"When my website crashed from too many hits," he explained, "I realized it was time to make a change."

More than a decade later, he's a well-respected artist.



His work has been critically acclaimed and exhibited at spaces like The Kennedy Center and the New York Public Library. In 2015, The Art of the Brick, became the Franklin Institute's third-most successful traveling exhibit in its history. That same year, he signed a deal with Warner Bros. to exclusively create a touring exhibition of DC Comics characters.



For others looking to make a career change, Sawaya suggests:

-Transition out of the life you don't want into the life you do want. It doesn't have to be overnight. Make a plan for how you want to make the change.

-Cut out the negativity in your life. Cut out those people, colleagues, maybe even friends and family, who are telling you that you cannot make a change, or are taking too big of a risk.

-Don't give yourself a safety net. You would be surprised what you can do if you don't have a way to go backwards.

Sawaya says he keeps more than five million Legos on hand since demand for his art continues to increase and human forms usually require about 15,000-25,000 bricks while larger pieces like his Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton can use more than 500,000 Legos.

And even though Sawaya is an official Lego Master Builder, he says he buys his Legos just like the rest of us — but in much larger quantities — spending more than $100,000 a year on the colorful bricks.

