advice to your past self

This may sound saccharine but I'm really happy with my doll choices so far, so I think my best advice to my past self is: don't worry about living up to anybody else's dolls. Just wait and see! Just wait and see what beauties you will find and how you will grow them. It's gonna be such a rich creative journey.

 

Always buy your favourites, whenever it is the doll, or the outfit. Never buy the alternative one simply because it is cheaper or the favourite one is temporally unavailable. You will ultimately buy your favourites no matter how, and the alternative ones are just waste of money.

 

A change of the face-up or wig can easily make a world of difference.

 

The first doll you bought was not a keeper. Don’t waste your money she could go to someone else deserving. Stop impulse buying! You don’t have money for that.

 

1. Don't settle for a doll that doesn't inspire you just to have one. Save up for the one you truely love.
2. It's ok to sell a doll that you aren't bonding with. Someone else that's looking for that doll will adopt him/her and be happy.
3 Don't drive yourself crazy trying to find a wig brush, an $.80 toothbrush from walmart is better anyway.
4. Focus on learning to sew and push your boundaries.
5. Spend money on shoes. Your kids feet are still bare!!!
6. Keep practicing faceups! Don't give up early because one dumb reddit post made fun of your talent as a beginner! Yeah, it was mean and it was only your 4th or 5th faceup at the time, but noone is good at something new instantly.
7. Make tutorials. As you learn how to do something, share it. Someone else is struggling with it and just needs that extra push of assistance just like you.
8. Waiting is the game. You're still horrible at it. A lot of dolls got away because you didn't want to wait a long time ordering from the company.
9. It's okay to take a break. You don't need to feel guilty about taking time for yourself or your family or work or whatever. Sometimes we all need to get some breathing space so we can do other things that need to be done, or to just remember what we loved about the hobby. Your dolls will still be there when you get back.
10. If you aren't happy with something it's ok to change it. If your girl isn't really one for dresses, het her pants! If that dark gothic style just isn't for your boy, make him fluffy and snuggly with soft sweaters! Believe me, you'll both be happier.
11. Take more pictures. Even if 99 out of 100 suck, you'll still have thar one that makes you feel good.

 

I got my first doll in 2008. Looking back, I am happy and satisfied with my decisions. I make my own decision, only buy dolls I like and can keep for a long time. They may not be the most popular or the cheapest.

Although I'm not against repainting, I am in no hurry. I buy only full set dolls with full set outfit and faceups. I almost never touch the faces of my dolls with bare hands. This is what works for me, it's how I am and I'm not going cave into customization culture that defines this hobby. I will eventually repaint and customize but not immediate.

At one point, I caved into pressure to buy dolls from different companies instead of just Volks, I wanted to be popular like everyone else here with cool dolls from different companies but the decision proved disastrous, I ended selling the dolls from Soom and Luts at greatly reduced prices because I did not like them. I finally decide to stick with Volks, I care less what people say. I feel bad selling dolls I don't like.

 

Don't leave your dolls with your mom for 10 years after finishing college. Don't do it!!

I don't know where she was keeping them (and I'm afraid to ask), but when I finally got them back, their wigs were covered in dust. Covered. The only certain thing is that they were *not* hanging out safe and away from sunlight in boxes.

 

Just go for it! I know you seem hesitant and weary, but trust me, getting into the hobby is one of the best choices you could make.

 

Admit to yourself that you stay away from fantasy sculpts because you are worried about judgement. Okay? Is that done? Now say screw them all and buy the elves you love.

 

I would say... be patient. One day you're going to be so happy with your collection, but you can't get to that point without making a few mistakes first. Once you've learned what you do and don't like it will get so much better And when you do find a doll that's perfect for you? Spoil it rotten!!! You will get so much more fulfilment out of spending money on a doll you already own and love rather than yearning after dolls you don't have yet. (If spoiling the doll doesn't appeal to you, you probably don't love it, and you should let it move on... )
Same goes with sewing, photography, posing etc. You're not going to be as good as you want to be straight away, but just keep trying and eventually you'll find your groove.

Also, never buy anything in white skin.

 

Please no more impulse buying!! TTvTT

 

Don’t rush it. Just because you can buy a doll, doesn’t mean you should do it immediately. Look at owner photos, look over your plans, make sure you want the doll 100% before getting it!

Also, some more advice for myself is that I don’t need to have a character in mind for the doll- for example, the doll that makes my friend the happiest right now is the one that didn’t have a character and she customized herself

 

Long-term satisfaction over instant gratification. Save for what is going to make you buzz with happiness, because doing things twice will be far more expensive in the end—both financially and emotionally.

Perhaps you don’t have enough for the gorgeous $450 body right now, but if you’re willing to shell out $300 for an alternative, that extra $150 is going to seem very insignificant and haunt you every time you look at the doll in the future. Quality over quantity, in the end, you know how you are: if you spend $X000 over your hobby career, would you rather end up with 4 well-clothed dolls that take your breath away or 8 you simply ‘like’?

Wait a few months between discovering a sculpt that may work and pulling the trigger. Reshelling a beloved character is not something to be taken so lightly, and just because the head is on the MP the first time you look doesn’t mean it’s ‘meant to be’!

Finally, remember this hobby is supposed to be fun! The minute it becomes a chore, take a break. The dolls truly don’t mind sitting untouched in the cabinet for a month or two.

 

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Stop falling in love with fullsets! Display the dolls you love so you won’t be tempted by shiny new dolls on a screen. Be patient. It could take years to finish a doll to the detail you want.

 

This so much! It concerns other areas of life too be it human clothes or cosmetics!

 

Doll plans can change in an instant, especially with tempting new doll releases that tug at your wallet.

 

Don’t let people dictate what you love just because it’s not what they like.
I’ve been in the hobby for about 7 years, everyone in my family except for my mom doesn’t understand and made fun of me for liking bjds at my age. Every chance they got they would make fun of me for it and try and put me down for it. Because of this I took a break from bjds for 2 years, sold all my dolls, I was miserable. I regret taking that 2 year break just cause of my family. But I just recently got back into bjds and I really don’t care what others will say.

 

Do your hobby however you feel right doing it, making the best decisions you can at the time with some reasonable research and reasonable patience. I worried over too much for too long before I realized that, I think. I was afraid of making a ‘bad’ doll purchase not realizing that my collection would go through a few phases. You can outgrow a doll for many reasons. It’s ok to take breaks, buy no dolls, buy 3 at once.
Best advice that I did take and advise to everyone is to stay within budget. Don’t let the dolls mess with your finances.

Spoiler

I was tempted to say something like ‘just wait, the grails/dream dolls will come’, because for me they did.
But what if they hadn’t and I’d just waited? Thinking back over nearly 10 years in the hobby, I wouldn’t have been as happy with fewer until they did come either. I would have missed out on 3 I really have grown to love after they arrived and I’d have even less experience experimenting and probably be too intimidated to customize my dream dolls. I have my grail now and 5 other dream sculpts, 3 more I adore then the rest are various levels of like ranging down to ‘I need to sell you’ dolls. But I’ll still keep, customize and photograph most them before I make any decisions.
But with hindsight being 20/20, they could just have easily not have happened, 2 oldies might not have been found, 2 rares not re-released, etc. so I’d say “get at least 1 you love and then a few ‘in the meantime’ dolls are ok too”.
Basically just what I did.
If we all knew in advance what we know now we might have done it differently but my doll story is probably not going to fit someone else so you have to try to do what you want at the time AND try to predict a bit as well as attempt to listen to future you.

 

Don’t make impulsive decisions!!! In fact, don’t make any hobby related decision early in the morning