Do you ever feel like giving up on bjd?

Somewhat feeling the same.
I already attained the grail that I've always dreamed off. Even though the artist is still around. The doll being limited and over 10 years old

There's probably only less than 30 going around now... They're going for 2000-3000 head alone.

It sucks that i want it soo much i even made a credit card just to afford her.

For DIM. They're actively available in China's second hand market (legit) for decent price.

I saw flowne full doll going for just 300USD

 

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I never want to give up on all my BJDs, but there are times when I think maybe I should do a major downsize. I've kept track of what I paid or each of my BJDs, and the total is a little scary. I have sold a few in the past, and have a few of my current dolls I'm considering selling.

If I feel overwhelmed by all the unfinished dolls (so many are blank, sigh) I can just leave them sitting in their boxes or on their seats on the shelf until I'm ready to come back to them. They're resin, they can wait.

I don't go looking for limited or discontinued dolls I missed most of the time, since I don't think its worth the stress. But I looked at the DoA Marketplace a while ago, and happened to find a doll I loved but had never looked for, since I thought the odds of finding one were too low. She's a small company doll that has been Sold Out on their site for years. I got her, with her original face-up and wig. I feel so lucky to have managed to find her, and I wasn't even looking. You may not find every doll on the second hand market at a reasonable price, but you're bound to find some of them if you look.

 

I’ve taken a lot of breaks. Usually i burn out because at the end of the day they are expensive and i’m too paranoid to take them outside or do anything risky with them like water photoshoots etc and it gets boring. All mine are either limited or the company closed down because ive been in the hobby a long time. I was thinking about getting a less expensive and not limited msd to do things with.

 

When I first joined the hobby in 2011 because of my friend, I was SUPER into it. I was making clothes left and right, doing mini shoots, going to whatever meet up was going on near me. After my friend got married and started a family, I lost the only friend I really had in the hobby and eventually the local community disbanded. So I had no one else to hang out with. I stuck to DoA and FB groups but eventually it just got so...lackluster. I wasn't able to make any connections but just do idle chatter. I would still look at dolls and eventually saved up to buy my grail from Dream of Doll right when they ghosted everyone and in the end, never got them. I did fall in love with a Soom boy that was sold out and spent years trying to find him second hand. Once I got him, I was more active again and did some mini shoots with him but even that eventually stopped.

Once the pandemic hit, I kinda started reconnecting with my dolls again. I finally bought a custom wig for my Soom and got some shoes coming in for him finally. Want to buy him normal human hands too. And I FINALLY bought a new doll. My friend who dropped out of the hobby still has her dolls and I hope that since her kid is now in grade school we can meet up again and talk about dolls. If not, I'm just going to keep spending my days on DoA for my dolly needs.

It's okay to feel like your disconnect. It happens. For me it was a social thing. Now as a lone hobbyist it's really lonely. But I will never ever sell my Soom. I want him buried with me along with all my Vegeta figurines lol.

 

I wouldn’t say I’ve wanted to “give up” but I’ve aggressively ignored my dolls for weeks and months at a time. I bought them for making things, then I would mess up on making them the things, be discouraged, and try to avoid doing it again (by not doing anything). I’d give up on projects once the time came to commit and cut fabric, since I was going to get bored or fail anyway, not start anything I felt I couldn’t do (which was a lot) and then never put any effort in to get better.

I didn’t want to actually sell my dolls, so I figured I could put them away for a bit and focus on dealing with what I needed to. A lot of things crashed down at once, and any one would have been manageable, but all together, it was a bit of a mess. When I felt I was ready, I used some cheap fabric off the remnant pile, found some super easy patterns I’d used and loved before, and then just focused on making one small thing at a time. One of those happened to be a stuffed model of one of my own dolls, so I could play around with draping. I never did but now I have a headless plush body randomly laying around, so that’s great. I bought a doll I’d admired for a while, but wasn’t quite brave enough to try before after she suddenly came in stock at DDE. I tried something new-knitting in doll scale- so I could still get my creative fix when I didn’t want to sew or crochet. Doing something “new” meant less pressure on myself when making mistakes. I ended up joining here so maybe I could make some doll friends.

Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I tried that and it only burned me out more. At least for me, simply taking a break to deal with the real-life situations, and then taking small steps to get back into practice was what worked.

 

Not really giving up. Some times I just feel like I’m not as into dolls as I used to be. This feeling has lasted for a few months before. But that just means I won’t be buying new dolls for that period of time. But I still like the dolls I have.

 

There are a few dolls who I have (at least for now) given up on. They're dolls who have such comprehensively huge to-do lists that they're overwhelming: my souldoll girl needs a new faceup, new body blushing, new clothes... my diana needs a whole wardrobe and it isn't a big deal except it kind of is due to executive dysfunction...

I'll come back to it all later. I've got a couple of projects that just need a week or two of attention, but I've got other, more urgent, stuff using those mental resources right now.

 

I'm not old in the hobby, but I have admired for a long time. Now that I have "too many" and I feel as though my age is a factor, I would have to say yes I do feel this way. I think maybe I should put the doll money into something more long term. It's a thought that I have to reconcile at this time due to real life.

 

I left the hobby and sold my minifee about three years ago when I went to college. I found myself feeling more empty without my old doll than I thought I would, so I got back into the hobby about a year ago now. Its ok to take a break if you aren't happy!

 

Sometimes I will feel like giving up. The things are too expensive.

 

No not give up, but I would love to take my crew back to a more manageable number. During Covid I was bored and rather lonely because I couldn't meet with my friends, or go to church. I ended up buying dolls to soothe my loneliness and boredom. Dolls I had never intended to buy, and I wish I hadn't. I wish I could un-buy about 6 dolls.

 

I'm not giving up, but looking around at the crew I am starting to feel that periodic urge to "cull the herd" again.

The last time I did that, I pretty much halved my collection... I'm not sure if this round will be quite that extensive, but the gang and I definitely need to have a bit of a reckoning.

 

Several times, for several reasons.

Sometimes, I get to feeling like I can't compete with some of the other owners/artists I see on Instagram and Facebook. But, then, I realise they've taken more time to set up lighting, angles, backdrops, styled wigs, set the eye position so it's perfect, posed their doll just right, and picked their best camera/settings. Me; I plonk my doll down, grab a mini ring-light and just snap away with my phone camera. I can't compare myself with them, as I'm not at the same level as them. Not yet. I need to work on my dolls first, get them to a level that I'm happy with, then I can focus on my photography. But that's also just one aspect of them. Most times, I just end up sitting with them as a companion that can't argue back or disparage me.

Other times, it's because I can't justify their value against the [lack of] time I put into them. Only recently, I've gotten back into working with my favourite(s), because I've been spending time with my other hobbies (other collectable figures). Most times, they sit on a shelf or in their boxes, gathering dust and going... not 'unloved'. My absolute favourite had a place atop my bookshelf; I took him down from there recently, and the empty space is jarring. Even if I know where he is, it's just... "PUT HIM BACK". But he's been sitting on my bed at night. It's big enough that I can push my pillows to one side and leave him enough space to sit comfortably. Another, having spent months in a box, has come back out tonight, to help with sewing adjustments and modelling. But I had to dress him fully and put his wig on first. I couldn't just leave him bald and half-dressed for sizing a pair of trousers (that might not actually work...).

So, while I do sometimes feel like giving up entirely, I can't bring myself to do it. I've bonded with some of my dolls to the point that even just taking them from their regular spot is jarring enough to make me think twice about quitting the hobby. But, I also understand that it's not like that for everyone. Sometimes, we all reach a point, a time, when we just no longer have an interest in something. I'm kind of reaching that point with K-Pop. My favourite sub-unit of my favourite group has released new music, but I'm not wild about it. Not like I was the group this time last year. I get that people's interests change and dwindle. I wish you the best, whatever you decide.

 

As another hobby old, I second that ebbs and flows are natural. You can't sustain creative energy or enthusiasm at the same level constantly, and your tastes can change over time. And you're allowed to mourn change, but wallowing in the feeling isn't healthy.

For me a lot of waiting and the planning -- which happens on a scale of months/years for me -- is part of the hobby experience. If I got what I wanted from dolls immediately I don't think I'd enjoy this hobby this much. The endpoint is beautiful, but the incremental steps to reach that vision give me strength in a way as well. And if something doesn't work out, it's an opportunity to see how I can get creative.

I do think the social part of the hobby that I liked has dwindled due to various factors (covid most of all) but I have hope that eventually I'll be able to meet up with people again safely. More of that waiting I guess I've grown used to...

 

I second that. Taking a break can help a lot. Obsessing very strongly with one thing can make things difficult sometimes and become unhealthy. I find that taking a break and a lack of time to spend with my dolls made me happier and value them more. I do understand not everyone has the same feelings though.

 

I have but it's usually tied to bring broke and wondering why I have these expensive dolls, plus being in a slump doll wise. Combining those two things together makes me question the hobby, especially when I am saving for a new doll and wondering to myself why I'm getting it. But now I potentially going to have to worry about money way less with a new job, and I'll be stable enough to do more doll stuff (where as for the past the years I've always been half packed up), I hope that will change.

 

I thought I had put it behind me after graduating university and moving halfway across the world, but I grew up with this hobby so it’ll always be a part of me, even if I take a break for several years at a time. Sometimes I also feel like I have to go cold turkey just to curb the spending and stop obsessing over clothes and accessories.

 

That’s normal to cycle through things. I took 6-7 years off. I packed my dolls when I moved states and they stayed packed for a while. Now I have them out again, giving them new faceups. Honestly the break made coming back more fun. I still love the dolls I have and am glad I gave it a chance again.

maybe start with a break, come back to them and then see what you would like to sell.

 

Last week for the first time in all the years I've been collecting, I felt like giving up. The feeling only lasted a few days, thankfully. I was trying to sell a doll and I knew I would not be able to sell it for what I paid, so I was feeling bad about putting it up for sale, but I really needed the money to pay medical bills.
One person said she was interested. She gave me a long sob story about how she was very ill and desperate, etc. She asked me if I would give her a discount. The amount she offered was downright insulting. I refused, but she kept badgering me. Then she asked if I would do a trade. I explained that I wouldn't be selling the doll if I didn't need money, so I was not interested in a trade. She seemed to think that was funny. She then asked if she could buy just the head. By that time I was really fed up with answering this woman's rude questions and ridiculous offers. It was like she expected me to practically give my doll to her simply because she was sick. She was really yanking my chain, as they say.
I got so upset, that I removed the listing altogether. I also felt like giving up on dolls completely, but fortunately the feeling passed. I realized I couldn't let one bad person spoil something I love.