Robots, Robots, Robots: An Interview with Josephine Monterosso

Best of BrickNerd: Weekend Highlight — Article originally published July 15, 2021.

Today I have the privilege to shine the spotlight on another one of my favourite builders in the community, Josephine Monterosso, or Jigsawjo as she is also known. I can’t remember when I first started to follow her work, but I am sure it was because I saw one of her robot-builds. She creates some of the coolest robots around, often with a fairly limited number of pieces, that have connections that will blow your mind. And if you think I have mentioned the word robot quite a few times in this opening paragraph, you might as well get used to it, because this article will showcase quite a few of them. So…robots, robots, robots! Here we go.

Andreas Lenander: Hi, and thank you so much for chatting with BrickNerd! Please tell our readers a little about yourself.

Josephine Monterosso: I’m Jo, a lifelong LEGO builder. I live in Michigan with my family.

Andreas: Ok, first and probably the most obvious question, what’s up with all the robots?

Jo: I don’t know, really! I love robots, particularly humanoid types, and LEGO makes it really easy to design and build my own.

The term NPU just doesn’t seem to cut it here. Is there anything beyond that?

Andreas: Fair enough. So how long have you been building with LEGO?

Jo: Off and on since I was 6 or 7 years old. I started taking it more “seriously” about 4 or 5 years ago. By “seriously” I mean things like following news about new pieces/colors, ordering random parts on BrickLink to play around with them, following other builders online, etc.

Andreas: What got you into the hobby?

Jo: As a kid, it was nothing more than getting a gift one Christmas; I was hooked immediately! As an adult I was further hooked the more I learned about all the amazing things folks were building. I think it’s lost to time but there was a build I saw a number of years ago that used parts in ways that I had never even imagined. It totally changed the way I look at LEGO.

Andreas: Well you certainly have your fair share of crazy connections, so that’s a very interesting thing to hear. Now why do you build, is there anything specific that drives you (aside from the massive financial benefits that we all enjoy…)?

Jo: I love the creative outlet that playing around with shapes and colors provides. I also love the challenge, too, of trying to make the thing in my head in real life using a limited set of parts/colors. I often think of my ideas as puzzles that have a solution. Sometimes there’s more than one, but other times I know that there's only a certain combination of parts that will satisfy me.

I find it meditative, too. It’s really satisfying when I get so focused on a build that all of my other problems vanish. Oh, and the massive financial benefits of course!

These conections are not for the faint of heart, but they sure are awesome.

Andreas: That’s probably something a lot of us can identify with. So do you feel that you have a certain style?

Jo: No, but maybe kinda sorta? I think my robots have a certain style, mostly based on trying to find weird part combinations. I don’t know!

Andreas: Have you expressed your creativity using other mediums (painting, drawing, interpretive dance, etc)?

Jo: I used to draw a bit when I was a kid. I’m sad that I stopped doing that. But not sad enough yet to get back into it as an adult! My other main hobby is doing jigsaw puzzles, but that's not particularly creative.

Andreas: Where do you find inspiration?

Jo: I like movies and TV a lot so my robots are usually inspired by something I’ve watched. I’m also inspired by regular things and the challenge of trying to represent them in LEGO (like a lightbulb or a bunch of grapes).

Andreas: Those are very cool indeed. Ok, first LEGO set you remember?

Jo: It was set 550-1. We had an extended family Christmas party and I got that as a gift. They should bring back those flip-up boxes!

Andreas: Definitely! So are there any builders out there that inspire you?

Jo: Yes, but there are too many to mention. The community is full of amazing and creative builders, yourself included!

Andreas: Haha, thank you! Now, have you ever felt any pressure when building (I mean let’s face it, you’re being featured on BrickNerd, that’s really the top of the food chain right)?

Jo: Yes! First off, I feel pressured by myself to live up to my own expectations for something. You ever finish something and feel unsatisfied with how it turned out? Sometimes that leads to me just abandoning something because it will never match what I’ve imagined it to be. Another aspect is the “social media” stuff. I worry about folks “following” me but then me not building anything (see my lack of output lately). But again I think that’s just pressure I’m putting on myself. I don’t owe anyone anything and the community is full of wonderful people who completely understand when regular life gets in the way.

Andreas: That’s absolutely something that I think a lot of builders can identify with. Building with LEGO should be a way to relax and a source for enjoyment. But I can definitely see where you are coming from. Ok, moving on to some lighter stuff. Favourite piece and why?

Jo: Love this question! Right now it’s the skate. So tiny yet so full of great connection points (“legal” and otherwise). Handcuffs are great too; their flexibility comes in handy. I’m gonna pretend you asked for my top three and round out my list with the whisk.

Andreas: Those are some great pieces for sure, and you certainly make the most of them! Now back to some more hard-hitting questions. You can bring back one theme, which is it, and why is it not Galidor?

Jo: Western, because I missed all those sets when they were originally released. It’s not Galidor because I haven’t yet had the pleasure of playing with Galidor pieces.

Andreas: Fair enough. So where can our readers find you and your work?

Jo: Flickr! I tried Instagram for a bit but decided it wasn’t for me. It’s off-topic but I also post my jigsaw puzzles to jigsawjo.tumblr.com/.

Andreas: Awesome, thanks! So do you prefer the online part of the hobby (like posting pictures of your work, etc.) or attending conventions?

Jo: I enjoy both, but am seriously lacking in the convention department. I really wanted to get into that world after moving back to Michigan in 2019, but COVID thwarted my plans… I’ll make it happen eventually. I want to get to know LEGO people and share this hobby in real life. I want to travel to conventions, all that stuff. One of these days I’ll figure out where to start.

Andreas: Yeah this past year and a half have really not been the best for conventions… Hopefully things can get back to some sense of normalcy moving forward though. Time for another hard-hitting question: Where do you rank on the purist scale?

Jo: Is there a chart I can consult? Does purism cover legality of part usage? Digital builds with pieces in unavailable colors? I’ve broken a LEGO law here and there but I arbitrarily draw the line at using non-LEGO parts. But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t off-brand parts that caught my eye and made me question my LEGO values. Ultimately I support folks expressing their creativity however it makes sense to them. That might be building digitally, using parts that don’t exist, using non-LEGO elements, etc. Really though, if there’s a purist chart I’d love to see it!

Andreas: There is actually a chart, not sure how official it is (the answer, not official at all) but it is quite interesting nonetheless. By the way, are you a member of a LUG? If so, which one?

Jo: Nope! But I’d like to be someday.

Andreas: Are you open with your LEGO interest in your private life? Ever had any negative/positive experiences in regards to that?

Jo: I’m open about it, yes. No negative experiences that I can think of. I’ve shared some of my stuff on our chat server at work and connected with some other LEGO folks as a result.

This is the most awesome use of rubberbands ever. Just…awesome.

Andreas: That’s cool! So do you have anything specific that you want to accomplish as far as LEGO is concerned?

Jo: I’d like to someday make a book about building robots, but I currently don’t know how to do that. Oh and I’d like to visit the LEGO House.

Andreas: Ok, final and possibly the most intriguing question of all. How many PaB-cups do you own?

Jo: Zero!

Andreas: That’s crazy! Ok, well thank you very much for your time. I know I have had a great time doing this interview and hopefully our readers will appreciate it as I think you do some of the coolest and most unique stuff out there in the community.

Jo: I’m grateful for the opportunity, thank you!

Thanks a lot for reading this interview, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I highly recommend going through Josephine’s Flickr-feed, it’s filled with some amazing stuff, and all sorts of crazy connections that I’m sure you will appreciate. If you have any questions or anything, just leave a comment. Take care!

What are your thoughts on robots? LEGO or otherwise. Let us know in the comments below!

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