As one of the five featured designers in this campaign, MoonRock presents My Garage. Reimagined from his 2022 original, this work serves as an artistic exploration of the "Workshop Spirit" and the concept of "Car-Infused Living".
For MoonRock, bricks are more than just technical components; they are an extension of everyday life transformed into art. Leveraging the Brickwith system, he has crafted a space that celebrates true creative freedom.
Join us as we step into MoonRock’s world of brick art and experience the ease and free-spirited atmosphere behind his craft.
Meet the Designer: MoonRock
To start, please introduce yourself to the friends of Brickwith.
Hello everyone at Brickwith! My name is MoonRock. I'm from China, 32 years old, and I work as a middle school IT teacher.
How has your experience as a teacher influenced your brick designs?
Reflecting on my teaching career, I've discovered many subtle connections between the profession and brick creation. For instance, witnessing students' wildly imaginative creations has significantly inspired my own creative direction.
What do your students say when they learn you're a brick model designer?
Whenever I introduce myself to new students, telling them I'm not only a teacher but also a brick model designer, they often react with great surprise and curiosity. The most common question I get is: Can you build with bricks on a computer?
You mentioned teaching Stud.io in class. How do you actually conduct these sessions, and what is the student response?
Stud.io software instruction is currently offered through an extracurricular club. During the course, I integrate programming and 3D printing into the Studio curriculum to enrich its diversity. I find students are highly enthusiastic about this class, and each student demonstrates remarkable creativity in the classroom.
Daily Inspirations
What kinds of everyday life most often spark your creative drive?
I find that late at night, when everything is quiet, is when inspiration strikes most easily.
Which elements of life have given you great inspiration or a strong urge to create?
Most of my work draws inspiration from daily life. One vivid memory is when I was shopping at a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Do you have any habits for recording inspiration when it comes to you? What is that?
When inspiration strikes, I prefer to search for images that resonate with my ideas or sketch them out briefly through drawing.
Do you listen to music while designing or building? What genres do you typically listen to?
Music is indispensable during my design and building process. I thoroughly enjoy the relaxation it brings. I particularly love listening to Coldplay, as well as rhythmic genres like rap and K-pop.
Besides designing brick models, what other hobbies do you have?
Besides designing brick models, I love swimming the most. Swimming allows me to clear my mind, and I truly cherish that feeling.
The Story Behind My Garage
This campaign’s theme is “Brickwith+”. How do you interpret this theme?
I find this theme incredibly open-ended, capable of pairing with any content. Since virtually anything in life can be represented with bricks, this theme allows for boundless imagination and concrete creative expansion.
You released a similar garage piece in 2022, but this one feels more grounded in "real-life scenarios." Where did the inspiration come from? How did you create such everyday scenes?
My design inspiration comes from American TV shows I watch and reference images I collect. I combine these with my own ideas to ultimately construct scene-based buildings rich with the feel of everyday life.
How long did it take from initial sketches to final assembly?
About a month.
Which part of the entire creation process excited you the most or left the deepest impression?
I found the most joy in designing the scissor lift. Continuously testing its structural feasibility and seeing it actually operate for the first time brought me immense happiness.
You initially considered several vehicles for pairing. Why did you ultimately choose this particular car?
I felt a classic retro model better aligned with my design theme, "Car-Infused Living." Classic vintage cars paired with a distressed scene symbolize a lifestyle attitude, embodying a strong old-school vibe.
After finalizing the layout, you made adjustments and added new elements. I noticed the garage doesn't feature your car but resembles a living space instead. Were you aiming to convey that garages can be more than just parking spots?
What I truly wanted to convey is that this piece radiates a strong sense of everyday life.
You encourage builders to customize the garage layout? Could you elaborate on this idea?
My creation only establishes a framework. I hope players will unleash their imagination for personalized adjustments. Every point allows players complete freedom, like giving the framework a whole new decor style—it's bound to be incredibly fun.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during design?
Still, it was the scissor lift mechanism. Since the cross-axis parts are made of plastic, they bear an enormous load in terms of overall weight-bearing capacity. However, replacing them with steel cross-axles would effectively solve this issue.
If you could imbue this scene with a mood or narrative, what atmosphere or emotion would you want viewers to feel upon seeing it?
I'd prefer people to feel the sense of ease and freedom it conveys.
Building with Compatible Parts
Do you mix LEGO with other parts when building? And if so, what issues have you run into?
Occasionally, I do use mixed parts for physical builds. For now, LEGO parts remain the industry benchmark.
When combining compatible parts with LEGO pieces, the differences lie in surface gloss and tactile feedback—some compatible parts feel stiffer to the touch.
Whether it’s LEGO or other compatible brands, what’s been disappointing or frustrating about the current parts library available on the market?
Currently, I find the color variety for de-grained parts used for aesthetics remains relatively limited. However, both LEGO and compatible brands are developing new parts and expanding color options, so this isn't a major concern.
What would you love to see change or improve in the current parts market?
I hope the parts market can establish unified standards and a scope of application.
Currently, the properties of some products have actually deviated from the building bricks themselves, becoming more akin to entire model pieces. At the same time, I also hope to reduce the presence of low-quality parts in the market.
From a creator's perspective, what parts are most valuable to you?
Special small structural parts, wheel hubs, fender flares, hub caps, and windshields are currently the most helpful for my designs. Having these parts significantly elevates the quality of my work.
Share with Builders
Do you share instructions with your fans? How do you share them? And do you have any standards for what to share and what not to share?
I don't frequently share building instructions; instead, I sell them on Rebrickable for a fee.
I believe this approach better protects my work from unauthorized resale. Given the current landscape in the brick community, sharing instructions carries a high risk of being misappropriated and used by others for profit.
Have you noticed how many people bought parts and rebuild your designs?
Generally, a significant number of people purchase the parts to build the designs and share photos of their finished creations.
In your case, are those people usually brick fans or not?
It's safe to say most enthusiasts dedicated to building replicas are genuinely passionate about building blocks.
Though, many others are drawn in by the finished creations themselves, leading them to explore and learn about building block culture.
Have fans ever come back to you with small struggles?
These issues occasionally arise. While most players are familiar with the entire process, I patiently guide newcomers through these steps.
What kinds of moments of joy, satisfaction, or even touching experiences have you had from sharing your designs?
I regularly update my designs across various social media platforms. What brings me the most joy is the praise and appreciation from fellow brick enthusiasts. Their support fuels my motivation to keep creating.
Creator Support
What initially drew you to Gobricks? Did its specific types or colors solve a particular creative challenge?
I have high standards for the integrity of my work and cannot tolerate missing colors in parts, requiring substitutes.
At the time, I discovered Gobricks offered precisely the part colors I desperately needed, eliminating concerns about color shortages during physical builds.
This collaboration with Brickwith differs from traditional set-based cooperation. How does this approach feel different to you?
The biggest difference is the freedom to break through limitations and create according to my own vision.
Moreover, having access to an extensive parts library makes the creative process incredibly smooth and enjoyable, allowing me to truly savor the act of creation.
During the creation of this piece, were there any experiences that felt distinctly different from your previous works?
The most distinct experience was using the Brickwith parts library.
This is your first time designing with Brickwith's parts library. What are your impressions?
It was a completely new experience, but there's still significant room for improvement.
Did Brickwith's palette in Stud.io help your design process? If improvements were possible, what suggestions would you offer?
Currently, selecting a part triggers a color submenu, which I feel might interfere with viewing and selecting other parts—not particularly convenient.
The color detection mechanism should align with Studio's original mode. I hope special new parts developed by Gobricks can also appear in the library.
What tools or services could make your creative process easier or smoother?
I'd like to see more printed parts available. Offering designers more discounts or coupons would be beneficial for verifying designs. Additionally, designer benefits could be further enhanced.
In terms of community, what kind of support would encourage you to keep creating and sharing?
Recognition and appreciation from builders for my creations are the greatest motivators for me to keep creating and sharing.
Editor's Note
Through our in-depth conversation with MoonRock, we not only admired his vibrant, free-spirited brick creations but also gained valuable insights into his perspective on the current state and future improvements of the brick parts market.
The Brickwith team sincerely appreciates MoonRock's valuable suggestions and commits to making improvements to deliver a better experience.
Most importantly, MoonRock emphasized that players' recognition and appreciation of his creations are the greatest motivators for his continued creation and sharing.
Thank you, MoonRock, for your inspiring insights! We look forward to all brick enthusiasts continuing to support and follow his creative journey!
Interviewee
MoonRock @moonrockmoc
Interviewer
Kenshin
Editor
Cornelia
About Brickwith
Brickwith.com is the official destination for premium Gobricks building parts, offering an extensive selection of parts and colors, trusted quality, and tools built for creators. Every order is individually sorted and packed according to your parts list, giving builders a faster, smoother experience from checkout to construction.
