Lego started with wooden toys

Wood carving is a centuries-old tradition in the Nordic region, where the long winters indoors provided ample opportunity to sit by the fire and whittle. By the time of the Vikings they were highly skilled craftsmen, decorating everything from their bowls and spoons to their boats and their churches. The most popular are the toys; intricately carved figurines in the shapes of horses, pigs, roosters and more.

The most beloved carved figurine from the Nordic area is a little red horse from Sweden. Called the Dala Horse, there are many stories of its origin, but everyone agrees that the 1939 World Fair in New York City was when it became popular world wide. A giant Dala horse outside of the Swedish pavilion inspired sales of over 20,000 figurines that year. They have been a staple of the souvenir business in the Nordic countries ever since.

Carving is a great way to pass the time in the winter. It’s also sustainable, since the wood traditionally comes from leftover scraps. And the repetitive nature of the task encourages a state of flow that is similar to meditation. 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of flow 14 years ago in a TED talk entitled Flow: the secret to happiness. “When we are involved in (creativity), we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life,” he said. All other problems or concerns disappear as we become fully immersed in the act of creating. And once we’ve created something, we get a dose of the chemical dopamine which makes us feel happy. 

So pick a project and get happy.

What did I learn from this?

Create something by hand every now and then.