A For Life Hobby or a For Now Interest?

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?

It depends on what people think of as 'active'. By some definitions, I'm not 'active' now, but by my own definition, I am. (My definition: I pay attention to them, I am still buying them and things for them, I have plans for things to do with them even if I can't do it right now, etc.)

I don't think I will continue buying at the level I had been, in part because I have some other plans I'd like to kick into motion in my life, and with the economy being what it is, it's decision time on that. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of dolls that I adore and will be tacking on to the wish list.

Beyond that, I really can't say. My life has taken enough unexpected twists and turns, some good and some bad, that I'm not really willing to say anything about what I'm going to be doing for the rest of it. What I'd planned at 15 changed, what I'd planned at 20 has changed, same with 25, 30, and 35. Life is too weird for me to try to make predictions.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?

I've always loved dolls. These appeal to all the best parts of all the different kinds of dolls I've loved since I was a small child, through my twenties and college, and into adulthood. They can do art, fantasy, fashion, weird... pretty much anything.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

I won't be having children, so I won't be passing them on to my children. If my cousins have kids that have an interest in them, some may go to them. Otherwise, I suppose it depends on what condition they're in, and if I have friends that would want them at the time. I know I'll be inheriting the antique porcelain dolls that have been passed down in my family some day, but will likely see about donating them to a toy museum or possibly a doll museum (there's one in Paris I've visited that I'm quite fond of). It's entirely possible that by the time I shuffle off to whatever comes next that the resin army will be sought after for display in a similar fashion, but it's impossible to really know -- after all, my mother's plastic dollhouse furniture from the 50s is now highly collectible, and one of the local toy museums took a chunk of it off her hands for display. It's just impossible to know.

 

I can't see into the future to know what it will hold, but I have no reason to believe that I will give up the hobby or stop loving my dolls. Abjds bring together a lot of different interests for me, so I can't see myself getting bored with the whole thing. Plus, I have stuck with a lot of my hobbies over the years. If there was someone in my family who was interested in dolls, I would will them to that that person though I should hope that it will be a lot longer than twenty years before that happens

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?

Yes. Although as for many, a passive activeness perhaps one could call it, ie periods of time when I'm happy with having dolls tucked away safely while doing other irl stuff, and I don't have the time/motivation to engage in direct active BJD stuff. Could be the longer I have the collection, the longer fade-out periods..


*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?

Maybe. But I belive it to be likely that I'll keep at least one doll, since I use them as creative outlets that fringe on other hobbies, and because I imagine doll characters as 3D renditions of characters overall.

And like Anneke, it does feel like there'll be a point when I am content with what I have, and not actively research/hunt for new characters/dolls.

And MizRayne made a good point about the likelihood of decreasing "avidness". I'm pretty much a lurker in the virtual BJD community, but I might still be in touch with those in the local BJD community.

Aaand, let's of course not forget infinitydragon's musing on money situation 'cause sometimes when in need of money, one has to cut down on hobbies.


*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

No. Because think the resin situation will not be ideal in 20 years :/

But, as others have already pointed out, photos help preserve their beauty in way. However, had the resin been more durable (and perhaps it will be eventually in future bjd generations?), then I could in fact see myself giving it to someone in the family that I know would appreciate dolls and what not.


Is it love? Yes. And/or an obsession or passion too.

Is it forever? For some, it might not be, for others could be, for a few, the one true love! So, I guess the final answer there is Maybe.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I certainly plan to keep them and never sell them. I'm modding them to be my own little creations. Activity though will definitely change. I consider this a side hobby at this point with webcomics and video games at the forefront.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Yeah, I do. I'm sure I'll be active for a few years, but once I have children it will have to go on the shelf and i'll focus just on sewing.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

I want my (future) children to be able to see my dolls and play with them when they're older. If they want to get into the hobby then I'll do what I can to support them. Sooo, I guess for me that my involvement in this hobby really depends on the future.

In any case, my kids will have the BEST My Little Ponies.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
Forever is a pretty strong commitment, and we are not in control of everything that happens to us. So far it's been six years, and no signs of slowing, so I'm fairly sure the interest will be there for quite a while. My primary collection (something non-doll) has been a 40+year adventure for me, so I do tend to stick with things for the duration.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
I don't think so, but again, no absolutes. These are the first dolls I've ever collected, and I'm just as enthralled with them as I was initially, so I really don't expect the interest to wane for a very long time.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years)?
They'll fare no worse than any other "heirloom", I suspect. Vinyl seems much more impermanent, and people bequeath those all the time. I have no children, but I know that there are people who would appreciate them once I get to the point where I no longer can.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?

Yes I do. My dolls are a part of me...they represent the story of my world and all the creative freedom I long to express. They are my artistic journal, and I designed each and every character to grow with me (through my love of costuming, art, display, etc.) This is the way I deliberately built my collection...for current and future activity. Each one has their own elaborate display space where they are displayed as interactive art within my home. This makes them feel like family, really, and they're enjoyed by everyone who lives here.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?

No. I've deliberately built my collection for creative and artistic longevity. And while I just finally completed my collection (at 11 dolls) and won't need to keep buying, my wonderful little collection of neighborhood misfits (as I lovingly call them) have characters that will keep me on my creative game far into the future. Plus, I love having my morning coffee with DoA. It really beats the depressing news and is constantly uplifting and inspiring on a creative level. It helps to feed my artistic soul.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

Who knows? I'll love them and enjoy them for as long as I can, and then it will be up to someone else to deside what happens. That's just a part of life I don't worry about.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
Probably not. I lose interest in most hobbies after a while, and I don't feel much differently about BJDs than I did about the hobbies I eventually lost interest in. Even now my interest comes and goes -- I'll leave my dolls alone for a few months, then suddenly get back to messing with them a lot.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Probably. Like I said above, it happens.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
Extremely doubtful. I'm not actually super sentimentally attached to my dolls, so if I lost interest and it became clear I was finished with them for good I'd probably sell them off. If I'm not doing anything with them I'd rather have the money I could get for selling them than just keep them around collecting dust.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?

Right now it feels like a for-life hobby, or at least a very long-term hobby. I hope I'm right if only because it's such an expensive hobby and the amount of money I've spent on dolls so far seems a lot more reasonable for a lifetime hobby than for something I'll leave in a few years.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?

I hope not, but it could happen. Back when I was a really hard-core Star Wars fan I couldn't see myself ever being anything else. Now I still like Star Wars, but I'm not nearly as into it as I was then, and I haven't bought any new Star Wars-related stuff in years (probably not since "Outbound Flight" was published). Ultimately, I think that if I ever "get out of" the doll hobby, it will go the same way as "getting out of" Star Wars did -- I'll keep all of my old things but I won't get anything new, and I'll go for very long periods of time between feeling the need to do anything with the hobby.

Incidentally, leaving a hobby isn't necessarily a permanent state either. In my case, I'm starting to get back into Star Wars after a couple of years of being away from it as a hobby or fandom. So just like I can see that it would be possible to get away from the doll hobby, I can also see that it would be possible to get back into it.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

I inherited my mom's old Revlon doll. By the time I got her she was pretty banged up, and I just banged her up even more. I think BJDs could potentially be passed down like that, but I don't know if mine ever will be, mostly because I don't see myself having anyone in particular to pass them TO.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
As I have been playing with and collecting dolls for the majority of the 49 years I've been living I think it's pretty rest assured.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
No. I'm not the fickle type. I've been an artist since I could hold a pencil, and I've had dolls since I wore diapers.


*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years)?
I don't really know, but I am totally confused by your "nature of resin" statement. Are you referring to yellowing? Resin doesn't deteriorate anymore than composition or porcelain or any other type of plastic.
If you meant yellowing I am not one of those people who think yellow is ugly.

 

I don't get into hobbies or fandoms with the intent of losing interest someday. If that happens, it happens, but I find I'm actually far more likely to stick with things as I get older than quickly lose interest. I've only been in the hobby for a couple of years and I'm still plenty obsessed, so we'll see how it goes!

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I have no idea what my financial situation will be like in 3 months, let alone "forever", haha. It's virtually impossible to say that I will be active forever... though it would be nice to be able to ^^

Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Sure, perhaps ^^ What's important to me is how I feel right now about it. It seems to me to be a waste of energy to worry about how I'll feel about it in 1, 2, 10 years time.

Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
Pfff, god knows who I'd pass them on to. I remember there was a thread about "what will you do with your dolls when you die" (or similar), and I think I said that I'd hope whoever was around to deal with my funeral would sell them to help pay the costs. I think heirlooms can be nice, but can also be a bit of a burden.

Is it love? Is it forever?
I don't think love has to be forever ^^ It's just love.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
Well, I can't say for sure but I hope so... Although I guess I might have more money if I didn't. XP
But it's still worth it so yeah - I do hope I stay in this hobby. Wonder how many dolls I'd end up with though. o.O

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
I'm not sure... When I got my very first BJD (coming up for two years ago) I was not exactly in a great state of mind and really didn't have the time or energy to spend learning how to pose them and getting better at using my camera, etc. So he sat around getting mediocre photographs taken of him, living in the same clothes always and having no personality whatsoever. So... I dunno, maybe if something like that happened again...?

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
Heh, I really don't know! I'm not sure if there will even be anyone I could think of that would enjoy them being passed on to them. XD
Plus, they might be really yellowed and ratty looking by then... But then I suppose that's no different to getting a balding old teddy that used to belong to your great Granny or whatever.

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I can imagine that I'll leave the social part of the hobby at one point, maybe when my own BJD craze starts to die down a little. And I'm quite sure that's gonna happen eventually, so staying active forever: probably not. As for keeping them forever: of course I don't know how I'll feel about them in let's say 10 or 20 years, but since I tend to chose my hobbies carefully and am not a person to suddenly lose interest in something that has been part of my life for a good while, I can definitely see myself at least keeping one 'forever'.

Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Sure, yes, that could happen. But as I said before, I doubt it's gonna be a fast process, in case I really wanna get out of the hobby entirely; meaning actually getting rid of all of my dolls.

Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom?
No, that's not going to happen. I don't have any certain plans for them yet, but I'd probably either strip them of everything that made them my characters and just sell the dolls - depending on their condition - or maybe I'd leave them as they are and destroy them. (Theatric 80-year-old grandma Hatsya beating a bunch of resin .. oh geez.)
Seriously though, it would simply feel weird to give them away when I made so much effort to make them mine.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
Currently, I cannot say. Mostly because currently I don't have a collection to speak of, lol. However, having been in the hobby for over 5 years at this point and having gone through phases of buying and selling dolls and increasing and decreasing (until I made the ultimate decision to sell them all), I know that though this may be something that I will always have an interest in, I may not always have a collection or even a single doll. I once thought that my dolls were forever, but considering reality and changing interests and styles, I ended up proving that totally wrong.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Probably, since I already did once! though I doubt I will loose interest entirely, like last time, I imagine I will feel bad for the amount of money I've spent just to have my boys and girls just sit on shelves and remain unplayed with for long periods of time. If I lose interest, it's because I've lost interest in that particular style or type of doll, however, I have been an avid doll collector and admirer since the tender age 8 when I purchased my first Barbie Bazaar. I will never be completely uninterested in dolls, but I will eventually become frustrated with not being able to find exactly what I want, I will change my mind about which head molds I like or which dolls I promised I'd never buy, and I will become fed up and wonder why I spent all of that money in the first place. And after all of that, I will come back and wish I hadn't sold them and start anew.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
I would actually love to see what resin looks like 20 years down the line, but yes, any dolls I own after a certain point in my life or for a certain period of time will probably become sort of like heirlooms that I would hope that I can pass down to my children. That said, my current obsession being the Dollfie Dreams and their anime-esque proportions would probably immediately rule them out as heirlooms and they would probably be more of a "for now, for me" purchase.

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
hmm, i don't know what's going to happen next time, but i do hope i'll keep them for as long as i can. that being said, i'm only 16 now so...forever is a long time away. stay active with dolls is a definite yes as long as they're still around. staying active on forums though...i don't know.

Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
currently, i don't feel that i'll lose interest. or rather, i think i like my dolls around too much to ever sell them all. so i'll say no. but i don't really know for sure. i do hope i'll be in this hobby for more than just a while (maybe forever) though

Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
HAHA. most likely not. given my age now...who knows what they'll look like 20 years down the road.

 

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
Yes, but that will be far into the future. Though I know my doll will still be in my life whether I give it to family or keep it with myself. They're to special to just throw away.
*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)? I probably would give it to my niece, right now she's not even two and yet she can keep Barbie dolls' hair clean. I'd like to imagine her in 10 years would be a nice fit incase anything happens.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I only have two dolls, so it's a little early to tell with me, but I feel like this hobby is something I can stay with. Now, I suppose I'd stay plenty active after getting all the dolls on my wishlist, but only in the sense of buying new things for the existing ones, no new dolls... If I were to stop all activity completely, I'd still keep my dolls and my love of them.
*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
I don't know about losing interest and completely dropping out. I might lose interest for a little while, but I almost always regain interest after taking a break from it. That's how I usually am with my hobbies. If I get in a slump with something, I just wait it out instead of jumping to conclusions and deciding I've lost all interest.
*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
Hmm. Well, if I should actually seriously drop out of the hobby as in, getting rid of all of my dolls and doll stuff, then I'd try to sell what I could, and if I had any local friends who were into the hobby by that time I'd donate the rest to them. I imagine, in 20 years no doll could be in perfect pristine condition, of course.

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
YES I really really do. I love my doll so much and I'm always thinking of the next one I'll get.
Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
No, not at all. That would be ver very depressing ;_; I used to think that might happen but now I've been in the hobby for four years (one year on doa) i've realized I'm not going to lose interest XD
Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?
I do see it that way! I think if you take good care of the doll they could last for ages!! It would be a wonderful thing to pass on

It IS love and forever for me ;3 these are really my obsession. They're a fusion of beauty and engineering, and I like that

 

I really don't think I'll be in the doll hobby forever, since at this moment I'm even reasonably close to leaving. I still have quite the interest in them, but I think it may be a bigger hobby than someone like me is capable of. I guess I'll see how I feel a year from now, I may be more in love with the hobby than ever.

But to answer you, no. I don't see this as a forever hobby for myself, though I wish it could be. As for dolls being heirlooms, I'd never do that myself. They're the most expensive thing I own and if I leave the hobby I'd like to sell them and put the money towards bills, a car, a house or other things which interest me years later.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?

I definitely will be keeping my collection forever, but I definitely won't be growing it forever.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?

I don't think I'd lose interest so much as complete my collection. Eventually I'll stop getting new dolls, and then after that I'd just make sure they all looked perfect, and then maybe paint them once in awhile just for fun.

*Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom (or do you believe with the nature of resin, it simply would not be a pretty situation in twenty years?)?

I suppose maybe, if someone wants it. If not, I'd just tell my family to sell it- it'll probably be worth over $3000 by then if the hobby in general continues the way it is.