Having a (LEGO) conversation with... Jiwoo Seon (South Korean LEGO Fan designer)

 

Today I bring you a very special guest from the other side of the planet. This is Jiwoo Seon, a LEGO fan from South Korea, who, in addition of having a spectacular collection, has proved to be an incredible builder of original models, with a very personal style and in many ways brilliant (and shiny, since her models use a lot of chrome elements). And all of this was done in recent years, as she only started building in 2020. But only in 2/3 years, almost all her MOCs submitted on the LEGO Ideas platform have already reached the 10,000 supporters needed to become official sets... the only thing missing is for LEGO to choose them.

So, if you want to learn more about this talented LEGO fan, you can find out in the next questions.

If you also want to be featured on our page, contact us via Facebook or send an email to playwell.pt@gmail.com

1-Tell us a little about yourself, your name, age, what do you do, and how long have you been a fan of LEGO?

Hi. My name is Jiwoo Seon. And I chose to use Jiwoo in the LEGO community.

I’m 35 years old and a big LEGO fan and designer from Seoul, South Korea.

I was a power plant piping design engineer. And right now, I’m preparing and challenging myself to get a new job.

Of course, I have been a Lego fan since I was young, but I started to build my own creations as a Lego fan designer in 2020.

 

2- What is your first LEGO memory? Was LEGO part of your life while growing up or was it just an occasional thing?

Like many other LEGO fans, I have played with LEGO since I was young. But, when I was young, I couldn't have as many LEGO sets or bricks as I wanted and as I have now, so I spent most of my childhood playing with my own imagination and with limited LEGO bricks.

 

3- Did you have a dark age? Usually, lots of adults go through one in their adolescence, only returning to the hobby when they are already financially independent. If so, what happened for you to start collecting and building with LEGO again?

In fact, I got out of the dark ages through LEGO. After I became an adult, I got a job at a company that I really wanted, but I quit the company that I worked for six years because I felt the fatigue of my life.

Since then, I've travelled and run an online clothing shopping mall, something that I've always wanted to do, but for some reason, it wasn’t enough, as I felt that I didn't have a goal in my life.

So to find vitality in my life, I adopted a dog named Podong and took him to live with me, and I also started assembling LEGO that I liked when I was young.

But I gradually fell in love more and more with the toy, and since I got to know more about MOCs, I've started to express my imaginary world with LEGO as well, and now I'm a totally big LEGO fan.

 

4 - I have seen your gallery on LEGO Ideas and Instagram and noticed that you also design your own models. And they are not “just” models, they are masterpieces! As a fan of modular buildings, and someone who also likes to build my own designs, I simply love your Clock Tower Park, but especially, your Library Moc.

Do you plan ahead, building first on the computer, or do you prefer to build with physical LEGO parts? Can you tell us and give us an example of your constructive process?

Thank you so much for liking my creations. :)

I usually design my MOCs with a computer program. In fact, I didn't have any Lego bricks that I when I made my first design. So, I had no choice but to use a computer program when designing my works, and I have been designing them in this way since then.

Recently I have realized that I have enough Lego bricks now, so I've tried designing with physical LEGO bricks a few times, but I think computer programs are more comfortable for me.

 

5 – Where do you usually get the LEGO elements for your MOCs? Do you use the ones that you already have, or do you buy them specifically for that creation?

After I design my new creations, I usually buy LEGO bricks on Bricklink.

 

6 - Do you also collect LEGO? If yes, what themes do you like the most?

Of course. I collect various themes such as Star Wars, Disney, Modular, Creator, Brickheadz, Pirate Series, etc. And among them, I really like the Star Wars UCS series.

 

7 - What set or theme most influences you, as a fan of LEGO? Is there a theme that you would like LEGO to produce?

Personally, I really like the atmosphere of the pirate and the medieval themes. So, I often enjoy watching amazing MOCs from these areas, and I really hope that LEGO will produce pirate and medieval sets again.

 

8 – If you had the chance to build whatever you want in LEGO, regardless of weight and size, what would you do?

If I have such an opportunity, first I would like to build my own dream city with downtown, airports, ports, railways, and countryside.

After that, and since I used to work on power plant design at a construction company before, I want to build a power plant really sophisticated on a mini-figure scale.

 

9- Are you currently working on a LEGO project (not necessarily building)? If yes, can you tell us about it?

A few days ago, I submitted some of my creations to the Bricklink Designer Program Series 1 and am currently waiting for the results. So I'm working on instructions to submit my next creations to the upcoming Bricklink Designer Program Series 2, and at the same time, I’m also designing my new modular MOCs.

 

10 – How is your LEGO “workshop”/exhibition space?

I’m currently designing, assembling, and exhibiting LEGO only at home. But in the future, I'd like to set up my own workshop if I get to design and build more of my LEGO creations.

 

11 – Do you have an account on social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, etc.), where you share your constructions or collections?

Sure. I usually upload my LEGO creations on Instagram or Facebook.

https://www.instagram.com/jiwoo.seon

http://facebook.com/dongmin.seon

 

12 – Do you like or have you tried to build in group or community projects? Or do you prefer to build alone?

In fact, it hasn't been that long since I started my LEGO career. So I've been designing my models alone until now, but I'm planning to work on a group project with another good LEGO fan designer this year.

 

13- What does your family and friends think about your hobby? Do they support you or still say it's a “kids thing”?

At first, my family and friends thought that designing my own LEGO models was just a hobby for me to relax and recharge myself.

However, since I participated in several exhibitions, events, and online and offline programs with the creations I designed, they now recognize it as my own special career, and not just a hobby.

 

14- Have you participated in a LEGO event or a fan exhibition?

Since 2020, when I started designing my own models as a LEGO fan designer, I have been participating in various LEGO events and exhibitions in South Korea.

Last year, I exhibited my MOCs at the 90th anniversary of LEGO event in Gangnam, and participated took them as well to the 10th Brick Korea Convention.

 

15– Have you been to the LEGO capital, Billund?

Unfortunately, I have never been to Billund, Denmark. But I would like to visit Billund soon and feel the LEGO passion there.

 

16- How do you see yourself in this hobby in 10 years?

In ten years from now, I hope that my LEGO identity will be firmly established, and that I, and also my models, we will be known to many people. Until then, I will continue to try to build more LEGO models.

Thank you so much Jiwoo, good luck with your projects and dreams, and I hope to continue to see many new models of your design!