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?

I do see at least 2 of my dolls having the 'staying power' to be with me forever. I don't know how active I would be with them, but they will certainly find a nice glass cabinet available to them in my forever-home, wherever that ends up being.

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

For a time perhaps, but never completely. I know eventually I will outgrow the community aspect of the hobby as my life becomes busier, but the dolls themselves will always have a special place in my heart, and I will always be interested in seeing what happens next with them as a hobby and an art form.

Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom?

Absolutely. Something that I always felt I lacked in life was family history in a tangible form. I find myself seeking vintage pieces and trinkets from everywhere else as a replacement for the heirlooms I never received. I hope my dolls, something I'd had such a great experience with, could be that 'something' for my daughter.

Is it love? Is it forever?

I do love my dolls. I love looking at them, taking pictures of them, and making things for them. I don't think that will ever change to a point that I would no longer wish to own ANY dolls. I will always want at least one, even if I hide her away from time to time.

 

This is interesting because when I see all these "getting out of the hobby" disclaimers on threads in the marketplace and such, I get confused sometimes. I guess I don't think of this as a "hobby." I see them more as simple possessions, material things that I like for whatever reason. Will I have the same dolls forever, I don't know, but I know that I think I will be keeping at least one around for the rest of my life unless I absolutely need the money. I have dolls (not BJDs) around from when I was very little, and sadly they are on a shelf getting horribly dusty and nasty but they are still there. I don't think I would ever get rid of my dolls completely. Although I am a bit of a hoarder anyway, so that has some bearing on my outlook. I don't even view myself as a doll "collector" because I'm really buying dolls because they are pretty things and fun to buy things for, dress up, and take pictures of.

 

I've collected lots of things over my 53 years. I don't tend to ever "get out" of a hobby, but over time I do find that I lose interest. This usually happens as the hobby becomes more mainstream and gets a bit dull. I always keep an eye on my "former" hobbies and still occasionally purchase something that I no longer actively collect, if it is really special.
As far as handing my dolls down as an heirloom... Yes if my daughter would want them! But she is not much of a collector and would only probably want her one favorite.

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?:
I honestly can't say! I've been collecting blythes for years now and really enjoy that part of my dolly life. I had a lati once, but she isn't with me anymore. Maybe I just didn't find the right BJD for me! I am excited to see if my new girl coming is that right girl.
Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
I know I will always be in the dolly hobby regardless of what type of doll I have. Always loved dolls, always will!
Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom?
...I really don't know to be honest. I guess it depends on if my children (who I don't have yet) liked dolls at all. I will have to see I guess

 

i have yet to own any bjd's or even see what they look like in person. this is how i see it.

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever? if i own more then just my first when i get her. it would be 5 but yah i would stay active forever and never let them go.
*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby? ill never lose interest something im really fond of.
*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?)? sure i do not see why not. if not she probably be barred with me.

Is it love? Is it forever?
yes and yes

i hope that answers your questions

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I purchased my first BJDs almost 5 years ago and I have them still. The crew has grown in numbers, but I now feel content with who I have. That doesn't mean I still don't look at the new dolls and accessories and even add to the collection. However, the hobby is much broader, for me, than just the dolls themselves. It is the social and creative aspects that keeps the hobby fresh. As long as circumstances allow, I will most likely participate in some way in the BJD world.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll lose interest and get out of the hobby?
As stated above, not likely. Perhaps the intensity/frequency and nature of how I participate in the hobby may change, but it is unlikely that BJDs will completely drop out of my life.

*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?)?
If one or all of my dolls have sentimental value to someone, I would happily pass them on to him/her in hopes the dolls give that person as much enjoyment as I received while having them. The dolls may be yellowed, chipped, and may even be considered quaint, but if the potential recipient appreciates them anyway, then that person should receive them. There is the possibility no one, friend or family, who will want my dolls; in which case, at least some of the dolls might go in the box with me and the rest, who knows--I'll be beyond caring anyway.

Is it love? Is it forever?
Certainly great fondness for my dolls. I enjoy owning them and appreciate that by having them around, they encourage me to create all sorts of new things, for resin and carbon folks.

 

My love for my dolls was tried recently when my girl's face-up was ruined. To tell the truth, I was so distraught that I almost sold her! This is the girl that convinced me that so long as I had her, I didn't need any other dolls!

My mother, (bless her) swooped in to the rescue for my birthday with a little box from Soom.
Little Chromie won't rest until her sister is back to normal again so it doesn't look like I'm leaving this hobby yet. I've put around six years into this and it has really helped me evolve as an artist, so while I can say that it won't ever leave me completely, I can see how another disaster might break me away for a time. After all, something so simple as a ruined face-up can bring me to the brink.

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
Honestly, I'm not sure. I may stay in the hobby for years, but my collection could change. When I was in the hobby first time around, which was 2003-2007, my BJD collection from 2003 was drastically different from the collection I ended up with in 2007. (One doll did always stay with me for all those four years, although she reshelled twice, but they were both the same mold.) I find that some parts of my tastes and preferences change, thus it reflects on my BJD collection.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
It could happen, and it does. It happened to me once already - I completely stepped away from the hobby for three years because work kept me too busy and loss of interest. But I'm back again and as deeply involved and in love with it as if I had never been gone. However, I think my interest goes in waves, as it is with many other hobbies. I may be completely involved with BJDs at one point and then at another, I might take interest in other areas, causing me to be less involved with BJDs. And then when my interest in those areas wane, my focus returns to BJDs.

*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?)?
Hmmmm... Not really. I don't see them as heirlooms. If I do have one doll that I feel like I can't possibly part with and will have with me despite the resin changes and whatnot, then maybe yes, as memory. But for now, I don't think I'd be passing my collection as an heirloom.

 

Very interesting question. I started collecting dolls 19 months ago (initially Blythes, but then moving on to BJDs etc), and I tend to get obsessed with things for a short time then move on to the next phase. I think the type of dolls I like have changed a bit, but not my collecting as a whole. I have downsized my Blythe family to pay for BJDs, and I think that's where my interest is mroe focused now, but I don't see me ever stopping loving them. And my kids have already decided which ones of mine they want one day.

 

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

Being as I'm presently still just saving to get my first doll, I'm certainly not as actively "into" BJDs as most of the members on the DoA community. I honestly don't think it will grow to the lengths that some peoples' do, either. I see gorgeous dolls all the time and think how neat it would be to handle them or take some photos, but the bonding level just is not there. You can appreciate the artistry but not necessarily have to bring them home.

What interests me the most in them is being able to customize and create a physical representation of two beloved characters of mine. In that respect, yes I think I'll quite possibly be in it for the long haul. They are my muses and I've thought for over a decade that I'd love to have something of them I can touch more than my paintings and writings on paper.

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

If it's just those two characters, probably not. I might be slow in my acquisitions for them, but I don't think I would ever feel any impulse to sell them just because I'm not into them. I guess for me it's not "bjds" as a hobby so much as making use of the bjds to be a part of a lifelong other hobby.

*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?)?

Maybe, if I ever found someone to be as loving of my characters as I am. I don't plan on having kids, so passing them on might be a tiny bit difficult. ^^;

 

I will say that I'm not as fascinated in them as I was a few years ago but I still love my dolls and enjoy taking photos of them.
I have other hobbies I enjoy even more so my time and money have gone a little more into those then my dolls, reasons why they wear the same clothes all the time.

 

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

I certainly hope it is! I'm not that far into the hobby as of yet, but, it seems questionable to buy lots of crazy expensive dolls if you feel you won't love them a long, long time. I will definately become more active in the doll community once I have a bank account, a driver's liscence, etc. It's hard to be fruitful in this hobby when you are still tied down by parents and school. Also, I feel that people that buy dolls only for aesthetic purposes would be more likely to sell their dolls then an artist who has put a tremendous amount of work into customizing their dolls. For the artist, the doll would always remain their creation, their child that they labored for.

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

Maybe for a short period of time. I may just be very busy and not have time to play with them and lose interest for a while. I love to draw, and that is going to be part of my job (sequential artist!) and drawing is creating things, but sometimes creating things in 2D all the time gets a little boring, so I know for sure that I'll always come back to my BJDs, because I will never lose the interest of creating things that make people "ooh" and "ah"
You know, if you're an artist, the doll hobby can be turned into a sizeable amount of money, so why wouldn't I be interested for a long time? Greedy, I know, but I must pay for a house somehow.

*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?)?

From what I hear, after 2-4 years, resin will reach it's maximum point of oxidation, meaning it will no longer hold any more oxygen, thus, as long as you protected your dolls from UV rays, they would not yellow anymore. I would definately pass on my dolls if I ever had kids, and If I never had kids, I would pass them on to good friends and kids of good friends. If the dolls were broken or ruined after they were passed on, well, I had fun with them, and so did the people they were passed on to. They lasted a very long time, so I wouldn't mind.

Is it love? Is it forever?

Well.. This question... It's very abstract to me and I'm really having trouble wrapping my mind around it. Love is... there are so many different kinds, and, Forever........ I try to imagine "forever" and my mind goes blank.
But, will I be interested in them for as long as I live? Most definately.

 

i can't say i know for sure because there is no way to know.
Theres been times i've liked things and then in a few months lost interest but i don't see that happening with BJD.

I've been into this hobby since june. so that's only 7 months now but i don't see myself stopping. I might lose interest in getting new dolls but never in the dolls i already have. Like with pullip for a while i had no interest in any new ones but i recently started looking at them again and sort of want some new dollies~

I'm sure i'll have phases where i'm more or less interested in BJD at certain times. the same thing happens with all my other hobbies like WOW and pokemon cards. I'm not worried i'll ever fully lose interest though. I've never completely lost interest in something i truly like as much as this.

 

I'm pretty sure dolls are a life long hobby for me. I've loved dolls ever since I was a kid, now I'm 30 I still haven't grown out of them. I still have all my old childhood dolls.

 

This question is very difficult to answer.
A: because im young, and no-one can tell where they'll be (with 100% certainty) 5 or 10, or even 20 years from now, all we can REALLY say for sure, is that right now, we love our dolls, we experience times when our muses run off for a while, and we become inactive, and we experience times where we go into a buying frenzy. can a lull be called losing interest, OR as long as you pick the hobby up again later, is it still considered a long-standing interest? who knows~? (whoops! didnt mean to sound preachy or unnaproachable or too inanely philosophical there, so don't take offense!)
B: I don't personally want to think about losing interest because right now, i'm into this scene, and i'm gonna stay, damn it!


As for the heirloom question, i wouldn't mind someone taking over my dolls in the event of my (VERY) untimely death (i say 'Very' cause im only 21) asw long as they loved them as a memory of something i loved too, and didnt just chuck them away or leave them dusty and unviewed. As long as that person appreciates them in his/her own way (even if its not playing with htem and stuff) i think thats nice. Although i'd sorta hope i'd have other heirlooms by the time i die. ^_^;

 

*Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I'm not sure if I'll be doing this forever as I sometimes think of it as a hobby "for now" ~ but I wonder how in the world did I survive 4 years ago without my dolls so I can't really say. I think at this point, I hope to be doing this (and improving my crafting/sewing/photography skills) for the long run Plus, I would miss the doll community too much.

*Do you feel as though someday you'll lose interest and get out of the hobby?
I think it's good to take "breaks" every now and then if you're losing interest. Sometimes I'm just not feeling it, but not bad enough to quit altogether.

*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?)?
Not really, but who knows. I don't hang onto dolls long enough to see myself passing them on to future generations.

 

Do you feel like your BJD collection is something you will keep and stay active with forever?
I'd like to think that this hobby is something that will last until I'm too old to lift these chunks o' resin.
Of course you never know what's going to happen in the future but for now I have no plans of ever leaving this hobby, what with the endless possibilities with customizing your dolls and all.

Do you feel as though someday you'll loose interest and get out of the hobby?
You never know, there might be a day some time in the future when the dolls lose their appeal, but I'm not entirely sure it would be end of the hobby altogether. Specially since with these dolls, you can just pack them away for a while and not look or even think about them for a while and see if you feel like playing with them again. If not, well, I don't think I'll have any regrets, if it comes to that.

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?)?
When the time comes, I would like to be able to pass my collection on to someone who would be aware of it's value and treat my dolls with the same care and appreciation that I have. Though I have to say I very much doubt I'll be able to find an individual like that, what with the fact that I'm very paranoid about my possessions, I hate the mere thought of ever having kids and so on...

 

well... it´s hard to answer...

there are people i know who are fan of a celebrity for their whole life ... (she´s like 50 and fan of david bowie since she was 14 or smthng like that)

and i know enough people who sayd i´ll be fan forever and now changed from heavy metal to hip hop xDD (weird example)

i think it´s different for every person

 

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

I think that I will always take Cal or any other dolls I may get off the shelf or down from the top of the bureau to hold or play with them. Cal's lead a rough life, and I like handling her, so I know she'll stay in use. There is a chance she may not make it forever, though.

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

I don't know about losing interest because I'm not as in to the "hobby" as I could be. I bought my doll because she was pretty and cool and might be a nice investment piece, and less for the hobby/community involvement, though that is nice. From recent experience, I can say that I might go through periods when I don't want to/don't have time for my doll(s). Before about two months ago, I hadn't taken Cal out in almost two years for anything more than a cursory movement check; I was very busy, and just did not have time for her.

Can you see yourself passing your BJD collection on as a sort of heirloom?
Not all of it. I would like to get another doll or two, but I would probably keep Cal, as she's my first doll. I would love to invest, however, in a porcelain doll - perhaps a ball joint one - if I ever had a daughter/granddaughter. I had one as a child, and I think it teaches responsible care for one's possessions; a delicate doll can be easily broken and can't always be fixed.

Is it love? Is it forever?
I think it is bond, and a kind of love. I've always kept many of my toys, but only the ones that were currently very special, or that were fairly unique or had a lot of "personality." With BJDs, there is so much customization and personality that, I think, even if I don't always "like" my doll(s), I'll keep them around.

I had a financial problem about a year ago, and considered putting my doll and all her accessories up for sale. I just couldn't. I could have used the extra funds, but I looked at her and thought: "Nope, I bought you, and that's a promise to do right by you." (Silly, right?) Still, I felt guilty in keeping her when I could have sold her, so I packed her up. Did I love her; yes: did i still feel too guilty about scrimping for funds to play with such an expensive doll; absolutely.

(Thankfully, Cal and I are in much better straights, now. I have brought her out and set her on my vanity table... and scared the bujeezus out of my boyfriend. )

 

loved dolls my whole life. I was always frustrated by their lack of posing ability. I loved to set up scenes and vignettes as a child, and as an adult used to sew replacement clothing for 1950s dolls under the name "Catzilla" on ebay. I would do complete photo stories with props, etc. for my auctions. But those dolls were limited in their posing too (except the Dollikins dolls, which are multi-jointed).

Then I got my first BJD - an Obitsu Gretel. Suddenly I realized I had finally found my perfect doll. I now have lots of both resin and vinyl, in all sizes and from a multitude of companies. Since I've always loved dolls, and finally found the perfect dolls, I don't see any reason why I would lose interest in them.