Breaks from the Hobby

I took a break for a couple of....I guess years? When I became clinically depressed. I just didn't have the energy to do anything with my dolls, or anything else for that matter. So I put them aside. I'm glad that I was able to come back to them.

 

I had six years break from my dolls (total time with dolls is now 10 years). I had my main storyline which I got completed and got bad creativity block. There was also other things that kept me away from them. But now I'm totally back again

 

Well actually I started to re-write the old text stories and will be editing all my old photostories into text only, expecting to have around 300 pages when finished xD
Besides that, I will now continue that storyline on where it left. So yeah, there kind of will be second season :'D

 

I had to take a break for a while too, mainly because of college. Afterwards, I moved a few times and had started my first job, so there really wasn't much time (or money) I could give to my dolls. Now that I have more time, I do a lot of research and shopping to get back into the hobby! My dolls weren't what I would consider complete back then, so I am trying to work on their character and style a little more. I also used this opportunity to join DoA since it wasn't invitation-based anymore. All and all, I would say that I was out of it for about four or five years and my oldest BJD is about 7 years old.

I'll be going to University this winter so we'll see how well that goes with my dolls! I am a lot more stable than I was before so it should be okay.

 

I'm slowly getting back from a six year break. I got into dolls (non-bjd) in 2008, got into bjd in 2010ish, then stopped everything when I started my second university degree which ate my life for five years.

 

To be honest I got my doll when I was like 16. He mostly sat on my bed doing nothing because I couldn't really afford to do very much for him. When I went to college he was put in storage. Now that I'm 23, I've pulled him out again and am devoting time and Money. I hope I don't take anymore breaks like that

 

I take breaks all the time, I have a lot of hobbies and dedicate myself to them a bit at a time. I've been in the hobby since 2008 and have taken years off. Then I take them out again and fall back in love. I love this community and it keeps me coming back.

 

I've never wandered away for an extended period of time, but I definitely do go through periods where I'm much less involved with my dolls and the surrounding hobby. I don't think that's a bad thing... It's good for keeping things in perspective and for preventing burn-out.

 

I've also just come back from an extended break from dolls. I found that I wasn't able to take as many photos (my favourite part of the BJD hobby) when I changed jobs. I then moved house and my doll collection had to stay at my parents house. I've started taking photos again and have regained my passion for BJDs, mostly because I have more friends in the doll community and it makes me excited about my dolls!!

 

I took almost a 4 years break. Not only I got away of forums, but I also sold my 3 dolls. I had so much work going on and I was moving to a new apartment, so I wasn't that excited about them anymore. I used the dolls money to travel twice and I didn't regreted it (I think partialy because I knew I would end up coming back some day and also because I wasn't enjoying my dolls anymore...I think they reached their limit and wasn't the characters I was in love in with).

In the last year I was constantly thinking about coming back, and two months ago I found a doll that wouldn't go out of my mind. Bought it and came back, and now I already have one more in my wanting list (not the best time because I'm saving to buy an apartment but...well, it happens hahaha). I really do love dolls a lot and can't be away forever .

 

I sometimes take a week or two away from the social part of it, especially when all I'm seeing is drama and I want a break from the negativity. I've also taken vacations and left the dolls behind to focus on the trip. Still, I can't do long breaks. Overall, this is my main hobby and it helps me temporarily escape from the stress and pressures of real life, so I think I'd be a lot less happy without taking time for the dolls regularly. (Even when I was in college, I took my off topic dolls with me in my dorm, and they helped me deal with everything going on. The girl down the hall had a Ken doll, which was fun. :P )

I didn't start the hobby until I was out of school, working and about to get married, I don't want kids, so there's just really not much going on in my life that would require me to take extended hobby breaks.

 

yep...although not full breaks..I hop on once in a while here and there but haven't been doing much with my dolls for the past few years. All started with my dog getting sick and passing away, then my wedding. Its been hard getting back into a groove taking photos, making clothes and continuing my photo stories. Of course that doesn't stop me from buying new dolls until then..lol.
Welcome back!

 

I would say the longest break was a few months, ~3 month span. My kids were young and we had a lot going on with the holidays. That was quite a long time ago as my kids are teenagers now and not quite as needy. I honestly don't sweat having to take breaks because the dolls can wait for you to come back and have time. Nowadays, I would say I take a few weeks here and there and just focus on some of my other hobbies and pursuits. So much to do and so little time!

 

I've taken partial breaks. I'll interact with my dolls less, and drop away from the forums and meetups, but I'll still be making clothes and props for them.

 

I took a break my final year of college and then a couple of years after. It wasn't really an intentional thing, simply that I had a lot of other things going on in my life and my dolls didn't inspire me. I never put them away, I like keeping them on display, but I stopped buy new dolls or new things for them and I didn't log onto any doll related online communities. It's only been this last year or so that I've really immersed myself back in the hobby, but even then, I've always considered myself a pretty passive collector as I don't take a lot of photos or post too much on social media about them. Still, even when I take a break, I love having my dolls around. It's nice to have something constant and beautiful.

 

I guess my definition of a break may be different than most, but I don't really consider an online presence or actively buying dolls/things for dolls a requirement for being in the hobby. So long as I own my dolls (at least one BJD), and periodically get it out and play with it/look at it/whatever, I consider myself in the hobby.

It's similar to my sewing hobby. I don't stop considering myself a sewer because I haven't been sewing every day. I don't stop considering myself a reader because I've been focused more on news articles and research papers than the books on my nightstand.

And also, I have some serious introverted qualities, so I guess I'm kind of resistant to the idea that one must actively interact with the community (DOA, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, whatever) in order to be a part of its associated hobby. I joined the hobby for the hobby itself--the community is just a fantastic plus.

Posting and talking to people about the hobby takes energy (even though I enjoy it) that I don't always have (especially when I need to learn all the head, neck, chest, and abdomen surface and bone anatomy by next week--yikes!). Once something becomes work (like figuring out how to respond or what to post) I stop, so long as I'm not being unintentionally mean to someone. I do my hobby for fun, not work, and I can't let it become a job.

So I don't think I'll ever leave the hobby. I might not make it as much of an active part of my life, and I might stop posting on DOA for a week or so, or pause a costume project for a doll, but I'll never get out of the hobby--my dolls are mine for life.

 

I pretty much dropped the hobby shortly after I got my first bjd. Attached to her at first, I eventually stopped being interested in my little MSD, and put her away (I even tried to sell her at one time) in her box and pretty much forgot about her. I instead focused on my custom Pullips & co, and didn't think about bjds for quite a few years afterwards.

It's just been in the last year and a half that I've become interested, and involved, in the bjd hobby and community again.I 'd neglected this account for so long, I didn't think it'd still be here when I came back. Thankfully, it was right where I'd left it.

The gap between when I stopped taking an interest and when the interest was reignited was about 8 years? It was in 2008 when I stopped, and late 2015 when picked it up again.

As for current and future break opportunities...well, I'm just starting college classes again this week, and know it'll get hectic as the semester progresses. But---I need a few distractions outside classwork and college life to keep me sane. All work and no play doesn't work for me. So, I might be less active, but I won't let school force me to take long breaks either.