except the building lego
7: stop collecting immediately, and sell the entire collection
----------------------------------------
That's about it. The mood I'm in greatly affects the solution that appeals to me most, and I want a solution I can justify and live with. In the end, the decision is mine alone, but like I said, extra points of view would be greatly appreciated, and a big help for making my decision.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con
http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/arti
http://www.journalism.ryerson.ca/online/r
Having read these articles, I decided that there's nothing truly wrong with my hobby, as it doesn't really negatively impact my life, but the dilemma remains.
Then I went on to make a pros, cons, and possible solutions list. Jenn has gone through and bolded items which she finds to be important. Now, I'm sharing that list in my livejournal, and I invite anyone who reads this to share their thoughts with me, especially if they've ever wanted to or have discarded a large collection of personal items. Basically, I'm at a crossroads, and I want to get as much input as I can before I make any decisions. This is a lot more intimate than I usually care to get in my LJ, but I really want more viewpoints here.
----------------------------------------
Reasons For the Lego Collection:
1: I have invested a huge amount of time and money in it
2: it gets a positive reaction from people
3: I am afraid that losing it would be like losing part of myself
4: I may, in the future, become nostalgic and appreciate it more
5: most of it is now rare and difficult to replace, which makes it special
6: I feel like I might not be unique without it
7: I'm not sure if I'm actually tired of collecting or just randomly depressed about something else whenever I'm in the mood to get rid of it
8: whatever gap in my life that it filled in the past may need to be filled again
9: there is a final limit of what I want to collect, and when I reach it my income will be free to spend on other things
10: all that's left is Star Wars, which is something I love with or without Lego (but with is better)
11: I have enjoyed creating my own models (vignettes, the Remembrance Day dioramas, the obstacles for a miniature battle game...)
12: if I finish the collection and decide it was a bad idea, I can always sell it and get my money back, whereas not finishing it and changing my mind would mean shelling out nearly twice as much later
Reasons Against the Lego Collection:
1: it seems unhealthy to define part of myself by having a large amount of a particular type of thing
2: sometimes I feel like an addict, I don't know why I do it, but I feel like I have to
3: I haven't enjoyed assembling for several months now (seems more like a chore than a hobby)
4: if I were to lose it in a fire or a natural disaster it could not be easily replaced
5: even when I have something assembled, I keep it under a dust cloth where I can't see it, and I rarely have guests to display sets for
6: even disassembled, it nearly needs its own room
7: it is expensive to maintain
8: it is a frozen asset I can easily liquidate
9: I want to spend money on other things, like comics, dvds, an X-box, and most importantly debt reduction so Jenn can get a daytime job and I can see her more
10: if I died tomorrow, it would be difficult for my wife and family to sort through and deal with the collection, unlike books, dvds and video games, which all have designated second hand stores or are accepted by pawn shops or charities
11: selling it would free me from having to worry about where to keep it, whether or not to assemble any or all of it, how much to insure it for, and how much of my money it's tying up
Possible Courses of Action:
1: finish collection (only Star Wars sets from 2005, 2006, and 2007, current wish list roughly $800 before taxes)
2: finish collection by selling specific "less interesting" sub-themes (Sting Rays, Royal Knights, Spyrius, etc.)
3: stop collecting after purchasing only Revenge of the Sith sets from 2005 which represent significant parts from the movie (estimate: $200 before taxes?)
4: stop collecting immediately (which will leave me with no "post colour change" sets, which is fine, but also no Revenge of the Sith sets), and keep the collection
5: stop collecting immediately, and sell all but the most liked of sets (may or may not include Star Wars sets)
6: stop collecting immediately, and sell everything except the building lego
7: stop collecting immediately, and sell the entire collection
----------------------------------------
That's about it. The mood I'm in greatly affects the solution that appeals to me most, and I want a solution I can justify and live with. In the end, the decision is mine alone, but like I said, extra points of view would be greatly appreciated, and a big help for making my decision.
Current Mood: 
uncertain
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