different types of BJD owners?! which are you ?

It's a mixture of I like to look at dolls and craft things for dolls. I especially enjoy crafting wigs, but I want to try my hand at making clothes for my dolls. But I also collect dolls because they're an outlet for me to play around with fashions and styles that I enjoy, but never get to wear.

 

I’m more of the type of collector who collects because they like to look at pretty dolls. I don’t do a whole lot of crafting for them, besides a dollhouse project I’m working on for my Lati.

The reason why I don’t really do arts and crafts for my dolls is because I work as an artist, so doing anything crafty outside of my job usually feels like more work to me, lol. So I prefer to pay someone else to make the clothes, wigs, etc. It also feels good to support other artists!

 

I have loved dolls for as long as I can remember. I honestly don't know what it is about them, but I can't imagine not having them. There have been a few times I didn't have dolls but it didn't last long. I keep saying next time I have to part with them all I will be done for good, but I just cannot imagine it.

 

I do generally like dolls - they're fun! I love styling them and, as a kid, I loved making up narratives and such for all sorts of toys.

With my BJDs, I'm somewhere between crafter and storyteller. Dolls are great for using up scraps of fabric and yarn I couldn't use for anything human-sized, along with trying out styles and techniques that are new to me or that I wouldn't do for myself. Plus, I write in general (so much fanfiction and original fiction stashed on Google Docs and my hard drive...) so it's pretty natural for them to get characters and names and such. Funnily enough, though, they're in an entirely different universe than my other writing projects.

 

The first time I really noticed bjd's I wanted one for the aesthetic.
I am also a writer and considered using dolls to help my creative process, but it never got to that point as I have not had any issues or need to do that yet.
I steered away from creating a character I envisioned because most of the time when the doll arrives they seem to lean towards a totally new or different character all together.
I do like the idea of having something to spoil.
I have a renewed love for photography because of Moth, my grail doll. Although it is hit and miss as I'm in my last year of uni and the stress and workload is killing me.
Thinking about it bjd's are great for stress relief too

 

All three of the options you gave.
I like the pretty, the ability to customize and making characters from them (or them into characters)

 

I'm primarily the writer-shelling-characters type and the creative type. Working on customizing a doll to match what I can draw is the most fun part for me. ... frustrating sometimes, especially since I've yet to delve into custom wig making (wig wefts + three cats = no) but the most fun

I do think they're lovely to look at of course but if I went for every doll I thought was beautiful I'd be going for dozens and dozens of dolls It takes a special kind of doll for me to plunk down the money on looks alone.

... yes there have still been a few dolls like that anyway >>;;;;;

 

I'm "i can store more clothes for my dolls than for myself"! lol
But also the first two things. I love making dolly clothes and just having the cute little things.

 

They are my toys, my characters, and my excuse for practicing different crafts like sewing.

 

I own my pukis just because they're adorable and pretty to look at (and marvels of balance!)

The rest of my (mostly not yet home) collection of floating heads on bust stands* are characters from my work-in-progress novel. I am a very visual person, and I've "fancasted" every major character, but even then they're not an exact match- different eye or hair colors, scars, etcetera, not to mention that my novel is set in a fantasy world inspired by the British Regency period, so unless the actor has been in a Jane Austen adaptation, their look is going to be quite a bit out of character and anachronistic! BJDs allow me to bridge that gap a bit more.

*At this point in time, I have no intention of buying bodies for my floating heads, just bust stands- I intend to make displays that look like period portraits, which does not require a whole body. This has the added benefit of allowing me to spend less money while potentially shelling more characters, takes up a lot less space, and doesn't require making or buying period appropriate pants or shoes. A win all around for me!

 

I'm definitely a 'make my character' real sort of owner, although I have bought some that I thought were pretty and then made characters for them later so they fit in with my main collection.

 

I first became fascinated by BJD when I learned of their custom ability so I suppose that is the main draw for me. They’re a creative outlet primarily. I love painting them and photographing them.

I love seeing their personalities develop as I give them a faceup plus I also find it fascinating how they can sometimes almost fight your attempts to give them a personality they don’t want. Some of mine have had several faceups before settling, in fact I’m currently in a battle with my Littlefee Rendia as she’s firmly resisting the looks she’s had so far!

In a way I think they each represent a part of myself which is why those that I don’t feel comfortable with are moved on. The little ones very much embody my childlike senses of wonder, fascinating and mischief.

I don’t have any character in mind when I buy, I just feel drawn to whatever I feel drawn to. Maybe it’s because I’m older and so am less influenced by the same sets of wonders that younger members are.

We all have our own reasons, likes and dislikes.

 

For me it's the first two options. I love looking at them and I really enjoy how customizable they are. Plus I really enjoy how perfectly they can be combined with two of my other hobbies: photography and sewing.

 

I first buy dolls because they're cute. I like cute! Every doll has to have a kinda je ne sais quoi that hooks me though. There are dolls it'd be easy to expect me to like that leave me cold, and dolls I'd never have thought I'd be into that I own and adore. :3 It's reasonably unpredictable.

I also like sewing and stuff. I've always sewn for dolls, even before I owned bjds. I regret that I can't sew as much as I would like, just because I'm struggling right now with a bunch of stuff. I knit and crochet too, which is easier and more relaxing. ^^; I want to learn to make wigs next!

I don't often shell characters. I've done it once. My dolls develop their own characters, although only a little. This is mostly because I have other outlets for characters I come up with.

 

I bought my one doll because they shell one of my favourite characters, and they are supposed to be a kind of companion for me.

 

I used to make reproduction porcelain dolls and traveled the east coast (US) attending dolls shows. I mostly created fairies, wizards and mermaids. After about 20 years I began to sculpt one of a kind dolls which were mostly elder people of different ethnicities (I am of Seminole descent). Attending an anime con in 2007 I saw my first bjd and was smitten. My resulting collection is mostly mature dolls. Many depict character from movies like "Labyrinth" and "Interview With the Vampire"or tv shows like "Game of Thrones". They
represent my admiration for certain characters. Others like my Resin Enchanted Dolls or Popovy Sisters and Bardo Research Dolls can wear the things I am too old and big to wear. They are my alter egos. The Kaye Wiggs dolls are just cute to dress.

 

They are too pretty so I decided to let them take my money. Buying and making them new clothes making them even prettier gave me pure happiness. I am the type of BJD owner that fallen for the appearance of dolls.

 

I guess I’m a combination too? I like having pretty things to look at and I create characters/stories for every doll I have. I don’t have pre-made characters because each doll will always be a different character once in hand. I’ve tried already having a character in mind or created when ordering a doll but once she arrived, nothing I had thought about fit. This happened several times before I gave up and decided to wait until I had the doll in person.

My favorite part of doll collecting is actually clothing collecting lmao! There are so many beautiful pieces out there and I adore shopping for my dolls.

 

I know what you mean about the baby furniture.....I was looking into it too >.<

 

I like dolls because I love having cute things to dress up in pretty clothes! It just makes me so happy to see them.