Jigsorter
What's your name?
Mel aka @jigsorter
Where are you based?
Blue Mountains, Australia
Tell us about what your ordinary day looks like.
I'm lucky enough to work from home most days of the week. On quiet days, I'll try and sneak in a few pieces of whatever puzzle I'm working on in the afternoons. After work, some physical activity/exercise, and dinner, most evenings are mine to enjoy with some puzzling.
How did you get into the world of puzzling?
I got into puzzling during late high school and uni when I discovered a few unopened puzzles at home. They were old-school landscape images and took me a long time - I only managed about one a year. I stopped puzzling when I no longer had studies to procrastinate, and adulting and other hobbies took over.
In early 2023, a colleague brought a puzzle into the office and put it on a shared table. I couldn’t resist and even stayed back late some days to work on it. I borrowed more puzzles from this colleague, started buying puzzles from local hobby shops, discovered puzzle groups on Facebook... and the rest is history!
What makes you keep puzzling & how often do you puzzle?
Puzzling is like turning the volume down on the noise and worries in my brain. I try to puzzle every day, usually in the evenings after work, as a way to unwind, relax, and escape. Working on puzzles is not only therapeutic, but a way to see the world from my home (since I can't be on holidays all the time!), and escape into the creation of a talented artist. A good weekend is one where I get to spend a few solid hours puzzling away.
What is your favorite type of puzzle?
I love anything cute, interesting, weird, or unique in some way - whether it be the art, the piece cut, or the story behind the puzzle. I love puzzling all types of images including paintings, illustrations, and photographs. Landscape photography puzzles are very nostalgic for me as that’s what I spent years puzzling. It wasn’t even until the last couple of years that I've slowly discovered there's a whole world of beautifully illustrated puzzles out there!
I love supporting small businesses and brands featuring art by real human artists. I'm particularly drawn to images that I feel a personal connection to in some way, whether it's of a place I've travelled to, my favourite Aussie animals, a loved one it reminds me of, or a feeling of nostalgia for my childhood.
I puzzle 1000 piece puzzles most often, as I like being able to work on a puzzle over a few days, returning to the table to pop in a couple of pieces when I find a moment during the day. As I've started to get more into speed puzzling, I've been adding more 500 piece puzzles to my collection, and have also recently gotten into mini puzzles. I also have a few larger piece count puzzles waiting for me in my stash. I love all sizes and types of puzzles!
During puzzling sessions, do you listen to anything or puzzle in silence?
If I'm slow puzzling, I mostly enjoy puzzling in silence, and only occasionally listen to music or watch TV or YouTube videos in the background. I have a very overactive inner voice and puzzling in silence can give me the space I need to process things. If I'm speed puzzling, I always listen to music (typically instrumental songs from video game and movie soundtracks) and find it helps me to stay focused.
If you were to describe what puzzling means to you, what would it be?
Relaxation and, thanks to puzzlegram - community.
Tell us about your other interests & joys.
Other than puzzling and spending way too much time on puzzlegram, I also enjoy reading, bush walking, playing the occasional cute and cozy video game, and eating! I love trying new foods, cafes, and restaurants, and have a huge sweet tooth. There's always room for dessert!
Do you have anything you want to share?
Joining puzzlegram has been one of the best decisions I've made this year, and I want to say a big thank you to the community for being so welcoming, supportive, and inspiring. I am so grateful for all the incredible people I've been able to connect with from all over the world and locally too, thanks to puzzlegram.
