Do you ever feel like giving up on bjd?

Personally, I think with any hobby that feeling is somewhat normal.
It does get overwhelming when you feel like that doll that you wanted is out of reach, whether it's because of a financial burden, a discontinuation of a company, or sometimes even just bad timing.

My favorite company is Cerberus Project which has been defunct for years too, and there's a couple sculpts that I'm still wanting from them. In order to not drive myself absolutely insane, I do not actively search for them anymore. If I come across them secondhand on DOA or another site for a great price, then of course I'll buy them. But actively looking for them is just asking for me to be moody, unhappy, and frustrated over my collection not feeling complete and having no return whatsoever.

There's also a couple things that you might try before just throwing in the towel too~

• Taking a short hiatus to regain direction on where you want your collection to go.
• Focus on completing your current doll's looks (purchase wigs, clothes, etc.)
• When you have Marketplace access, post a want to buy thread. There might be someone out there who is thinking of parting ways with their DIM doll and just hasn't had time/push to post yet.
• Try different companies (this one was a personal challenge for me, because I knew that I liked the old companies) but you'd be surprised that some of the newer companies have retained older aesthetics.

I hope that this helped a little!

 

I guess I try to enjoy my dolls for what they are. It's easier for me to not think about drama that may be going on within my hobbies. It's like that with a lot of fandoms I don't usually engage with other people within the hobby. I think when I start buying dolls for someone other than myself I'll need to reevaluate and possibly sell, but I won't sell all my dolls until they stop making me happy. Dolls give me so much. I've learned to sew for dolls and crochet for dolls. I make stories for my dolls. They inspire me. As long as they inspire me I'll take care of them in return I guess.

 

I have but it’s mostly on a day when I feel frustrated. I take a step back, wake up in the morning with a different perspective. Like the grail that you have trouble finding, or when a storyline is wrong. Sometimes you may need to take a small break from what’s bothering you the most and then think about the part of it that does bring you some joy.

 

I took a break for a few years from the hobby too, it just kind of happened, I can't even remember why I lost interest or why I was suddenly interested again. And when I came back, a lot of the old companies were gone, along with dolls I'd once wanted, but there are also so many wonderful new ones and for me, it was fun discovering the new ones. Then along the way, I realized that my tastes have changed and I was no longer interested in most of the dolls I used to have on my wishlist.

I do still have a few from my old wishlist that I still want and which are no longer available, but I don't actively look for them. While I do like regularly browsing for 2nd hand dolls on sites like Dollyteria and Mandarake, I don't really go on them actively searching for anything and so far it's been a nice surprise to find at least 2 dolls I wanted in good condition and at reasonable prices!

 

Hmm, I think my personal attitude is to accept if certain sculpts are unattainable for me, for whatever reason.

I've been tempted by many dolls I can't afford, or disappointed when I find one that isn't sold anymore and rare, but there are so many beautiful dolls being made that I think focusing on ones I can't have to the detriment of dolls I can enjoy isn't worth the angst.

Sometimes beautiful things pass away, but there are always new ones to find.

 

I had this feeling a few times even though I’m only in the hobby for a year. I guess it’s because I enter the hobby in the middle of Covid and things have been difficult in life. I feel frustrated that I don’t have time to play with my dolls. I don’t know how to make clothes for them. To find time to do face up is a problem already. Yet new dolls are released while old dolls are uncompleted. So many things that Idk if I can keep up with the hobby and if I can afford since many dolls I like are too expensive (thankfully I’m not interested in Volks otherwise I’ll be more screwed up lol). Also the fact that I’m not sure to skip an event or a limited doll and find it later on 2nd hand market is a problem I don’t want to think about. Right now I can’t display my doll because of the place I’m staying which is kind of annoying. I can only buy them and keep them in their box.

 

There are ebbs and flows I guess, currently I am doing much less because I have other things going on, but these things will end too, eventually.

Companies come and go, but tastes change too. When I was young, I really admired D.O.D., like many others here. While I still feel some nostalgia for them, I would not choose to own one nowadays, as they don't fit my tastes anymore.

Besides, they are objects, I don't feel bad, if they cause me more anxiety than joy, to just put them away for a while and going back to it. It may be easier because I basically started to collect because of COVID (stuck at home), so I think it's normal to have less time to devote to them now that life outside is starting again.

Are you talking about Doll in mind? I read somewhere that their sculptor still sell heads on Etsy (under the name Arttong). I am not familiar with this sculptor, so feel free to correct me if I am way wrong Bjd artist shop by Arttong on Etsy

 

I am no longer looking to purchasing any more resin BJD. I haven't purchased anymore in more than ten years, I however, have no plans to get rid of any of my current dolls. I've been a doll/toy collector since before I was old enough to speak, and still own all those dolls I ever did from the beginning of my life until now. I have never felt the need to get rid of them because I'm no longer looking into getting more of a specific genre. Although, I have seen a lot of threads on here that suggest that the majority of people who lose interest in getting more of the same doll, get rid of the ones they already own, if they are no longer actively shopping for that specific genre of doll.

I might be in the small minority here, and maybe it's because I tend to hoard, but I have never felt that I needed to get rid of any of the toys or dolls I no longer feel like collecting more of. I just stop purchasing more if I lost the interest in them, but I don't sell them or get rid of the ones I already own. Mostly because I am weird, and feel responsible for the stuff I own -- like I don't know if they will be thrown away, or end up in land fills. I would rather know I still have them somewhere in my home, than not know where they are (out of sheer feeling of guilt towards the planet, and not the toy). Also, I still love my dolls, even if I no longer actively do anything with them. As far as my BJD go, I still feel like I have to customize a lot of them; I always knew most would be an eternal WIP, because I suck at sewing, doing mods, making wigs, etc.. I knew I would need a lot of time and effort to grow skills in those areas, so I am done purchasing more BJD (except for maybe one more, if they don't discontinue it before I stop hoarding other stuff), but I am not done with the customizing process of most of the ones I already own. I don't feel like I will ever be good enough at face ups, to ever consider most of the ones that have a face up by me, to be "done" for good. So, I don't see myself getting rid of any of my BJD, despite not having an actual interest in getting anymore.

However, I also always knew I didn't want to get more than ten, because I prefer more realistic body proportions, but also more Japanese video game facial features, and I don't see that (body proportions) ever happening in this hobby. If it does, I might be way too old by then to want to get them anyway. There are a few BJD with Japanese video game facial features, but the body proportion are more often than not, not my cup of tea (not realistic enough, too bobbled headed, neck's are not wide enough etc.). DX

 

I feel that way about some of my other collections but I have to take a step back. I'm trying to follow Mari Kondo's philosophy. All sentimental items have to be dealt with last and for me, all my collections are sentimental. I can recall where I was when I acquired something. I can remember who gave it to me. So I have to give myself time to really tackle such collections. I won't get rid of anything completely but I do want to pair down some collections.

I became active in this hobby 6 years ago. I have missed out on a lot. I can't help not knowing about a company's existence and missing out on buying from them. It isn't fun to see someone's posts and realize you are 3 years too late to get the same doll because the company didn't even last 2 years. I am happy with what I have and who I can get - be it second hand or straight from a dealer or from the company itself. There is only one BJD I want to sell and so far she hasn't sold. Maybe she would sell if I wiped her face up but I don't know how to do that. Plus if I do that, I might want to pay for her to get painted, and I might like her. For now, I will try to slowly bump her thread whenever I can remember.

However, I do not collect solely from one company. I imagine collecting from one company only is very difficult. You can always post a WTB when you have access. You could search some second hand websites. It might take a long time but you might find those dolls you wish you could have gotten a while ago.

I used to feel hopeless about getting a Soom Azur and then they magically had 20 of him last year. So while he wasn't a full set, I got the doll and have built him up the best I can.

I feel guilty every time a new one comes home! I thought I would never get above 10 - now I am pushing 30! At some point I might have to take a hard look at who I have and ask myself if they get to stay or not...

I feel nervous right now because I am trying to get a layaway set up with Luts and they keep misunderstanding me on their Q&A page. I'm worried they'll cancel my order because it is taking so long to get it sorted out and I will have to reorder and lose out on a $5 coupon. While that doesn't sound like much, that $5 is a lot in my mind.

 

I have never thought about completely giving up on BJD however I have different periods of being engaged in the hobby. Sometimes I get literally obsessed with my dolls when I interact with them every day, take a lot of photos, actively buy things for them, participate in the doll activities and search through the doll forums 24/7.

At the same time, I can get a period when I have not much interest in them so they sit almost untouched for months and I just change their positions from time to time in order to keep the elastic in normal conditions.

I think having some doubts is a normal thing. Just take a breath when a desire to give up comes and give it some time.

As for the DIM, unfortunately, that's what happens in hobbies related to collectioning. Some items become more rare, expensive, and difficult to find. However, BJD has a big secondary market so even a rare item can be found. It can take a lot of time, of course, but it won't be literally impossible.

 

I sometimes thought about it, but to be honest, I am not sure what else could fill that hole.
It's been a part of my life for so long and is tightly intertwined with it. I have a room dedicated to them in my apartment, I craft and work with them (more or less), I spend a lot of time online in BJD circles. A lot of my social media accounts are just for the BJD hobby.

If I would leave the hobby, I legit would not know what to do with some of my time or space...or money
Yes, I do have other interests, but they do not have such a huge presence in my life. So as long as I am interested in it, in one way or another, it is bound to stay. I might do other stuff on the side, focus on a different money pit for a while, but they are still here and I doubt that will change soon.

Not to mention selling so much stuff just sounds like a nightmare

 

If I ever start feeling like I -have- to have a doll or the hobby just isn't worth it then I take a step back and remind myself, these are just dolls. I don't mean this in a negative way, everyone does their hobby differently, but my life will continue if I do not get a doll I adore. I think, perhaps I feel this way because I spent years hoping to find a doll I missed out on second hand...and I never did. I bought other dolls I enjoyed and I've spent my time/money on them...and the world didn't end. In fact, after years of collecting, I don't even want that doll anymore. She's still beautiful, I still enjoy seeing owner pictures but there are so many companies nowadays that even if I miss out on one doll I'm almost certain I'll be able to find something similar out there somewhere, eventually.

I think it may just take time, when I first started out I had a huge list of dolls I -had- to buy and companion dolls that just -had- to go with them. I used to stress out when I saw the discontinuation of dolls I wanted to purchase, knowing it would be difficult to track them down secondhand (I haven't even seen owner pictures for a couple of them). It took a few years before I managed to stop worrying about such things and switch to just enjoying my dolls for what they are.

 

I understand how you feel. I've recently (as in a few months ago) rejoined the hobby after about an 8 year hiatus. I wasn't so much disheartened by the hobby itself as more pushed out by my father who didn't like me spending money on frivolous items while I had college to pay for, but the thing that pushed me over the edge was Dollzone declaring that they were getting rid of most, if not all, of their dolls (at least the SD and 70cm sizes) and replacing them with an entirely new body style. I had my girl as a floating head and wanted the body to go with her, so I had to panic purchase her body. That was the last straw and I was so done with the hobby at that point that I actually never took pictures of her head on her body when it came in until this past weekend.

It's not an easy hobby, but neither is anything else, really. I love video games, but I have less and less time to play them anymore. My library is huge, full of games I desperately wanted and haven't had a chance to play yet because life demands so much out of us. It's been something I'm learning there too, so now my wishlists have shrank to a more specific genre instead of everything I want to try and I don't impulse buy during sales much at all anymore.

 

I am right there with you with video games! The same with me for books, comics, movies...there is JUST SO MUCH! And not enough time in the day. And it is okay to let go and just...enjoy what you can when you can.

 

Oh yeah, as hard as it can be in any hobby, letting go is also healthy. Otherwise it can get too obsessive, which is destructive in the long run. Doesn't matter what it is the obsession is over, hobby or not.

 

I totally get falling for sales and not getting time to enjoy the stuff we got, whether it's games, books or other stuff! I definitely am guilty of that too!

But what helped me is this: games, books, etc. are there to make me relax. If I have to stress about it, it's not worth it. I enjoy the joy of finding stuff, buying it, and I am fine with letting it in my library for months or even years before touching it again. Sometimes, life is just that way.

(But yeah, I once bought a book twice because I forgot I already had it. XD Gave the other to a friend)

 

@endogeny I'm sorry to hear about your friend. That definitely can affect how you perceive or feel about a hobby you shared with them. What's important is you reached out on here. I like to think DoA is pretty supportive of all its members. Many of us give advice and help when and where we can.

 

Definitely felt that way at times. Often, it's when my storylines either aren't going the direction I want, or they stress me out too much or just kind of get stale with no direction to continue them. My dolls are shells of my OCs, so if I lose the bond to the OC/story, I lose interest in the doll. I've also had times when I just can't get a doll to my liking, either because the sculpt isn't what I thought or I can't get the right wig or eyes or clothes and I get so frustrated with it that it puts a damper on the hobby as a whole.

Usually what I do is take a step back, and focus on the dolls who are right for their characters, who do have the things they need. I'll handle them, play with them, change their clothes, take some pictures. This usually revives my love for them.

But sometimes, a love for a hobby really is gone and nothing will revive it. Sometimes, you're just past that part of your life and ready to move on. If a hobby isn't bringing you any happiness anymore, it's perfectly ok to let go and find something that does bring you that joy.