C J

I’ve been building with LEGO for almost as long as I’ve been alive (so 40+ years). While my collection spans many themes, series, and sets, my favorite theme is the LEGO unlicensed castle sets (so nothing found in a franchise). I also really enjoy the Elves sets and the new Dreamzzz series, though I haven’t had a chance to actually build anything from that yet.

My very first set that I remember was the 1984 King’s Castle (6080) and I remember how hard my entire family worked to get me just that one set. I still have it to this day and have built, disassembled, and rebuilt this castle so many times throughout the years that I guess it’s just a really good thing I take such good care of my stuff, otherwise, all the torsos would be faded and everything broken.

The journey of a woman LEGO castle builder certainly hasn’t been easy, especially for as long as I’ve been building castles. I’m truly grateful to the LEGO community I found in the South Puget Sound region, and it’s been with their support and encouragement that I’ve finally felt confident enough in my building and knowledge to join the Women’s Brick Initiative. The WBI is everything I never had growing up – a community of women builders, focused on supporting under-represented populations, inspiring the women builders of the future, and empowering women to keep building, especially in what’s typically been seen through modern society as “men’s spaces”.