Feeling overwhelmed

I've had periods of feeling overwhelmed, which has led to selling a few dolls, or just not doing anything with them. Then I resume buying when a new (or new to me) doll catches my eye.

Lately I've been questioning whether I'll ever get around to making clothes. I've stockpiled fabric (especially some of my old clothes) and notions for years, but it's mostly stayed in the thinking stage because I'm not a good seamstress and I hate the pattern-adjusting process. So I toy with the idea of clearing out all of it, and simply enjoying the ready-made clothing collection I have for my resin crew. Still, I don't want to be a quitter!

Hope springs eternal, lol.

 

I can relate.

In general I'm a very frenzied, busy, high intensity person when it comes to my dolls and creative projects. So it's a formula for recurrent overwhelm.
Sounds like you may have already figured out why you are overwhelmed but sometimes I feel that way and I'm not actually sure why. So I try to puzzle it out. Sometimes I'm just frustrated from repeatedly not getting something right, not knowing what project to actually work on when there are so many and other times I just feel overwhelmed with doll related emotions: guilt for starting to realize I just don't like someone, FOMO related selling procrastination, sadness that a character I like is confined to the floating head box, feeling like I'm running out of individual enough ideas for different characters or overwhelmed by my agenda being too frenzied.
For me, I mostly like to feel that there is no end in sight for the vast array of planned projects but nobody likes feeling frustrated or any of those other things. I have no idea if it will apply to you but I've noticed that by the time I get truly overwhelmed with my doll problems, it wasn't really dolls that started it.
I take time then, to keep only dolls that I feel happy to see where I see them and just ease off, give myself some mental rest and come back from a calmer, happier place.
I think a lot of us have to figure out the right number of them that works for us anyway, and it's kind of just trial and error. And I think it can be hard to resist new dolls simply because it's understandable to get bored, you just have to find your own rhythm.

 

I have felt doll collecting, maintenance and storage overwhelm too. Some thing I have done to overcome this feeling is first recognize what is contributing to the feeling. In the beginning of collecting, I felt like I needed to be doing something with them or they should be stored to protect them but, I wanted to look at them all the time ... my solution was to buy a glass cabinet for display ... now I can look at them all I want without worry of damage and they are easily accessible when I want to do something with them and as a bonus they are already clothed and wigged. I know cabinets are expensive but the dolls are too and I think of it as protection of my investment kinda like having art prints framed so they may be hung on your wall.

 

I only have two dolls and I feel this I didn't feel the stress too much with my first doll because I ordered him with faceup, body blushing, and sanding. And he came with eyes and underwear for free! Most of the work was done for me, so I could focus on making his wig and clothes. Fast forward to now, I got my first blank doll earlier this year and I made it my mission to make him into a very specific character. He needs everything! Forget clothes and wigs, I had to sand him piece by piece (my own chosen torture, I know ), and I had been struggling to learn to faceup. He has four different heads! Thankfully, I have nearly all four of them finished. I also started a ventilated wig, and started sewing some clothes. Too many ideas, not enough time. And school starts tomorrow. Welp

 

I am new to the hobby and was really excited about doing faceups. I wasn't expecting a work of art on my first try but I wasn't expecting it to be that horrible.

I know practice makes perfect but the excitement of learning faceup is gone. I feel sp over whelmed I have six blank dolls that I guess will probably just stay blank now.

 

I'm at a point where I'm burnt out with the hobby, especially with faceups, mainly because I work a full-time job that leaves me with no spoons over the weekend. I have like five faceups I planned on doing over August and September that I haven't done. I know I should not hold myself to goals if work is getting in the way, but I have four dolls (and one head) waiting to arrive and they'll all need faceups, too! I'm starting to want to avoid hobby stuff, so I definitely need a break.

 

I believe many times we (I include myself as the first one on the line) underestimate how demanding can be this hobby. Aside from the financial stretch, planning, research, designing your character, finding clothes you like and fit nicely, maintenance etc. It's a whole lot and sometimes can feel overwhelming. I don't have many dolls and never had a big collection, however, checking my dolly to-do list can give me a headache. I also want to learn how to sew properly and perhaps make wigs too. I managed to learn how to do face-ups and restring my dolls too.

BJD's can include a lot of skills and I find this very stimulating it's great to explore new creative pathways but still it's a lot. It's had to say "take it easy" when you want to see your looks looking nice and your dolly to-do list getting smaller and smaller.

 

I have started to feel this. When I first got into the hobby I had two dolls. It was great because I had tons of different outfits and looks for them. I left the hobby for quite a while to sort out my life and once I got back into the hobby I had much more disposable income, so over the last few years and during the stay at home periods due to covid, I really dived into the deep end of dolls. My collection had grown to 10 dolls and I find myself drowning in unfinished projects. I have quite a few blank dolls that I have bought face up materials for that I just don’t have the time to do. I have thought about getting rid of some but honestly they’re each unique and different that I can’t decide. :/ It’s great having them but I haven’t done much since I got them.

We recently moved from a one bedroom house to a three bedroom house and now that we have a bit more space I would love to have a hobby room to display and work on my projects. So far all our money and time have gone into renovations. XD I’ll give it a bit more time before deciding on where to go in the hobby.

 

The thing I love about bjds is how many crafts one can put into them - I learned to paint faces and make wigs! I love sewing for them! What I didn't quite expect, though, is how much time actually needs to go into it. Sewing small pants don't take considerably less time than human pants sometimes, faceups need to dry between layers, wigs are... wigs. I feel like there's constantly a WIP project to finish, and now that I have more than 1 doll, also maybe matching outfits I'd like to make to photograph them in... things turn into a bit of a production. It does get overwhelming easily and I just have 3! I don't know what I thought at first, but the DIY definitely never ends

 

I was feeling this way lately, so I decided to be really honest with myself and put away the dolls that are giving me bad feelings, which is all of them except the Soony, which is my favourite. And suddenly I'm super inspired again. I want to make outfits for her and buy her new things. It's so much more manageable when I'm just planning things for one doll, and not eight!

For some reason it's really hard to let go of the feeling that I'm supposed to be interested in all my dolls at once, and allow myself to just focus on one doll. Which is silly. Because it really doesn't matter! And it makes me so much happier!

Also helps to focus on one project/goal at a time. And there's nothing wrong with buying things or paying people to do things for you that you don't want to do. It's supposed to be a fun hobby. (I'm seriously considering sending my Soony's body away to someone who is better at restringing than me because she really needs restringing and I HATE doing it.)

Oh, and on the point of stockpiling fabric. I used to have four big plastic tubs of fabric and they were making my dining room look ugly. I finally decided to clear it out and give away everything that didn't inspire me which was pretty much all of it. I have yet to regret doing this. It improved my life so much and gave me breathing space to focus on sewing projects I'm actually interested in.

 

I envy people with talents to sew, do face ups and so on, but never think of the side of feeling like doing to much. I am sorry you have a feeling of being overwhelmed and agree with the others sometimes you have to step back and see what is #1 and so on. If one doll only needs a face up, then that is what you focus on. If one needs so much more done, then put them away and know you will get to them. It's a lot to ask and maybe it's better if you just tell yourself, it is for my own mental health that I change the path of many choices, and do the one of only one.

 

I've felt the same way for a long time, three or so years at least, and that was a big hiatus for me, but I felt complete overwhelmed and couldn't understand why exactly. It started when I got a blank head and it stayed like that for a good while, I couldn't even think about sending it to get a face-up cause something didn't feel right. Plus, with my other 6 dolls, I felt completely disconnected from at least 2 of them cause their characters didn't make me happy anymore. To be honest, the feeling that I was bad doll owner because I didn't do face-ups, or sew, or even take that much photos was starting to get to me.
The hiatus was for the best, though. I thought about my collection, revamped some characters, dipped my toes in wig making and after a lot of practice made something that I finally loved... now I find myself taking pictures more often and enjoying more.
Every one of us enjoys the different aspects of this hobby in a different way and knowing oneself is the best place to start so you don't get too overwhelmed and start feeling like you're stuck.

 

Several years ago I felt exactly this way and it went on for a while. It was truly frustrating and I couldn't find the solution. It felt like my collection leapt from 1 to 5 way too fast, and I was struggling to complete any of my dolls. This hobby has always been a bit too expensive for me, so I couldn't really afford to buy accessories and clothes, and I'm not good at sewing, so they just stayed incomplete for a long time. Aside from this, I also struggled for a while to even know exactly what I wanted from the hobby, like what kind of characters I wanted to shell, what clothing style I wanted for my dolls, whether MSD or SD was best for me, etc.

Finally, after selling several dolls that I had grown out of, and really figuring out what my vision is for my collection, I'm feeling at peace with the hobby, maybe for the first time. Instead of getting new dolls, I've been focused more on completing the ones I already have. I've bought them some accessories, made them new wigs, even gotten back to designing clothes for them (which apparently I'm not horrible at, even though I can't sew ). I still get overwhelmed with the hobby sometimes, but I'm feeling a lot more confident that the next doll I get will stick around, because now I really know what I want and feel like I'll be able to complete them.

 

I've definitely been on that emotional rollercoaster (& I really don't enjoy rollercoasters!!)
A few times I've put some dolls away or decided to limit what sizes I collect & sold a few which helped. Other times I've reconsidered my display area & that helped. Or reorganized the clothing & prop storage so I could actually find & use what I've got which also helped.
Having my human kids grow up & leave home was convenient for opening up new space to rearrange the dolls...but then again I got drawn to other off topic dolls & found myself in that same state of overwhelmed just this last week as available space dwindled!

Yesterday I unpacked a few bjds who were stuck waiting while work was busy. Then they were all over the spare bed needing attention. Today I started by restringing a new to me second hand doll whose just arrived. Found clothes for her to wear & coaxed her into a snug spot in my display.
After that I've gotten the neglected 5 dressed & they're waiting while I meditate on whether to fill the last good open spot for taking basic photos...or maybe improvise a spot for them in a corner...Or whether it requires rearranging the display of Volks teenagers & friends...

One of these days I may have to rethink the hoard again, but most are now dear favorites. On the other hand I have family coming to visit soon & the dolls currently on the bed will need to go somewhere.
I love all the dolls(art) I've collected & enjoy the community I've met through them. But those moments of panic when it feels like too much are not my favorite. Getting past those moments by reassessing the situation or making changes or redressing the dolls to inspire me to remember why I have them usually helps. But I've taken to warning the family if they come to visit they will have to deal with the doll situation. ;}

Good luck & I hope you find solutions that keep your hobby fun & enjoyable.

 

I tend to treat them like my art WIPS, where because I have multiple, when I hit a road block in one of them I can take a break from it and work on another one. However, I feel overwhelmed when I think about how many dolls I have and how many more I plan to have when I consider all the time, and, mostly money that would have to go into that. I start to feel like I should reconsider how many dolls I actually want so badly I can't be without them, but...at the end of the day, I don't need any dolls. I can live without them, but they make me happy. But I start to feel like I have to have a certain level of happiness and love for each one to justify the amount of time, money, and labour to put into them... And that's when I start to be stressed and overwhelmed. I don't want to let any of them go, because if I do, it will be so hard or impossible to get another one.

Howeverー！ It's also true that sometimes you just need to change something about the doll and suddenly you're in love, inspired, and none of it seems like a burden at all. So although I get bothered, I usually resolve to do some kind of change like a different faceup mockup, and it often makes me feel more enthusiastic about the doll, and want to work on them again.

 

I feel the same way! I tend to just buy stuff I like when it’s in stock and then projects pile up with no time in sight to actually work on them I find that when I do have time though, making detailed to-do lists in order of priority works well! But then nasty stuff like “weather” gets in the way for things like spraying heads…

I think many of us need to try to just be content with getting one thing done at a time… instead of rushing to finish a project all in one go, maybe just one little step a day has to be enough. I sure wish I could work on my dolls full time though! X3