Do you ever take "breaks" or "vacations" from the hobby?

Yes, though, this break is kind of off/on. I find that I "need" to take a break if I want to get anything else done -- like art, design, etc. I get sucked into the forums way too easilly and will lose vast amounts of time that I really need to use for other things. I do squeeze time in for doll browsing for clothes and what not-- here and there, but unfortunately, I have not had any time to devote to my dolls specifically (or the faceups they need) in months upon months. My main issue right now is that, with the birth of my daughter, there's no place to "put" my dolls. I'd love to have them at least on a shelf so I can look at them, but every room in my house is bathed in sunlight and I just don't like the idea of them just sitting there yellowing.

 

If you've never taken a break from BJDs, do you think you ever will? Why or why not?

No I haven't and I doubt I will. All of my hobbies (sewing, painting, drawing, role playing) kind of blend with the doll hobby, so it would be weird to take the dolls out of it. Even if I took a break from buying more, I'd still be playing with the ones I have.

 

Do you ever find yourself taking "breaks" from the hobby?
Most definitly. >.<

How long do your "breaks" typically last?
Well I tend to switch back and forth between hobbies, such as books, movies, dolls, art in general, photography, music, focusing more on friends etc. I'm just now realizing that if I'm having a rough time with family, friends or something else I seem to draw closer to my dolls/the doll community, music, and/or books/movies to get my mind off of whatever's going on...
The breaks seem to last anywhere from a week or so to several months...

What's the longest "BJD Break" you've ever taken?
Hmm. Not sure. Probably a little over half a year.

What are the various reasons you take breaks from the hobby?(Is it just because your interests wane, or because of finances, living situations, etc?)
All of the above, honestly. The reasons can vary big time. Could be lack of funds to support the hobby, lack of time to spend on the hobby, an overdose of other hobbies or an overdose of focusing on friends. Lots of things contribute to my breaks. :p

When you get back in to BJDs after coming out of a "break," do you have any guilt for neglecting your dolls or the community?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Depends on the reason of the particular break.

When you've taken a long break from BJDs, do you have to deal with any skepticism from your family or friends about how much you love BJDs? Do you find yourself having the same issues you had with them when first starting in the hobby?
Nah. Not really. I mean, my parents always have thought that the hobby was too expensive so there's always gonna be that bit from them, saying that I could/should be spending my money or time on something more "useful"...but they also know that I love music a ton and when I told my mom I wanted to get an ipod touch instead of the doll i'd been saving up for she still was disappointed... blah.

 

I took a break while having some major life changing issues to sort out. It was very nice to come back to the hobby after a few months and be greeted with new dolls, companies and ideas. It's re-discovering the hobby that was the most exciting thing to me when I came back.

 

I have not ever taken a break from my bjd collecting and don't think I ever will. Usually if I decide I need a break it's because I have found another "Love" to collect and end up selling my recent collection. I don't remember if I have ever gone back after selling but I don't think so.

Linda From Wisconsin

 

I actually was considering doing something similar to this a while back.. But I never got around to it. I guess, I still don't really care for the idea of them sitting there and still being hidden behind the curtain due to the rooms being bathed in sunlight most of the time. Thank you though!! ^___^

 

Do you ever find yourself taking "breaks" from the hobby?
Yes I take a lot of breaks.
&#8203;How long do your "breaks" typically last?
A lot of the months where I go to college.
What's the longest "BJD Break" you've ever taken?
It's been about 2 months now.
What are the various reasons you take breaks from the hobby? (Is it just because your interests wane, or because of finances, living situations, etc?)
Yes, I tend to get bored quickly with things I'm into but that's why I like bjds because there's always something new coming out. But lately I've gotten kind of tired, irritated, jealous seeing the same beautiful/popular molds with different faceups so I step back from the bjd world and go play a game or something.
When you get back in to BJDs after coming out of a "break," do you have any guilt for neglecting your dolls or the community?
I have no guilt not taking part in the community, I'm mostly in lurker status 90% of the time anyway. But guilt for neglecting my doll yes I do.

 

I'm pretty much on a break just now, which is slightly odd since I was fairly new to the hobby to begin with. The timing of my receiving my first doll coincides with some other big life events and I don't feel I can give my full attention to it for the foreseeable as a doll owner. It annoyed me at first but then I realised one of the things I like best is just observing and looking at other people's dolls and their enjoyment. So it is possible to sit on the sidelines, I think and still learn for later when active participation becomes more of an option!

 

I have definitely taken breaks from all of my hobbies at some point. I like learning and discovering new things, so sometimes I get wrapped up in the "new" things and pay less attention to the "old" things...but I do dearly love the "old" things, so when I start feeling overwhelmed with the "new" things I come back to them. I can't focus on just one thing. I'd love to balance everything out better, but when I get inspired by an interest of mine I don't want to set it down and do something else instead~! Also, sometimes it's just not possible for me to partake in all of my hobbies simultaneously due to monetary constraints.

I don't take breaks of any particular length or regularity. It just happens. When it does, I don't enjoy my dolls any less--I'm just slightly less fixated on them. They usually stay in their carriers or boxes, and don't come out for pictures. I'm okay with that. My hobbies should be fun. If my hobbies stop becoming fun, because I feel like I "owe" something to the hobby or the community... then I need to rethink what I'm doing. I have enough stress in other parts of my life; I don't need to create more of it for myself~ XD

 

Here my modest contribution:

How long do your "breaks" typically last?
One month to several months

What's the longest "BJD Break" you've ever taken?
Around six months.

What are the various reasons you take breaks from the hobby? (Is it just because your interests wane, or because of finances, living situations, etc?)
I've got two reasons, living situations, the last, I was victim of a fraud from buying a home and was obligated to sell my dolls, even my most precious. The first time was a problem with another persons in the hobby about hypocrisy. It's made me so sad, now I fly any BJD meeting with them and I don't write as often as before on the concerned forum, just talking to true friends I have trough the hobby. It's in part for them, I'm back into BJD.

When you get back in to BJDs after coming out of a "break," do you have any guilt for neglecting your dolls or the community?
No, I don't feel necessary to the community of my country or anything. BJD are simple objects to me, so I don't care of their "feelings".

When you've taken a long break from BJDs, do you have to deal with any skepticism from your family or friends about how much you love BJDs? Do you find yourself having the same issues you had with them when first starting in the hobby?
My family was aware of my hiatus and my IRL friends don't know I collect BJD, no problem on this side.

 

&#8203;How long do your "breaks" typically last?
Yes, I do take breaks.

What's the longest "BJD Break" you've ever taken?
Longest break has been around more than one year.

What are the various reasons you take breaks from the hobby? (Is it just because your interests wane, or because of finances, living situations, etc?)
The major factor has been waning interests, finances and time. Due to recent changes, I haven't had enough time or money to dedicate to my bjd's.

When you get back in to BJDs after coming out of a "break," do you have any guilt for neglecting your dolls or the community?
I do have some residing guilt for neglecting my dolls. That guilt has led to putting some of my dolls away in storage. After recently coming back to them I do some what regret putting them away.

When you've taken a long break from BJDs, do you have to deal with any skepticism from your family or friends about how much you love BJDs? Do you find yourself having the same issues you had with them when first starting in the hobby?
Most of the skepticism has been coming from my folks and some friends. My folks have been looking my bjd hobby in a negative light due to personal reasons. As for some of my friends, they haven't been exposed to anything quite like bjd's so the hobby itself is alien to them. Thus they tend to stray away from bjd's.

 

I've taken breaks from the hobby. In fact, this is my first time on DoA in a few weeks, and usually I'm on almost daily. Most likely, I'm going to continue the break after today for a little longer. Doesn't mean I dislike the hobby, or anything. Other things just get in the way.

 

I have many many hobbies, which I like to switch between often. (Keeps me from getting bored). Each obsession might last about a month in duration, but some overlap with the doll hobby so not all of them are mutually exclusive, though some are.

 

Not from the hobby, no but from forums, yes. I lose patience easily with other people, probably part of being autistic, so to keep myself polite and cheerful I will go for a week or so without posting anything or reading much.

 

Yep! Just got back from a break about two months ago and now I've already order two dolls.

But genreally I tend to do that with all my hobbies. Anime, manga, TCG's, video games, writing even, for some strange reason I can't stay into something for to long without taking a break. I always come back eventually but I wonder why I do it. To much of a good thing maybe?

 

Funny enough, I've kind of been on one (on and off) in the past two months.

I take breaks fairly often though. Usually, my real life gets in the way of my imaginary one, or sometimes having my dolls around just makes me feel immature and I pack 'em all away for awhile and pretend I never bought them in the first place.

In terms of issues, yes. My issues with my dolls are really more of issues with myself - i.e. accepting that I do in fact like dolls, and although somewhat unusual, it really shouldn't be any bigger deal than the fact that I like clothes, and shoes, and makeup and art... but hey, that's my problem. No one else gives a rat's arse whether I'm currently enjoying my hobbies or not- people generally just show up in my room and gawk at things (my bedroom is usually like a cross between a junk shop and a circus with clothes strewn about for good measure. >.<)

As for guilt:
I don't think anyone on the forum particularly misses me when I'm away, so that's out. As for the resin, that's why I like dolls at all in the first place. You can dump them in a box in the closet for *months* and feel no emotional discomfort whatsoever. The same is not true of people I can tell you!

 

Well before i actually got a doll I would take huge like year long breaks from having anything to do with them manly because it made me want one so bad and I could not have one. Now I have not had dolls for to long and I will say i will take breaks from being active in the community or buying new dolls/stuff but I don't think I will ever pack them up or anything. I never truly give anything up since I was like 13ish so I don't think I could ever go to long without interacting with my dolls.

 

I actually just returned to this hobby less than a week ago. I had quit because... well, there were multiple reasons, but ultimately I just wanted to focus on college and didn't want to bring my dolls up to school. However, with winter break coming back, I started thinking about my dolls again and can't wait until I get home to play with them.

&#8203;How long do your "breaks" typically last? Months
What's the longest "BJD Break" you've ever taken? Six months
What are the various reasons you take breaks from the hobby? Finances, living arrangements, the fact that my mom hates the hobby... I love my mom to bits but we never saw eye to eye on this.
When you get back in to BJDs after coming out of a "break," do you have any guilt for neglecting your dolls or the community? Not really. I'm going to restart by selling current dolls and then buying new ones in MSD size. Part of the reason I quit was because SDs were too big and expensive for me.
When you've taken a long break from BJDs, do you have to deal with any skepticism from your family or friends about how much you love BJDs? Oh I know my mom will not be pleased. My dad encouraged me to rejoin so I could have a creative outlet.
Do you find yourself having the same issues you had with them when first starting in the hobby? Hopefully not, but the pessimist in me says I will.

 

I sometimes do a little breakes in my doll collecting, because the more dolls I see, more expensive they cost! I know that I want more and more, but I need a break out. I just MUST stop myself wanting a new doll! And I stop for a while