Are you a collector or a hobbyist?

I am a hobbyist desperately fighting against the desire to be a collector.

Having had dozens upon dozens of dolls pass through my hands, I can't keep everything I think is beautiful because of space concerns and also because I end up in emotional anguish for some reason if I have 10 or more dolls (the feeling of having "too much" hits me).

That doesn't mean I don't want to keep everything. I do to some extent. But that isn't practical or healthy for me.

 

A little bit of both I suppose. I have some fullset dolls I won't ever alter, and a couple that I'm customizing that once they're done, will also very likely just be pretty guys to keep in my cabinet. I have a couple other character I'm trying to shell into dolls, and I'm already thinking of different outfits I could try to give them, which honestly is an interesting feeling for me, because even my fashion dolls I don't really play with or change their clothes.
And mostly the hobbyist part comes from a) having very specific ideas for characters in mind that I can't find already made and b) the "I could do that" devil that whispers in my ears when I see a crafty thing xD I will have to admit to myself that I will likely NOT be making wigs though. I hate wig making. I will spend the money to get one if it means i don't have to attempt making wigcaps again.

 

I'm a collector, but part of me would love to be a hobbyist because it looks like so much fun. I gave it a try, but sadly it's not for me. ^^"

So maybe I'm more of an admirer of other people's creativity? Secret fourth option: the BJD admirer. Heh.

 

My dolls are both pieces of art that I can use to express myself and create, and also a thing I enjoy collecting, showing off, and learning more about. There isn't one specific thing about them that drew me in, but the sheer variety and the amount of possibilities out there. Bottom line though I do consider myself a collector who enjoys creating for their dolls as a hobby

 

I consider myself more of a hobbyist; although, I find myself wanting to collect one of each body type from Pasha Pasha. I have a Simply Beautiful and an Original. Just need to add a mini!

I love sewing, knitting, and crocheting them clothes! I also learned how to do faceups which are pretty fun too.

 

Hobbyist for sure! The biggest reason I was so drawn into BJDs was because of how customizable they are! I have other figures that I collect, but for BJDs I want to do more than just have them sitting on my shelves.

 

I'm definitely more of a hobbyist, but I wouldn't *not* call myself a collector in some ways. But a lot of the fun in the hobby for me comes from doing faceups, making clothing to dress them up, taking photos of them. I don't really know how to go about transitioning from collector to doing stuff since that's not what I did myself, but for anyone wanting to do that I'd just recommend finding another part of the hobby that you enjoy and focusing on it for awhile.

 

Definitely a hobbyist. I guess I could say I do collect specific sculpts that I like and so not just any sculpt will do, but overall I like canvases I can work on as a project. Customising everything in the way I like, create personalities, stories, backgrounds, as well as taking photos. So I collect the sculpts I like to then be a hobbyist with them.
I guess because when I started I was already into things like photography, writing, sewing, crafting in general, bjds just fit perfectly into the mix to continue doing stuff I like in a different way. It felt like a very natural progression for me.

 

I like to collect things, but in this I'm a hobbyist. I don't feel comfortable just displaying the dolls, because of the price and because of people's perceptions of them. Doing things with them and making them more into art dolls helps with both of those things.

 

Collector. I enjoy making things for them but not altering the doll itself, me and paints don’t get along very well

 

My dolls are canvases. I'm a storyteller and the birther of their souls.

 

Hmmm.. i'd say i'm a little bit of both. I like doing things for them like sewing, crocheting and knitting for them, and create their own world where they have their own life and interests, and take photos of them. But sometimes i get lazy and i just like to look a them, dreaming of all the things i will do with them... later

 

Hmm I think I am more of a Hobbyist? I only have the one Little Snow and two offtopic Smart Dolls, but I love posing them, taking photos of them, and telling their stories together with my wife. At the moment it just delights me to have them near me as I play games, draw, watch TV or change their clothes and see them smile. I would love to take up sewing and wig-making one day, and am dipping my toes into 3D printing props for Yukiko, but at the moment just doting on them is enough for me
I do love seeing the different styles of Doll Collectors though, there is so much creativity and expression found here, it's inspiring!

 

I think I’m more of a collector, although I enjoy customizing at times but not all dolls necessarily have to tinkered with, maybe just some tlc

 

Out of the two options, I’d say that I’m more of a collector. I like growing my doll collection and admiring my dolls’ existence

The curator title that was brought up earlier in this thread fits me too, since I love creating personalities and backgrounds for dolls. Taking photos of them is nice too!

Doing faceups and making clothes and other items for dolls interests me, but I don’t know if I’d be any good at it. I’ll definitely give it a try sometime though!

 

A collector with an embarrassing amount of blank dolls (because I want to do their face ups myself and get good at it). I have zero interest in fullsets, though I don’t sew so do buy all my doll’s clothes.

But one with aspirations to be a hobbyist and artist myself! I have a background in sculpting and love all things miniature. Hopefully when my kids are older, I’ll have more time.

I’m now not allowing myself to buy more blank dolls until I ‘finish’ those I have on a basic level - eyes, wig, faceup, outfit. Some have been waiting 3-4 years now.

 

I’m definitely a collector and have always been into collecting and gathering, as a child i was more into stuffed animals than dolls (This was long before i knew what a bjd was) and would get my hands on crane machine plushies every time i got the chance, now i collect mostly dolls and my pace of collecting really depends on price and how much i want the item. (& the availability) My dollfie dreams and such have often been hunted down for days which consists of me trying to find a head i really want for a body that i’ve chosen after a lot of pondering, Since they take up a lot of space i don’t have many dolls in my family yet but i really hope to grow my collection in the future, (i only have one doll i consider a bjd) I absolutely see bjds as art (which i do with any dolls) but i specifically admire bjd because of their craftmanship and quality, i want to customise dolls in the future but i don’t really have the space or proper supplies yet

 

100% hobbyist. I buy specific BJD sculpts that fit my characters and customize as how I envision them.