Do you feel alone in the hobby? (even with the forum)

I can relate to this a lot. I've come to find I just don't click with many doll owners, or I just keep coming across I do like a lot but are really shy and have a hard time initiating conversation. While the conversation is usually great while we are chatting it gets old to always be the one to have to get the ball rolling.

I would genuinely love to have a doll friend who was equally engaging.

 

I am also lonely in the hobby.
I've been involved directly since 2012, but I only know one other person I talk to face-to-face who is interested at all, and they are more interested in other things, so we spend most of our time talking about those things. At Anime North, I find most people don't seem to interested to chat with people they don't already know, and I'm really awkward talking on the forums, so I find it difficult to meet anyone on here... I am lucky, though, that my partner is understanding of the creative outlet, even though he doesn't really find it interesting. At least he'll listen to me prattle.

 

Hellows~
I can kind of relate.. I dont know many people that are interested in BJD's (Most of them stopped with the hobby) and I now decided to start to try and see if I can make friends through Doa.. I live in Sweden although will move to USA Iowa soon.. maybe in the US its easier to find dolly people?

I do try to get in contact with people I buy dolls from etc but it just doesnt seem like they want to be friends or have anything to do with me :/ Would be so nice to have people you can enjoy your dolls with.

 

A little. I live in Finland and only know one hobbyist from a nearby town. She's not really my type tho - even her doll taste is far from that of mine.

 

I wish I had local people to do doll things with and more doll friends who like crafting.

 

I feel lonely in the hobby sometimes
I've met a few doll owners in the past but I havnt made any real friends in the hobby

 

Okay, I have an idea. How about we see what we have in common? Maybe we can use this thread to try and make friends? I know it isn't the same as having someone in person to talk to, but it's still something.

What is everyone's favorite part of the hobby? Mine is using my BJDs to inspire story and character ideas, with photography and props being a close second.

 

I do feel pretty alone in the hobby. All of my closest friends have no interest (though my best friend will let me rave about them, lol).

I think one of the reasons it's hard to get to know doll owners online is that it seems a lot of them are older and have more complicated lives. A lot of the people I've bought things from (the majority of my interactions here, haha) have families and full-time jobs (which makes sense since it's such an expensive hobby), and understandably only have so much time and energy to dedicate to dolls, let alone make real friends online over them on top of their already busy lives. I have that problem myself - I'm [age redacted - friendships are easier that way], have a full-time job, and have enough crap going on that my hair is literally falling out, lol. Even so, it'd be nice to have friends in the hobby, which is why I even joined DoA! I just don't have enough time to have a full-time friendship to a younger person's standards (I don't really care about age as long as we get along, but when you work 45-hour weeks with other obligations, someone in high school, college, with a part-time job, or no job at all is going to have a lot more free time - and feel more lonely).

Anyway!

My favorite part of the hobby is recreating characters in my head IRL and just appreciating the art of the dolls themselves. I just freaking LOVE the aesthetics of BJDs! My guy at home is 70cm and isn't much of a poser (and I have yet to have the time to practice stringing, let alone sueding and wiring), so all he can do is sit, but I take pictures of him anyway, lol. They're just gorgeous, gorgeous works of art. That said, MAN do I want a Doll Chateau doll. ;3;

 

I have a sister in the hobby, she actually introduced me to it.. But she lives in another state, so it's kind of lonely... I mean we talk all the time but it's not the same...
My husband doesn't support my doll hobby, but whatever...

 

I answered this thread quite some time ago, and... Well, I've kind of lost my fire for bjds. I did have some online dolly friends, but I never felt like I clicked. I've pulled back, but still dream of finding some real friends who I can share this wonderful hobby with. I'm shy so meeting people is difficult, but I gotta do it, as not being able to talk dolls is driving me crazy, lol.

My favorite part of the hobby is designing the look of my dolls. It's also the most frustrating part too! I have one SD, one msd, four yosd, and many tiny bjds. I've been in the hobby since 2010 and have tried it all. Modding, face ups, sewing, wig making, restringing. I even tried dyeing...once...not a success, the resin refused to color!

 

I'm honestly an affectionate and friendly person with more confidence in myself than strictly necessary. As a result, I'm not particularly lonely in this hobby and I don't feel a longing to connect with others- because I already have a super fabulous friend in this hobby that I connected with! Much love to her, honestly.

That being said, my friend and I don't feel lonely as much as we feel ostracized in this hobby. We've been to a couple of doll cons and I've been to a doll meet. People are friendly, sure. Ask them a question and they'll probably have a useful answer. There is a feeling of superiority and judgement though. This hobby is expensive, so being older and and having a well paying job probably puts people on a high horse, which is disappointing. The pricing for this hobby probably factors into the loneliness if you don't have the money for this and people have all these things but you can't afford it. And there's so much fear in this hobby? Entering the hobby, I felt like I was under constant threats with how many times people told me not to put my dolls in the sunlight. One wrong move and I was done for, I guess. I kinda want to tell people "It's your doll. Do what you want to do. Treat yourself. It can always be fixed." because these dolls are meant to be enjoyed, not burdensome.

I've actually tried to reach out to others in the hobby. I've willingly volunteered to help with meet ups and to make things possible, but either there is a lack of contact or people are just too shy. Which is so terrible because it's so so amazing to see the light in a person's eyes when you tell them you love BJDs and they also love BJDs! One of the troubles with holding conversations with another BJD lover is what to talk about. Do we talk about dolls? Do we talk about ourselves? Do we mention the weather? It's pretty hard to read the situation haha. But honestly, people can tell me whatever and I'll do my best.

All things considered, I do love this hobby, even with its ridiculous pricing (and I will always complain about the pricing because a small person's pair of shoes should not cost more than my own pair of shoes). My favorite part is probably seeing all the unique characters and works that BJD owners create. Everyone is extremely talented, from face up artist, to photographers, to seamstresses, and more. Props to everyone because that is hard work and dedication. Personally, I like dressing up the dolls and posing them and making them do silly things. I'm working on creating things for my dolls so hopefully that will also become a favorite thing for the hobby

 

My favorite is creating characters and designing their look. I want to get more into props and taking pictures. I find it more fun to create everything myself instead of just buying it. I can make things custom just for that doll in whatever color or style I want. I like talking to people who are crafty and artistic because it drives me to do better and push myself to learn more.

 

I actually really love creating individual stories for my dolls as well as dressing them up and putting together looks that suit their personalities! ^_^ Though I'm not a professional photographer, I do enjoy posing and taking photos of my dolls too, as well as making little food props out of clay for them! x3 One of these days, I hope to also get into doing faceups! I've done faceup work on other dolls, but I feel like I want to improve my skills a bit more before I tackle doing one on a bjd.

 

Yes! I am very new to the hobby, so I have yet to meet anybody. I stood in the background for so long. Still am, really. Took me 5 years to actually buy a doll, and about 6 months to get on DoA.

 

I don't know anyone in my city who collect and I don't have virtual friends, I think if I lived in another state here I would have a lot of friends to talk about dolls. I talk with some friends about them but they don't collect as me

 

I don't know anyone in my city who collect and I don't have virtual friends, I think if I lived in another state here I would have a lot of friends to talk about dolls. I talk with some friends about them but they don't collect as me. I don't feel alone because I have other hobbies who no one here likes and I got used to it

---- Sorry, I wrote two coments and I don't know how to delet one

 

I used to have a lot of really good friends in the hobby but after I took a break from the hobby and returned I found that many of my friends had moved on from the dolls. Now I know some people who are into the dolls but I don't really know them well enough to consider them good friends as I am worried that me contacting them would annoy them. I roam around on this forum quite a lot but I don't really speak with people, I just comment on posts with what I think and then move on to the next tread. perhaps ill find some new friends some day

 

Yes, I suppose I do, since I'm very new to the hobby and do not know anyone in real life who is interested in them sadly. Maybe one day that will change though!

 

I wanted to tell some friends about the competitions in August, but I feel like they think, "Oh no! She's talking about dolls again!!"

 

Luckily I have an awesome local community that is very warm and welcome. Before that however, I was too shy to really participate in forums and all of that jazz, so I would have to say I was lucky to have found such a great community so early into my time in the hobby!