BJDS: A hobby... or *way of life*?

Can I live next door to you in fifty years? I plan to be a fujoshi FOREVER.

 

Ha, ha, ha! That sounds good to me! I always enjoy the company of women who like yaoi as much as I.
We can be fan gramps and fan grannies and play with our dolls.

 

Add me to your neighbours too then! Add a cat to the lot and I'm the perfect "Neighbourhood Crazy Cat/Doll Lady"!

That is exactly what I think of "hobbies". They are what I am!
Since I got into BJDs I just cannot see myself without one! As much as I cannot see myself suddenly stop reading or drawing. Hobbies are a part of our life so I do not see why we should categorize them as 2 different things....
I never really stopped doing one of my hobby since as long as I remember I always had those I had now (except new ones) and all of them together represent who I am so they are a big part of my life =D
Though I do not know if they are really hobbies... before starting using social networks I never really had a name for them... just saying I liked doing it xD

 

I consider BJDs a hobby supplement to my main anime addiction.
However I can totally understand how it is the main passion for a lot of people here.
I dont think is a "way of life" for most of us. (There are always exceptions)

 

Actually, I can only consider my Blythe and Pullip dolls, cause I do not own a bjd. I consider them an hobby.

 

Hobby.
I am who I am with or without resin, it's just something I enjoy.
I think it's a little scary to base your life and identity on a thing, as gorgeous and addictive as BJDs are. Stuff happens to things, they aren't permanent, they can be destroyed, lost, sold... I love my doll, but it isn't part of who I see myself as.

 

Personally, I consider incorporating your dolls into your life completely as part of the hobby and hobbies are an huge part of your way of life. When something makes you happy, you want to show it off, keep it close to you and be proud of it, as long as it's legal. I see nothing wrong with that. I love to write so much that it's a way of life for me and luckily, my BJD hobby and writing nicely integrated with each other. Sometimes you don't know what a person went through serious emotional problems and got the doll as a part of therapy technique. So, in that case, they can become a way of life because they have helped someone cope with something that never should have happen to them. Sorry, I'm a psychology major.

 

I don't really get how being a doll collector of any type, even BJDs, can become a way of life...but for me, dolls are certainly an important part of my life I have always loved dolls, and I'll be 50 this year. I never "outgrew" my love for dolls. When I discovered Asian dolls, my love only expanded to include them.

And Chae-ri goes everywhere with me, so. She really is a big part of my life.

 

I think that hobbies are part of our "ways of life". Our interests are part of who we are, and we express those interests through hobbies. You wouldn't be in a hobby if your weren't interested in what that hobby was centered around, and if you didn't have interests and ideas, you wouldn't really have a "personality", or a way of life. It's all part of the same to me.

But to answer simply, my dolls are a hobby, and that hobby is part of my way of life.

 

This is definitely a hobby for me. Way of life, to me, implies it's something my daily living revolves around, or some important aspect of it, such as a conscious dietary decision (IE- being gluten-free, it's not something you can really take lightly), or a spiritual decision. BJDs, while fun and immensely enjoyable, don't make a daily impact on my life. For me, writing is a way of life, and for my best friend too. We carry notebooks everywhere for when we think of something good to write down, whether we're going shopping, boating, even swimming. It's a constant in our lives, something we revolve around.

I actually CAN see how things like Lolita and BJDs can be considered ways of life. For me, lolita outfits are pretty costumes to wear on occasion. But for those who are really into lolita, it is most definitely NOT a costume at all, it's what they want to wear and embody, and I can respect that. As for BJDs, I don't take them out with me to say, the movies or grocery shopping, but I know other people do! At that point, it could be a way of life for them, and it's a positive thing. I say go for it!

 

hobby. A way of life should be deeper... because it defines your life basically. Not what you do but how you live.

BJD's should be something you like and enjoy. Not something that dictates your life. (as in controls you)

or at least thats what i think \(>////<)/

 

the way I define the differance between a hobby and a way of life is this: would I give up my cats in favor of _X_? if the answer is no it's a hobby.

would I give up my cats to do missionary work? Yes. I would be sad, but if I felt the spiritual pull to go I would give my cats away to good homes and go.

would I give my cats up to collect dolls? Not in a million years. if it came down to a choice the dolls would lose every time.

 

For me it's just a hobby that I enjoy immensely and obsess over. I don't except to bring my doll to every event in my life, but I'd love to talk about her and BJDs to people. Unless, I sell BJDs for a living that it's not really a way of life for me.

 

*Ayreweth types 'define:hobby' into google*
avocation: an auxiliary activity, A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, often in one's spare time.
a child's plaything consisting of an imitation horse mounted on rockers; the child straddles it and pretends to ride
small Old World falcon formerly trained and flown at small birds

I think I would define it as a hobby. I have other hobbies too, such as singing and writing, and just because they are hobbies doesn't mean that I don't pour my heart and soul into them. I think we tend to associate the term hobby with frivolities, but in truth they are thing that we enjoy doing so much, that we set by inordinate amounts of time and effort, just so we can fail and learn from our mistakes.

I don't think about dolls 24/7 because there are other things I am passionate about, but why have a hobby unless you are passionate?

 

Yeah, definitely a hobby for me. Granted that hobbies are a part of my way of life, and granted that right now dolls are taking up most of my hobby energy (my new doll just arrived two days ago and I'm trying to name and bond with her while undertaking a HUGE kimono-making project for Harumei), but...well, notice what I said. They're taking up most of my hobby energy. My life doesn't revolve around my dolls. They're a part of my lifestyle, and a rather important part, but they're not the focus so I wouldn't call them a way of life.

 

I was thinking the same thing Ayilachan, what defines you? Or one of the most famous questions, Who Are You? I don't see bjds as a hobby but a way of life. My way of life is my soul needs to be inspired or moved in a great way to futher understand and define me and learn more about life or what I perceive life to be! I am an aritst myself and bjds are amazing creations that don't seem to get the acclaim they should. These dolls are not easy to create or they would have been made long ago by anyone and everyone if they wanted it to be so! Super Dollfie came out of the mind, heart, and soul of the artist who created them. I would never want to waste time in this world, (being that we are human and our time is short), because time is truly precious and time will not be given again in the same way ever again. Anime, manga, music, movies, books, plays, the arts, video games, life experiences, and events define and create me in new and wonderful ways! Bjds are no different; in fact, bjds have help me to understand and define more of myself and my talents! Bjds are another special and magical gift that another allows us to have and give to others!=) And when Sha comes, he is going everywhere with me! X3 Sha is a special part of my life that I truly thank and appreciate the artist that made Sha for allowing me this privilage to have! X3

 

I think mine are a tad more on the "way of life" side. My dolls are a vessel for my subconscious and I use them in every day life to deal with my general craziness. I don't exactly drag them around everywhere I go or have a bunch of shirts that say "I LOVE BJDS", but they play a large "behind the scenes" role in actually managing my day to day life. Then again, some people may say the same things about what they call their hobbies...

*And, I am seriously considering making my own BJDs in the future. I also would never get rid of my dolls unless my life literally depended on it. Having them taken away for whatever reason would be just as devastating as losing a pet or even a (human) friend.

 

Hobby for me. I love them, I enjoy playing with them, giving them faceups and sewing clothes, but they are not my first priority in life. I those things when I have free time, and I mostly buy them in summer only (if I find an special edition that's worth buying I might make an exception).

I wouldn't mind working on something BJD-related, but at the moment, I believe it's just a "past-time" of sorts, no matter how much I love them or the fact that I intend to keep collecting them RL comes first, I'm afraid...

 

For me, it is a hobby. Passion .. but I did not dedicate his whole self. This is simply an application of my creative impulses and getting aesthetic pleasure ..

 

Just a hobby, or at least..well I don't have a doll yet so I'll see how much I really get into the whole thing. =D