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Attitudes towards your dolls/hobby now versus then.

Aug 23, 2010

    1. 1. Can you predict how long you think you will be in this hobby?

      Probably until it's not fun anymore, whenever that might be.

      2:For those who have been in the hobby for years, what can you say about the clothes,themes, dolls and ideals that are changing since a few years or more back?

      I am happier that there is much more variety in dolls from which to choose. I have eclectic tastes in dolls and still find new ones to love.

      3. Have any of your own ideals changed since the past, and which ones do you think will remain in the future?

      Not quite sure what is meant by "ideals", but I'm the same person I was when I started collecting dolls and I am unlikely to change.
       
    2. I got my first couple dolls in 2006. I flat out knew nothing about them other than they were cool and I wanted to sew for them. My first few were from brand spanking new Chinese companies, so it was a total crapshoot whether I'd get the dolls and just what caliber they'd be when they arrived. I learned a lot about sueding, painting, and shopping very quickly.

      A couple years passed and I joined a group of friends trying to organize a BJD/lolita convention. I got to see more impressive dolls and I began to see the differences price point can make. My husband gave me a Senior Delf for our anniversary and I learned further about the refinements a more expensive dolls had to offer. I started saving and searching for her male counterpart and I didn't find him until the Iplehouse EID sale earlier this year. I was ready to make the investment and when he arrived, it was worth every second of anticipation and worry.

      I have only scraped the surface of this hobby. The potential is enormous and the number of things I can do and make with the dolls parallels the skill set I have developed for my career. If anything has changed, I have become more critical of sculpts and more willing to wait, save, and spend to get the doll I want.
       
    3. How is your attitude towards your dolls and the hobby now versus the time you received your first doll?
      My first doll was around 6 months ago, so it hasn't been that long. When I got my first doll, I thought I wouldn't get another one. The main reason was I seen my favourite character (Rin) and I just had to have her. The main reason that I love this hobby is the community. When I see people take photos it inspires me as some of the photos are just fantastic with the poses and the clothing.

      So my attitude has definitely changed from not being that interested, to slowly gaining more and more interest as I see others. I now own 2 doll's, so although not a big collection, it's slowly building.

      Do you feel that you need to keep your interest in the hobby as you did when you first started? If not, does this make you a negligent owner?
      I don't feel any need to do anything really. I'm all about the present and going with the flow. So if at this time I'm into a certain hobby, then I'll be happy doing it. If you feel pressured to keep a hobby up, then it's probably not the right hobby for you.

      Of course, I'm also the type that does way too much at one time. So although I'd probably like to spend more time on my dolls, I don't feel like I'm neglecting them. They'll get their turn eventually.

      How do you guys feel about changed attitudes about the hobby? Does it just happen? Has it happened to you? Will it ever?
      Attitudes change, and I don't fret over that. I don't really care if other people are losing interest, all that matters if I have interest. No one stays the same through out their life. The more pressure you put to not want to change a hobby, the more you think about it and the more you'll get away from it. Just always do what you love to do, and what happens happens.
       
    4. I've had bjds for about 4 years now, and my interest has sort of been up and down the entire time. I think its natural for a hobby though, life gets in the way and it doesn't mean I don't like them, I just may not have a lot of time to devote to them at that moment. (I had even considered selling some of them during one of my off moments, but didn't and I'm happy I decided not to.) I think I will always have at least 1 though. I could never sell my first doll, even if I got out of the hobby...but I don't feel like its likely any time soon. It combines too many of my interests lol

      My attitude towards the hobby hasn't changed much since I got my first, imo. Other than in initial mania of "OMG i'm getting a doll, MUST MAKE CLOTHS". I've always been pretty relaxed about my approach to the hobby. I tend to get more excited about the customization than anything else, but it has spurred me on to get better with photography as well.

      I can't feel like i'm neglecting them, but I'm in the school of thought that they are dolls and not people, even if I may think of them as entities sometimes.
       
    5. Ooh, this is an interesting question >3>;

      I definitely have changed my views of this hobby since getting into it.
      I love remembering back to when I first saw these dolls- it gives me this weird sense of something new, elegant, amazing, and so far out of my reach that I really can't get enough of. I can't believe that today I'm here now and awaiting my THIRD boy to ship!
      Every now and then I'll find a picture of a BJD brings back that sense I had when I first saw pictures of these, and it fuels me with an eagerness to continue in the hobby.

      Since I've gotten into the hobby, my views of the dolls have changed. They're no longer something I view out of reach, but something obtainable through hard work and something that I can make 110% completely my own creation. I loooove it < 3

      That, and when I first got into the hobby I thought they were more of a collectible item than a blank canvas for your own tangible character.

      While I may not be as completely obsessive as I was, I still love the hobby, perhaps even more than when it was something I envied others had.
       
    6. How is your attitude towards your dolls and the hobby now versus the time you received your first doll? Don't think anything has changed. Sometimes I can totally forget about my dolls for a while and concentrate on other things, but always come back to them.

      Do you feel that you need to keep your interest in the hobby as you did when you first started? If not, does this make you a negligent owner? Being a BJD owner isn't the same as having a job or getting an education. If I want to take a break from the hobby, I do so without the guilt.

      How do you guys feel about changed attitudes about the hobby? Does it just happen? Has it happened to you? Will it ever? I wouldn't have a clue what is happening out there in the BJD world as far as attitudes are concerned.
       
    7. I got my first ABJD exactly two years ago this month and I'm as into the hobby now as I was then. I went for almost a year without buying any new dolls or accessories but that was more because I just didn't have as much time to devote to them for that period.

      The only thing that has really changed for me since I entered the hobby is that I like a wider range of doll sculpts now than I did then. At first I went for the more classically beautiful type molds and since then I've added a few of the more quirky unusual-looking dolls to my collection that I probably would not have had any interest in two years ago. I think this is largely due to spending time of here and on other online BJD sites/forums and seeing owner pics and what others have done with their dolls.
       
    8. How is your attitude towards your dolls and the hobby now versus the time you received your first doll?
      When I got my first doll I was absolutely crazy about him. I'd spend hours making clothes, take him everywhere, spam my horrid Fujifilm photography of him all over the place, talk about him to anyone who would listen... I was obsessed. @_@
      Nowadays, I still like to keep him and my other two around but I don't spend nearly as much time on this hobby as I used to. I'm still very into the BJD hobby itself, but I don't obsess over it anymore. And honestly, I don't think that's a bad thing.


      Do you feel that you need to keep your interest in the hobby as you did when you first started? If not, does this make you a negligent owner?
      No, not at all, especially considering how crazy I was about it. I don't think it makes me negligent either because I still enjoy my dolls just as much as I used to.

      How do you guys feel about changed attitudes about the hobby? Does it just happen? Has it happened to you? Will it ever?
      To be honest, I don't really care when someone falls out of the hobby and yes, I do think it just happens to some people. It almost happened to me at one point, but all it took was a new wig to inspire new looks for all three. If a small tweek of appearance is all it takes to rekindle my interest, I don't think I'll ever get bored with this hobby.