In the small study in his Waratah unit, Joss Woodyard creates other worlds, sculpting LEGO pieces into colourful mythical creatures.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"It's satisfying when something in your imagination becomes reality in a physical form," said the 23-year-old.
Mr Woodyard's creativity is also set to transport him to the other side of the world, to Denmark.
In March 2020, he received an email from LEGO House, known as "Home of the Brick", in the city of Billund. The email told him the centre had seen his "fantastic" work online.
LEGO House invited Mr Woodyard to exhibit his MOCs (which means "My Own Creations") in the centre's Masterpiece Gallery. Mr Woodyard said he was to be one of 14 from around the world that year to be invited to show his MOCs.
"That was a dream of mine for that to happen, so when I got that email, the blood left my head, I was absolutely floored," he said.
However, COVID stalled his LEGO dream. The trip to Denmark was postponed not once but twice, due to the pandemic. However, Mr Woodyard is scheduled to travel to LEGO House in March, where he will exhibit a series of dragon-like creatures, including an intricate creation called Dagon.
Dagon comprises about 3000 pieces and took Mr Woodyard about a week to build - and many more hours devoted to planning and experimenting.
Mr Woodyard sees an upside to the lockdown and restrictions caused by COVID. It has given him more time to build and, through his part-time job at the Charlestown LEGO store ("my title is 'Brick Specialist' but I'm really just a salesperson"), he has seen a surge in interest, particularly among adults. Indeed, they have their own brick-related acronym: AFOL (Adult Fans of LEGO).
"LEGO is booming," he said. "It's more popular than ever and, by proxy, that's made my work more popular."
Not only does he have about 24,000 followers on Instagram but LEGO builders around the globe pay him for instructions and plans for his creations.
"It's an amazing feeling, seeing pictures of something made from your instructions on someone else's shelf, especially when it's on the other side of the world," he said.
While Mr Woodyard is literally building a living from LEGO bricks, he hopes to go further, by securing a job as a designer for the Danish giant. And he and his younger brother, Henry, have applied to be part of the next series of the TV program LEGO Masters, which has also increased the popularity of the plastic brick.
"We spent a lot of time building together when we were growing up," Mr Woodyard said, explaining he had been entranced by LEGO since he was five.
Until he hears from the TV producers, and he can get on a plane to Denmark, Mr Woodyard will keep creating his own worlds in his little study, dreaming up the next MOC to grab the attention of AFOLs and other LEGO lovers around the globe.
"To build something exactly as you want it to be is very satisfying," he said