Dolls inner personnae (mature ?)

There have been a few threads like this... but in the "beauty" thread you mentioned, the OP was contrasting people's "inner beauty"/character/personality with dolls.
The main difference seems to be that people grow their own personalities organically.
Dolls... you give them their personalities.

You'd be a very odd person indeed if you didn't, or didn't try to. Some people have dolls who aren't really fully developed characters (with reams of intricate storyline committed to 'paper' somewhere) but at least the owner imbues the doll with a basic look if nothing else.

Raven

 

I can't help but think that your OP is primarily in response to what I (and Kiyakotari) said in the beauty thread. I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I would like to clarify the statements I made in my earlier post.

I was talking about a doll's physical appearance only. From a photo, it is no more possible to completely understand the personality of a doll than it is of a human. A photograph of me cannot convey my sarcastic humor, or my love of my cat, or my short temper. Even if it seems to to some, others will not see it. I agree completely that these dolls are more than just resin and elastic. If the dolls of my childhood can till this day have their own personalities, then there is no doubt in my mind that such lifelike dolls as those we discuss in this forum do as well.

From what I understand, there are two main opinions on how and why they have such individual personalities. Some, such as ravendolls has mentioned, think that the owner gives them their personalities. Others believe that they have a sort of life all on their own. I am honestly not sure which of these I believe, but I think maybe it's a little of both.

Dolls are not human. They are carefully sculpted and molded by an artist, not God. I could say that this means that they are already given part of their personalities by the artist who creates them, but is that not the way it is with us, as well? Perhaps it is not so different, after all. On the other hand, God (in whatever form you believe the higher power to take) is perfect and humans are not. I would say that a doll's personality grows in a way that appears similar to that of a child. Neither a newborn or a freshly un-boxed BJD have much personality, really. The difference is in that a child's personality forms by reacting to the world around him, and a doll's forms by the world reacting to him.

I stand by what I said in the other thread about perceptions. Our perceptions shape our world. The old woman down the street is a sweet old lady or a batty hag, depending on who you ask. The teenager in spikes and chains is a trouble maker or a creative and gentle guy. To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, truth is largely a matter of your own point of view.

As I type this, the doll I got when I was 9 sits on the desk watching me. She seems as if she's wondering why anyone would question that she has a personality and spirit all her own. Then again, maybe that's just what I want to believe. Either way, it's all the same.

 

I don't see much debate here in what you're saying, honestly. A lot of us project personalities, stories, and characters into our dolls' "empty shells". I'd be honestly surprised to find ONE BJD collector who only ever bought dolls, displayed them, and never gave them any personality.

You're not crazy, you're pretty normal.

 

Then again, there is a group of us who don't believe in that higher power at all. But this isn't a theology debate, and I do agree in the "dolls are not human" statement... you may give the doll a personality, but when no one is around the doll is just an object, in my opinion. It's the artistic endeavor of the creator/owner that makes the doll seem to have a personality. This is kind of going over old territory, a lot of which has been covered in the "Does your doll have a soul" thread (see below for link).

I do know at least one BJD owner to keeps her dolls solely as beautiful display objects. They don't have individual names (she refers to them by sculpt name), or backstories, or personalities. To that owner, the dolls are merely beautiful works of art to display as one would a sculpture or painting. And I don't think that's wrong. She does cherish them, just in a different way than the majority of collectors on DoA. It may be the minority, especially on DoA... but I'm sure there are other BJD collectors who appreciate the dolls for beauty alone, without the need to write a backstory or give them a personality.


Essentially, the debate about dolls and their "personalities" always boils down to this: Does the doll have an intrinsic personality or soul of their own, or is that personality solely the creation of the doll's owner? There are people on both sides of that debate, as can be found here:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7739

 

After re-reading I realized that. I'm not very good at explaining things sometimes, and part of the OP here was in direct opposition to a comment I made and didn't fully explain in the beauty thread. Whether it was directed at what I said or in general, I think it's an interesting question.

I acknowledge that not everyone believes in a higher power, but that wouldn't have helped me with my creator analogy, would it? Thank you for the link to the other thread, it looks like an interesting read.

 

Our dolls all do have a very strong personality.

Because we give it to them.

Even if we give them an initial cliche personality, and it grows from there (from Photostories, clothing, friends at doll meets, what have you), it's all a projection of what we think they'd be.

Yes, some people have such an active imagination and are so attached to their dolls, that it seems like the dolls has it's "Own" personality.

 

I didn't say it was wrong, nor do I think it merited such an...interesting...lecture, TheFontBandit. I merely said (you may recall, since you quoted it) that I'd be honestly surprised. And I am!

 

It makes sense to me. I've had more than one story or drawing run away from me and become something entirely different than I thought it would. And my regular characters are worse about it than ones I create just for that piece of work. I've had more than one RP session with my best friend leave us both saying "How the heck?! ...Okaay" because it made more sense to the characters than it did to us. It is hard to explain, though.

 

Sometimes I think- I'm still in the process of ordering my first doll, but my friends have them so I'm around them often.

People say "They're just resin" but we're just... weird flesh. XD So I think if we can have personalities and souls then why can't they?

 

i think that dolls are a lot of things to a lot of people really, be they a creative outlet or a tool to creativity in some other cases (creative writing ect) but i do project some of the things that are personal to me into thier personalities too. For example i am rather extroverted so my doll is more subdued to some extent and i think that is partly because i want my doll to be different from me.

An interesting topic though. And no i dont think your wierd at all milahel! ^_^

 

No, I got what you were saying. I too have started a creative project with one specific purpose/feel/personality, only to find that the thing I was creating had its own ideas about its purpose/feel/personality. I've even drawn/written something that ends up going quite the opposite of my original ideas. It's often a bit odd. You stand back and blink at this thing that's created itself more than you have, and though logically you're thinking you've done things "wrong".... what you end up with is perfectly right. I'll have my first bjd soon, but I half expect something like this to occur as I customise him. Part of that may be due to a bit of indecision on my part-- I had bought him with a specific character design in mind, but now I'm getting other ideas as well.

At any rate, I find it an interesting journey, where the doll/work of art leads you. I'm actually quite glad you created this thread. Thanks.

 

More back at you! I'm (somewhat) patiently awaiting the arrival of a Dollzone Hong. I'd decided that if I was gonna finally start collecting bjd's (I've been admiring and wanting one for years), I was going to fashion them on one of a number of characters I've created in other formats (ex. rpg characters, original fiction characters, drawing concepts, etc.). It was a way of bringing more meaning to the characters, and the dolls I'd be purchasing. Plus, I'm the type of person that sometimes needs a goal/target when entering new territory.

When it came time to actually purchase a doll, however, I ran into the problem of finding dolls that met the theme/look/attitude I was going for with any of the characters. While looking, I ran across Hong several times, always stopping to admire his beauty. In the end, I think I convinced myself that I could mod him enough to work for the character I decided to give him. Talk about the doll deciding for you! Still, I have no regrets. I already have the wig I need and know I'll have to shop for the eye colour I want elsewhere. I figure if it doesn't work out for the personality, I can always reuse the wig and eyes on a different doll. And every time I think about customizing Hong, it almost seems like there's a voice in my head suggesting something else for him...

I can tell already he's going to be a very willful and stubborn doll. I'm beginning to think your approach is the wisest.

 

I understand what you're saying here. I have had a couple of dolls that turned out vastly differently than I originally intended them to be.

I guess the question is... do you think that it's just a form of art through your subconscious (and therefore the personality is still entirely of your own creation), or do you think that it's an inherent/innate personality within the doll showing through?

For me, I still think the creativity is all in my head, and that the dolls wouldn't have a personality of their own if I were removed from the process. Even if the doll turned out differently than planned, for me it was a result of seeing what looked good to me with that sculpt. Sometimes if a doll has a sweet-looking face, a scowling or "angry" faceup just wouldn't look right to me. I had a doll that was going to be a silly, crazy character, but when she arrived I realized her face sculpt was too soft and elegant to be goofy. Sometimes it's due to the "natural" poses that the body assumes due to its sculpting. I have one boy who tends to slouch due to his three-part torso, so it contributed to a "slacker" personality. But it's all in the physical construction, and how that construction is perceived by the viewer.

 

Well, whenever Del does decide to come into being, be sure to post plenty of pictures! I too love (and miss!) The Sandman series. I'd love to see how she turned out. *wanders off reread my graphic novels*