Completing One Doll Before Buying Another?

Hello! As much as I love the idea of finishing a project before starting a new one, I find that after years in the hobby my dolls never stop evolving and shifting styles as they become more complex. Because of that I don't feel too obligated to "finish" a doll's style completely, but I do need to get their faceups and wigs done as soon as I receive them; leaving them blank and bald drive me crazy!! In saying that, the prospect of having no BJD project ongoing scares me! I need to craft as often as I can so the cycle never ends for me

 

I actually love working on multiple dolls at once so I don't get antsy when I'm waiting for one faceup to dry or something. I can't do stop-and-go art, it has to be an artsplosion nonstop all at once.

When it comes to buying new dolls, I tend to keep a wishlist in mind and lurk in the shadows waiting for a cheap/secondhand/in stock listing to spring up. That way I don't spend too much money or accumulate too many dolls, and I have plenty of time to brainstorm about their character/faceup/style. At least that's how it is in theory... I keep conveniently adding good deals to my wishlist...

 

It really depends what you mean by complete. Ideally I like to have all my dolls with face up, body, at least one full outfit, correct wig and eyes before I move on to buying another. I can't stand to have floating heads or dolls that don't have complete outfits or the face up I wanted. If I have multiple dolls in such a state it would feel really overwhelming for me.

So basically, if the doll is in a state that I can take a photo of it and it looks like the character I envisioned, it's "complete" enough for me to move on and consider buying another. Of course sometimes impulse purchases happen and I have to deal with it

But really, my dolls are never complete. Because they are always demanding new clothes and accessories and props

 

I have multiple projects going at the same time. Often the weather or funds dictate what can be worked on when so things are completed slowly over a long while. If I focus all my time on just one bjd/ project then when I hit an inspiration or motivation block its a problem. However if I have a second project to switch to then it's like taking a break from one fun project to work on another. This way when I'm ready to finish one project a second is finished soon after, like the dominos effect . But that's just my opinion ^^.

 

I repaint my dolls frequently, I never finish an outfit, as long as they've got shoes, eyes, and a wig, I'm happy.

 

I don't create characters in advance, so really no need to find a doll for one. I fall in love with a sculpt and decide to buy it if possible or add it to my wish list. I don't mind if I have floating heads. They're just waiting for their bodies and I can try to figure out what kind of body I want or him and who he might be. I write things down to my dolly notebook so when the doll has both body and head I can start to create the character for it and decide his clothes and style.
Right now I have one floating head and I'm waiting for one head and one full doll. I also have one full doll who isn't ready. Working on her faceup and clothes whenever I can.
My wishlist isn't long, so if I manage to find those on the list, I'll buy them if I can afford them.

 

I wish I was able to have one doll finished before buying another but the reality is rather diferent I've always have a lot of projects at the same time and it makes me really happy somehow. I love planning, thinking about the stories and writing them down, buying new clothes and accesories for my dolls... So I think they're never going to be finished as they're constantly changing.
About the sculpts and the characters, I normally have a basic idea of the character and then choose the sculpt among the ones that I already liked

 

For me, it's them being floating heads that bothers me. If they have that, the faceup, eyes, and wig feel like a matter of time. Guess who loves hybrids and has had all of their dolls save one be a floater at some point?

 

My dolls are my hobby and I don't want to spoil it by setting myself too many rules. I buy a new doll when I get the chance and have the money. Once I understood that "I only want ONE doll" didn't work out, I went about quite freely. Character creation, storytelling, my taste in styles are in constant flow . I don't consider any of my creative projects as "complete" or "finished" ever, I just stop working on them … I've learned to make clothes, wigs and eyes, so maybe a doll will not start out as perfect, but develop with time. Sometimes my plans change, sometimes a doll or a group of dolls change when a new member is added to my crew. 11 years in the hobby, I'm easy on myself and my dolls and enjoy the process.

 

Reading all your different answers was really interesting, it's nice how everybody has a different take on the hobby
Personally, I don't have a doll yet, but I like to plan as much as possible in advance, it keeps me busy while I look around for a deal on my dream girl, even though I have a feeling that dolls tend to disrupt your plans once they are in your hands.

 

Some of my dolls don't feel "complete" until they have a companion, like my twin girls. Still, I make sure my dolls at least have clothes, a wig and faceup before I'd think about ordering another.

 

I prefer to complete one before buying the next. My dolls are also characters to me, and if I rush to develop multiple characters all at once, I feel like they become shallow or I get mixed up on which had which trait or that I'm spreading myself too thin between them all and then I end up selling them because none of them mean anything to me. If I really take my time to build the character and make them into something I really love, and have a complete doll for them, I usually develop a much stronger bond. I like to space them out over a few months, usually.

 

I have a bad habit of picking up too many projects and putting them on my plate, and that includes my bjd crew. I've got several who aren't really finished and I'm still picking up a couple new ones here and there. I do have a cap on how many bjds in total I plan to get, so---even though I'll have a lot of projects to work on---I'll have a specific crew to work on without any desire to add more to the mix that aren't planned!

 

I'm one of those people who's never quite done, so if I waited to "complete" a doll before buying the next one, I'd have full plans and empty shelves! Instead, I have an assortment of dolls who came "just when they intended" (and sometimes sooner than I planned for them), and I move around between which ones I'm working on as my easily-distractable interests shift. I do have a few that many might consider "done," but to me there's always something else to do for them even if they look complete to the outside viewer.

 

All the years I’ve been in the hobby, I’ve bought whatever doll I liked with the intention of finishing them in a short period of time (like when the doll arrives). However, I just ended up with a lot of unfinished dolls. My definition of finished is the doll has a wig, eyes, clothes and shoes that I like, fits the doll, and only minor changes or updates need to be made. This actually became a disaster as the amount of unfinished dolls was bothering me so much I was thinking of quitting. In order to stop the madness, I now have the strict rule each doll must be finished before any new ones can be bought.

 

For me, Mei is complete because she has clothes, a faceup, and a wig color that fits her personality, but I only found the perfect color wig and therefore "completed" her AFTER I had already bought Eddie. That didn't bother me much cause I figure that dolls should be able to adapt and take time to figure out what works just like people. I see no point in rushing a doll's character development in order to have them "complete" before buying another one. It might take a doll longer to seem complete than another one, and that shouldnt force you to not grow your collection if you are able and want to! Eddie is taking forever to develop, and that's fine with me. I would much rather be happy with the doll he will eventually become than be sad and stuck with one that I can't bond with because I rushed him.

 

Right now I own one finished doll and one doll that I'm about to send out to a face up artist, he also needs some more clothes and a better wig.
So no, I don't really complete a doll before buying another one. To me a doll is never truly finished since I always find something I'd like to change afterwards. But this is also part of the fun!