Grasp
For anyone who spent their childhood building make-believe worlds out of Lego bricks, the creations of artist Nathan Sawaya are awe-inspiring. Each work in “The Art of The Brick,” an exhibition of Sawaya’s work, sparks amazement at what can be conceived solely out of Lego and imagination. Take, for instance, “Grasp,” in which a life-size human figure struggles to walk forward, held back by a spate of hands that clutch at it.
The sculpture embodies the time when Sawaya resigned from a lucrative job at a big New York City law firm in order to pursue his dream of being a Lego artist full time. Surrendering the security of a successful law practice is risky—doing so to make art out of children’s toys struck many of his friends as foolhardy. Metaphorically, the hands in the sculpture are them.
Fortunately, the graspers were unsuccessful. Today, Sawaya’s artwork delights audiences across the globe. Starting June 11 and running until Sept. 10, The Art of the Brick will be exhibited at the Myrtle Beach Art Museum in Myrtle Beach. Sawaya took time between projects to answer questions from Lawyers Weekly about what people—and lawyers in particular—can gain by embracing and stimulating their creative capacities.
In 2004, you gave up a successful practice as a corporate attorney to become a full-time artist. That would be a scary step for a lot of people. What inspired you to want to make that choice, and what gave you the courage to follow through and do it?
After I graduated from college, I did not have faith in my art for a full-time career, so I became an attorney. When I was practicing law, I would come home from long days working at the firm in New York City, and I would need some sort of outlet. Some people go to the gym at the end of their day, but I found I needed a creative outlet. So I would draw or paint or write. Sometimes I even sculpted. And it was one day that I challenged myself to sculpt using this toy from my childhood. So I started experimenting with Lego as an art medium. I put together a collection of sculptures and a website to showcase my own virtual gallery. Eventually I was getting commissioned to create works of art. And the day my website crashed from too many hits, I decided to make a change in my life. I left my day job behind to become a full-time working artist.
It was scary, but also completely liberating. I was in control of my own destiny, and the first morning I woke up after leaving the law firm was the beginning of what has turned out to be a truly thrilling adventure.
My law skills have come in handy from time to time and have been beneficial when negotiating commission contracts. But I still say that the worst day as an artist is still better than the best day as a lawyer.
In your book, “The Art of the Brick,” you say that people can improve their lives by expressing their creativity through art, and that “If you’re the kind of person who’s too busy to make art, you’re probably just the kind of person who should be making art.” Why do you think art is so important, and how can people with demanding jobs still find ways to express their creative impulses?
Sawaya
Art is not optional. Creating art makes people happier, smarter and just better people. I think it is important for people with demanding jobs to definitely express their creativity. I’m not saying that people need to spend months on a giant Lego sculpture. But a little art, maybe some finger-painting with their kids, or even just a bit of doodling or crafting, will make you a happier person.
At its heart, the practice of law is about serving others by taking their problems and making them your own. Unfortunately, as a result, it can also be a job in which people struggle to achieve the ideal work-life balance. Do you think that finding time to express creativity can help people become better lawyers?
The best lawyers are the most creative ones. They are the ones that look at a blurry photograph and make a convincing argument as to what you see. With art, the interpretation lies with the viewer, which I find far more fun.
How does your experience from your time as an attorney influence the art you create today?
Several of my works of art have a transitional theme. The transition from artist to lawyer heavily influenced a number of my early works. I continue to be influenced by the people I meet and the places I go. Fortunately my exhibitions travel the world and take me to places I never thought I would see—even in some of my wildest dreams. So as I evolve, the art does as well.
In your writing and in your art, you’ve reflected on how a lot of people tried to convince you that you were crazy to give up your practice to pursue your art. What kind of effect did that reaction have on you, and what was the reaction like from those people after you became so successful?
In some ways it drove me to prove that they were wrong. I even created a sculpture, titled “Grasp,” which is a life-size human figure pulling away from a dark gray wall. And within the wall there are all these arms pulling at the figure, trying to hold the figure back. Those arms are like the people who told me I was crazy.
These days, I don’t stay in touch with people that told me my dreams were crazy. Instead I surround myself with others who believe anything is possible if you are true to yourself and are willing to world really hard.
Do you think your friends would have responded any differently back then if your art was in a more traditional medium — like, say, painting — instead of Lego? And what is it about Lego specifically that inspires you so much?
Using Lego as an art medium had never been done and was completely unproven, so people questioned being a brick artist as a viable career choice.
At the time, I liked using Lego bricks because there were no limits to Lego as a medium or as a toy. But as I began using Lego as an art medium more and more, I realized I liked using Lego bricks to create artwork because it makes the art very accessible. Now my mission is to inspire others to find their own creativity, and creating art out of Lego allows people to connect with the art on a familiar level. The toy is universal so it also allows my artwork to transcend languages and cultures.
I also like the distinct lines of the rectangular bricks. I like how when one sees my sculptures up close, you can see all of the right angles and sharp corners. But then when you back away from the artwork, and see it from a different perspective, all of those corners blend into curves. That’s some of the “magic” of working with Lego bricks.
Follow David Donovan on Twitter @SCLWDonovan