• Doing the BJD Hobby Your Way •

Hi! I've always loved dolls and kept it kinda secret once I got into highschool, never owned a BJD but admired them on deviantart where I'd write and do some photography. I got a figma to pose and play with, and started thinking about customizing it further.
Only recently when I attended Doll North I dove in, I had the extra money for a doll and now I could use my fabric scraps (and maybe worbla scraps!) to sew and customize her!
It's a combination of my hobbies/passions and I'm really glad to see such a community I can get into here I'm excited to put my sewing, crafting, and photography to good use, and to sit and play with her poses when I'm watching a show or just enjoying a tea

 

At first, it was because I loved the idea of them. I've had a fascination for collecting things since I was a kid and collected TY Beanies.

Now, I'd ideally like a group of maybe 4-5 dolls all based on my own characters from a story I've been working on for a few months. They're all really close, in a band, and are perfect for shelling into dolls. Although, there is only one of them that I really want, or could make do with, in doll form. He's the quiet, humble bassist of the band, but he's one of the main characters of the story (alongside his girlfriend - who would be the 5th doll). He's also a very special character to me, one I've bonded with through writing and become extremely fond of. So, to have him in doll form would be significant for me.

Other than that, it's just nice to have them around to admire. Or hold close. Or even talk to, when there's no-one else to reach out to. There's something soothing in dressing them, when they don't fight you of course, or stroking their wigs. I used to rub my Alex's feet in the early days. Just something therapeutic to ease stress and anxiety.

 

I got into bjds simply because I like dolls and pretty things and fashion, so it seemed right up my ally. When I did join the doll hobby, I found I also enjoyed taking pictures of them and creating back stories and little props for them. I also really liked doing faceups, and while I've yet to do my own on a bjd, I have done them on other dolls and recently bought a practice head so I can start. ^_^ Bjds and dolls in general became a huge creative outlet for me, which I hadn't initially expected, and they as well as the people in the hobby, have become a huge inspiration to me and make me strive to create more and better my skills. It's just a lot of fun for me and it has been the only hobby where I've actually feel fully immersed in.

 

I enjoy collecting things. The fact that it's so fun to create things for my dolls is an added bonus, I enjoy doing faceups& sewing for them. When I'm stressed or upset I find it calming to play with my dolls, having them nearby to keep me company is also nice.

 

My ADHD causes me to "hobby jump" constantly. In this hobby alone, I can "hobby jump" from sewing outfits, to styling, to photography, to face-ups, to writing for characters, to wig-making, etc. There is always something new for me to try or an old part of it that sparks my interest again, that I haven't started a new hobby in over a year. (Which is a serious record for me!)

Also, like @BenEMcD, it is really soothing for my anxiety and depression. My husband has even commented that he wished I had found the hobby earlier.

 

My husband said something similar to me. At first, I don't think he understood, but now he's constantly encouraging me to continue with this hobby.​

 

I love cute things. I've dedicated my life to cuteness, although my taste and what I find cute varies greatly. For me I've always loved dolls because they were cute. I started collecting antique dolls years ago but I lost most of them in a flood. After that I discovered Harajuku fashion which led me to bjds. I felt like my love for cute things and character development and design could be combined and it opens a whole new world for me. Also having the physical dolls really helps when I disassociate, I often forget what things feel like or can't feel my arms, and i found out by petting my cats that something small helps me recover. Now I keep a doll my my bedside because it's so calming to wake up next to and feel. I also like the idea of little people watching over me.

 

For me I guess it combines two things I love: writing/stories and building. I love putting things together, my room is being taken over by gunpla and a small nanoblock/puzzle city. So BJD are just a way to combine that. I can create characters that have a physical form I can show to people and then I can build props for them. I don't think I'm very good, but it's a start

 

Originally I started this hobby after an illness made it difficult for me to engage in outdoor activities.
I'm fine now, and the role of BJDs had shifted.
They serve as a way of preserving old games and interests from when I was a child as they all exist in the fantasy world my brother and dreamed up. There styles and personalities represent different interests at different points of my life.
Lately I think of them as a catch all. Fashion I'm interested in but wouldn't wear goes on the dolls. Stories I don't want to put into a novel but nonetheless want to flesh out end up part of the character stories. They are my main artistic outlet.

 

We (I) just want to have fun . We just want To be happy . Everyone have different reason to collect / play with our dolls.
Every dolls can create different stories . We are the creator/ producer/ designer/ photographer/ or even a maker.
We make our own story for our little babies.
We all have good and bad days but toys make us happy .

 

I love to craft. I knit, paint, crochet, weave, spin my own yarn, make jewelry. This hobby is the one place I can put all my crafting supplies to good use. The dolls to me are a blank canvas that I get to paint, dress up, sew for. They are perfectly blank when they get here and my imagination makes up the rest. They are a great creative outlet.

 

I got into the hobby because I wanted a fully posable tiny human doll to use in photo shoots with my scorpion. Yes, a real live scorpion. Named Snuggles! Anyhow, I custom ordered a. 1/12 scale doll off Etsy, and while looking for clothes for him, discovered other dolls. And I was hooked. I have a couple I use as story characters. I find it useful to have a physical representation when I write.

 

I am a writer, and all of my bjd's shell characters in my short stories/novels. I use them as a way to visualize the character. One of my dolls wound up on the cover of a self-published novel after a trip to photoshop to hide joints and throw a few filters on to make it look artistic. I also like painting, doing all sorts of art, sewing and crafting in general, so they're a great creative outlet for that as well.

 

I suppose my dolls are kind of like little pieces of beautiful art that I can have keep me company I appreciate the beauty and the effort that goes into making dolls. I don't have any particular stories or themes that go along with my dolls; I find a beautiful doll and I purchase it with the explicit intent of adding clothes and accessories. My dolls then sit, looking pretty and occasionally being fawned over with new dresses or a new faceup.

 

I like to make things. Last night it was a top made out of dark green silk leaves. Another day it might be silversmithing, or wood work, or leather work, or painting. The BJDs are the perfect toy, or heck, go ahead and call them a muse for an artist. You can paint them, make: wigs for them, fantasy costumes, jewelry, furniture, shoes, little plush toys or needle felt a dormouse to put in a tea pot, for that last item you need for an Alice in wonderland diorama.

I get such joy out of my dolls, I enjoy just looking at them. Marveling at their perfect beauty. Moving their little hands, re positioning them. I had never even heard of them until I was shown one that belonged to a friend. My first thought was,"Ooooh! Finally, the perfect person to sew for!" They are the focus of all my other collections. I was red hot determined from the moment I saw that first BJD to own one, there was never a doubt in my mind that I had to possess one. I love to give them things: I collect miniature books for them, I make them jewelry made of genuine stones: rubies, sapphires, moonstones...etc. I have developed a slight obsession with miniature tea sets. My newest one is cloisonné with blue dragons. I love everything about BJDs! They make me so happy.

 

I always wanted to be creative and write stories. As a kid I had what family and teachers referred to as a active imagination. I would make up stories about myself and tell them to others so they would like me. It always backfired. After I grew up I still wished I could be a writer. I found BJD hobby over 11 years ago and only in the last three years have I found the right doll to fuel that creative side of me that was so denied. He's been joined by others from same artist, and soon another group will form to interact with original group, and their own.

I love this hobby, I have bounced from hobby to hobby only to get bored or feel empty. This one has not only allowed that kid imagination to come back, but I finally have people who like me.

 

I don’t shell characters because the characters I draw have really specific shapes to their faces and I’ve never found sculpts that matched them.

I’m more likely to come up with characters for the dolls as I wait for them to come in! I also like to sew and want to learn how to make nice clothes for them. I can make really basic stuff at the moment, so I’m working on improving. X3

My dolls are basically just art pieces I like to play with. They’re beautiful to look at, and I like to hold and pose them.

 

Well, I use it to connect with my friends who are in the hobby and as a way to grow creatively. I've also used it to shell important characters, like my very first DnD character I ever made, and another DnD character who was a favorite among my friends. I'm also shelling my first ever fantroll I ever made. A sort of commemoration of when I started reading Homestuck and started rping in the community where I met so many friends.

 

At the start it was their beauty and the artistic nature of customising them but now it's so much more. They are a coping mechanism for my mental health so much more than I expected. They are a focus for me and something to do when I'm feeling bad and having my boy sat next to me us a huge comfort, he has even calmed a panic attack which nothing can usually do. This is unlike any hobby I have ever been a part of and I'm honestly so happy it's in my life now cuz I can't imagine not having it now!

 

How does this hobby affect my daily life? Well...I really should be at the gym right now!