LEGO Serious Play at Creative Spark

As some of you may know last week, Creative Spark & Beccy Irving held a confidence workshop for the team, which included a LEGO Serious Play workshop. I have received quite a few messages, after my initial post, asking for more information about the workshop and about my sculpture, so thought I would write a bigger piece about it. Before I dive into it, I want to thank Neil Marra and Calandra Tennant, for making the confidence sessions and workshops happen.

LEGO Serious Play is great - it’s a unique experience that merges the sheer joy and fun of building with LEGO bricks with the depth of serious introspection, enabling people to create models that visually represent their strengths, thoughts, emotions, and role/s. As a lifelong LEGO geek who isn’t great telling people how I feel, this really did sing out to me.?

We were expertly guided through the workshop by Beccy, a certified Serious Play practitioner. The whole team found this workshop incredibly enlightening. It gave us all a platform to shout about our strengths with confidence, whilst helping us to understand the way we each think and feel in a deeper way than we ever would have done previously. I would honestly recommend all small businesses look at doing this exercise with their teams - it will help your team come together, learn the different ways each person communicates, help understand the team’s strengths and how you can help each other grow.

Here's a detailed breakdown of the sculpture I built (see the picture) and the symbolism behind each element.

The Central Figure

At the heart of my sculpture stands a solitary LEGO figure, representing lil’ old me! This figure is not just a static piece but a dynamic symbol of my role as the central anchor in my work and personal life. It is holding up numerous branches (the beige is as close to a branch colour as I could find), each extending in various directions, capturing the essence of my multitasking world. These branches illustrate the myriad tasks and responsibilities I handle simultaneously, reflecting the interconnected and often chaotic nature of my daily life.?

The Eyes of Oversight

Across some branches were extra eyes. These eyes symbolise my constant vigilance and effort to oversee everything happening around me. They represent my need to stay alert and aware of as much as possible. Whether in my professional or personal life, these eyes highlight my role in keeping an eye on multiple fronts, ensuring nothing is overlooked.

Symbols of Success

Scattered across some of the branches are green jewelled pieces. These jewels represent success and accomplishments, akin to prized milestones. These pieces are crucial, symbolising the rewards and recognition that come with hard work and dedication.

Flying the Flags of Progress

In addition to the jewels, I added red and green flags to some of the branches, which act as indicators of whether things are on track or not. The flags are a visual status check for various tasks/projects. A green flag indicates that a particular task is progressing well, while a red flag is a red flag - something that needs attention! These flags were essential to my sculpture, as they show the ongoing assessment and adjustment required to keep everything running smoothly.

The Fragility of Balancing It All

One aspect of my sculpture that became apparent almost accidentally is the inherent fragility of balancing all these responsibilities on one person. I am strong and capable, holding up numerous branches, each laden with different challenges. This delicate balance highlights how easily things could become overwhelming if one more item is added.?

In creating this sculpture, I unintentionally highlighted my vulnerability of being the central pillar upon which so many responsibilities rest, in work and personal life. The branches don’t just? symbolise my multitasking abilities but also the potential for strain and stress. Added to this, it captured how alone I can feel, which isn’t something I expected to show to anyone, let alone teammates.?

I have decided to use these as a reminder of the importance of self-care and the need to seek support when necessary. It highlighted how crucial it is to recognise one’s limits and the value of delegating tasks and sharing responsibilities to maintain a healthy balance and realise I can ask for help - I do not need to feel alone.?

A Powerful Insight for the Team

Sharing my sculpture with the rest of the team gave them a much clearer insight into my daily life. They could see the effort required to keep everything on track and the potential for strain if any one element became too heavy, and recognised the delicate nature of this balancing act.

The exercise not only gave me a deeper understanding of how much I shoulder but also opened up a dialogue and raised awareness among the team. It was a reminder of the importance of recognising each other's strengths and the importance of support, collaboration, and sharing the load to ensure that no single person becomes overwhelmed.?

Reflecting on the Experience

I knew what I wanted to attempt to build, and was really pleased with how it turned out. It allowed me to clearly convey to the team the complexity of my responsibilities and the constant balancing act I perform. It illustrated my strengths and allowed others to see vulnerabilities, which are things I would never normally open up about. I am so proud of it!?

The LEGO Serious Play workshop provided a unique platform for self-discovery and expression. It was more than just an exercise in creativity; it was a powerful way to visualise and communicate to each other. Again, if you ever have the chance to participate in one, I highly recommend it.

?