The Dream that Jason Built... and What Came Next
Before Playwell Bricks CEO Jason Pyett was asked to create a custom model of Brookside Mansion in genuine LEGO® bricks, he’d been dreaming of designing a castle in this medium. “It’s got the spires, and it’s got all these great architectural elements. It was a dream project and one I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do because it would cost so much money,” reminisces Pyett.
“That was my drive, back then,” Pyett explains, “to make that castle. So when Brookside Mansion came along, that was my chance. I specifically remember, at the time, thinking: this is my opus. This will be the project that defines me.
THE STRESS BUILD
“I loved the design process. I loved having people following the process, and I got some notoriety from it, but when it came time to build, it became very evident to me how much I did not love building anymore. I had 30 days to put 64, 000 pieces together, and it just broke me. It was my first stress build, and it killed my love of building.”
He furrows his brow. “I think I made about 3, maybe 4 dollars an hour for that whole project. If I didn’t have the passion for that build I would have never, ever have done it.
“I’m super proud of the finished project. I couldn’t be happier, but I will never do something like that again. I feel that the mansion was the end of my art as a designer. That artist died.”
FEELING BEREFT
It was more than just the stressful build that changed Pyett. “Having that one dream project for so long… and then it was finished. Scratched off the bucket list. I was left afterwards feeling bereft.”
He pauses for a moment. “An important thing people have to realize is that your dreams will constantly evolve. If I had ended my bricks career there, I would have been satisfied. Obviously, I had bigger ambitions, because the next stage came in and the next stage was all about building a business and production and doing all the other things. The dream transformed into something else.
“People who haven’t gone through the process of trying to fulfill their dreams, or even if they have fulfilled a dream and feel empty afterwards, need to understand that you do need to find the next thing.”
It was finding that next dream that finally made Pyett’s bereft feeling go away.
BUILD YOUR DREAMS
“I know better than most that dreams do, in fact, come true if you put everything you are into them. And now my dreams are even bigger, so my advice to you is keep your head in the clouds, keep dreaming, and do everything you can to make your dreams become reality.”
Pyett’s belief in dreams is reflected in Playwell Bricks’ motto: build your dreams. These days, “I am focusing not only on building my dreams, but also those of our team, those we collaborate with, and, most importantly, those of our clients.”
Do you have a dream that needs building? Custom sets have the ability to strengthen bonds with your clients and foster new connections, all while delighting and inspiring your recipients. Contact us today and see how we can use our dream to build your dreams.