A Collector or Addict?

I see myself as a collector of BJDs, and several other things - seashells, rocks, art museum post cards, little statues of animals. And I have several other hobbies as well, including making things for my BJDs. I have obsessive tendencies, where I'll be thinking about one thing constantly for several days. I've learned from experience with wanting other things that sometimes my interest will wear out after several days. So I resist the temptation to buy a doll until I'm sure I won't lose interest in it. I've sold the two I bought impulsively second hand, and have several more I'm considering selling. I'd like to have a mostly finished group eventually, but that may take a while. I feel like I've slowed down with my doll buying, but I've ordered three this year.

 

I guess I’m a collector, of sorts… but I could as easily claim explorer, or artist status…I don’t keep pristine dolls in cases or boxes, with a focus on resale value. I am fascinated by things at the intersection of art and engineering with a healthy dose of psychology thrown in, and I like to make items to dress/accessorize them with. I likely own too many dolls for my space, and I also love seeing the creativity of others expressed through their dolls, photos, clothes, accessories and storytelling. But I think the term addict is overused in casual parlance.

 

I think of myself as more of a curator, at this point. I’m constantly rearranging the collection on the shelf, or getting new accessories for them (yes, a boyfriend for one of them is an “accessory,” shhhh), or considering who’s next in line for a repaint/revamp. I get more of that hobby high off a well taken photo or a well executed faceup than I do acquiring a new one these days. We’re kind of at capacity in terms of space for storage here, so that might be part of it.

 

I have BPD and adhd so its more of a hyperfixation.

 

That's some excellent advice!! Unfortunately I'm completely overhauling my doll collection so everyone is blank at the moment except for one doll. And shes nude and bald haha. I think once I have more girls completed, taking them out might curb my shopping impulses but we'll see

 

That’s a huge project, Starry City!! That should keep you busy and out of trouble for a little while! When my doll population got as big as I wanted them to, I started focusing on upgrading their bodies if they were on bodies I didn’t love. It didn’t stop me from browsing, but it definitely narrowed down the focus a lot. Good luck with your painting and projects! Now you will have art supplies and wigs to obsessively shop for!

 

Hear Hear! I'm also new and the past year has been so unusual that I've wondered how much it has influenced everyone's activity in the hobby. A combination of heavy work and increased stress seems to have translated into more shopping and less actual interaction with my doll. I also don't want my hobby to be centred on consumption. Like @SneakyUnicorn and @jessholy said above, I'll also need to continually reflect on spending and make sure my decisions are moving toward a balance I'll be satisfied with.

 

I'm an addict, but I would say I have my hobby under control. While I may be a doll addict, I can't stand feeling as if I've become a doll hoarder!

I only have my own bedroom to keep my dolls in so I have to be super careful that my room never get to the point where it looks cluttered, untidy and way too full of dolls. So far it looks pretty nice in here. I got a good balance between the things I like. My main hobby is dolls but I have a little shelf for cryttals, oracle and tarot cards. A little 80s and 90s nostalgia shelf. And a little "Legend Of Zelda" shelf. And on the curtain rod on my window hangs my fake fur spirithoods and wolf and fox tails.

I'm very addicted to dolls so I try to keep my other interests more on the minimalistic side.

Every now and then I will sell some dolls I feel I can part with to get some new additions to the current doll families and groups I'm working on. That keeps things in check so that I never end up with too many dolls.

 

@Starry City Your post struck a chord with me. I was wondering why at this time in my life, I would start collecting dolls and find so much joy in it. I also had a difficult childhood and found a lot of comfort in my dolls. With recent events - pandemic and such (as well as some personal ones), it has brought me back to dolls again as an adult - and not a young adult. I especially like that these dolls don't just sit up on a shelf. They are meant to be photographed, posed, outfits made for them - played with! I also like the community - here and on Instagram.

I do find a lot of comfort with my dolls. And yes, I do like to buy them, but not to the detriment of my family's budget.

 

Collector hoping I don't become an addict. I like to keep my collection small to be able to afford clothes and other things because I am still just a college student.

 

Yes!! I also returned to the hobby during the pandemic, maybe it's a comfort thing? During the start of the shutdown last year I bought an american fashion doll on a whim after seeing them in Target and then I just couldnt stop and now I'm full force collecting dolls again.

 

I'm not a collector by nature, so It's hard to say. I know I've gone through periods where it was definitely more of an addiction earlier on in the hobby, but lately I've felt like I'm really purposefully curating a collection.

I think what really flipped the switch from opportunistic hoarder to discerning collector was when I started using taobao and following specific artists on Weibo. Something about following a doll through the sculpting process and waiting for preorders to drop makes me much less likely to impulsively buy things.

 

I'm addictive by nature, but being on a fixed budget has kept me from getting out of hand with bjd collecting and with the exception of having Aiko my dz Arwen on a long layaway I owe my two on topic dolls I've bought so far this year onto the last stimulus that went out here in the US. I lucked out and was able to find both a full doll I loved as well as a body for my one floating head that fit within the allocated "fun money" part of budgeting that.
I definitely do believe I impulse shop when I am upset/stressed but I've managed not to go too overboard with it and most of what I purchase is on the cheaper end as far as cost goes. While I'm a homebody as well as anti social, the pandemic has still been difficult and impulse shopping online certainly did become part of my life because of it.
Like a few others have mentioned, my childhood was hard in a lot of areas and there were quite a few times I had to let go of/leave behind people and things that were extremely important to me. It's actuality had me searching to find some of those things, luckily my sis managed to track down a music box clown doll that had been very dear to me on sale second hand for a very affordable price and I was able to bring her home again.
My bjds have really become a source of comfort for me to the point where now I seek out my boy Vish if I'm having a low and just cuddling him and holding his tiny hand in mine can bring me out of it to a degree. And I have even brought him to bed at night on occasion even though I swore I never would. But after he stayed with me during my hospital stay I've learned that I somehow know when he there and don't toss and turn like I seem to do otherwise.

 

Honestly hoping to stay as a small scale collector, but given how addictive it is to browse different companies, and also keeping track of new releases, it's most definitely going to be a challenge in the long run :')
It's surprisingly therapeutic to just scroll through posts admiring gorgeous promotional photos and having that idea it could be yours if you're willing to pay that price, but maybe not so much after you realise it'll probably come out of your savings

 

As someone also with a form of bipolar disorder, I feel like you broke it down in a way that makes it easier for me to comprehend the issues of my own shopping habits. While I want to defend part of it with the statement of, "this is a luxury hobby, it's natural that it will cost more from all directions," I still can't deny that my bipolar disorder does play a crucial role in my spending patterns. Months on end without buying a single piece of doll clothing, any doll accessories, doll heads or bodies, or placing any preorders-- then splurging on all of the before mentioned in rapid succession in the course of a single month? Yeah, in hindsight, I always know what happened, that it was another manic. Doesn't make me feel any better about it.

 

Sneaky Unicorn, that is an excellent list of things to watch for in your spending habits!

I’m also curious about what people do if they are definitely addictive but don’t have access to funds or credit to buy a lot of dolls. There must be collectors out there who can’t continue to buy dolls but their addictive behavior in the hobby expresses itself in other ways.

 

I've been reigning in splurging slowly for a while now- I have rapid cycling which is difficult to medicate, but the mood swings can be made less severe with emotional maintenance such as therapy. Instead of splurging because I'm manic or depressive, I examine the mood swing and check to see if my circumstances are aggravating my symptoms. Then I take this information to my therapist and we discuss why the circumstances are effecting me, which usually traces back to earlier trauma. With that, I feel like I have a better grasp on myself and can decided whether or not to go through with the purchase. I've found that now I can recognize when I am comfort spending or manic splurging and why, I don't spend nearly as much as I used to.
I've had slip ups, of course, so I've also set up for money to go from my spending's account into a savings account automatically every month. The account has penalties for withdrawing from it, so I've been able to let it be.

 

I imagine if you can't spend money, you instead spend time (like a social media addiction). Such people (as well as myself at one point) are more focused on entering giveaways and finding sales or hunting for items second hand. Checking and refreshing second hand accounts can become a point of obsession if you're not careful.

I tried your advice to handle and physically touch the doll that I actually have. My feelings totally shifted and the need for another doll became almost non existent. Her costume was scratchy and unpleasant to touch, so I took her out of it and wrapped her in a scarf. This made it nice to sit with her and have her on my bed.

@TwistedRiver I'm so glad you said you like to have Vish with you in bed. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who appreciates having their doll nearby
And there is something really reassuring about holding a doll's hand! I think it provides comfort through contact like a grounding technique. It can be hard to fall asleep when you're stressed, so having something you adore to bring you back into the present moment helps a lot. It's different from stuffed animals, which are soft and warm like a blanket. Dolls are usually cold and hard, so they have a kind of unexpected texture that I think draws the focus of the brain from whatever was stressing you out. If that makes sense

 

That does make perfect sense. I have another off topic bjd tiny that I always called my therapy doll, she was nice because she fit easily in the tiny purse l use as a wallet. I've had a choice of either her or my phone in it since its such a small bag, but after my hospital stay with Vish he's somewhat usurped her position though I'm sure if I was somewhere I didn't need my phone I'd probably take both Vish and Moss.
But I do think I'm guilty of comfort shopping a lot in the past and probably will again but I'm trying to focus a bit more on the doll I have rather than the shiny new doll I see online.

 

I wish I could be as mindful as that when in the heat of it! I have very poor impulse control when it comes to online shopping during manic phases. It's a kind of instant gratification that has long-term gratification also built into it, and while I feel foolish later, my ability to work overtime whenever I please keeps me from feeling any serious repercussions (thankfully). But I do go to therapy for my bipolar disorder (I have type I), so maybe I can bring what you said and my experiences up during it!