Good things the BJD hobby has done for you?

I think this will be an interesting thread. Personally, I can think of a few things. For one, I've always done fashion illustrations, and have been searching for dolls to wear my designs, but none of them looked right until I found my BJDs - they have the perfect look for my designs! So they are a great creative outlet. Creating things, whether it's drawing, sewing, writing or whatever, always makes me feel good.

I have met a lot of nice people through this hobby, which is always good.

And I make some extra cash here and there selling the clothes that I make, which is nice since all my work (doll-related and otherwise) is freelance.

Also, I have health problems, and am kinda shy, so I'm by myself alot. The dolls make good "companions". lol

 

They have brought out a creative side I didn't know existed. I'm an accountant; I'm not artistic. I have found a creative outlet through developing my characters and their photostories. They have inspired me to start sewing again.

 

I've found myself wanting to write my short stories again now that I've got dolls picked out and characters forming. It helps to see physical manifestations of my muse, and my characters when I'm writing.
It's also very relaxing and exciting to search out new things, come up with new ideas for pictures, modifying clothes and hair...

 

Oh my goodness yes. Have done so much photography to the point had to buy and upgrade to better camera. I write constantly now for my dolls, stories, backgrounds, characters. I can't sew, but do lots of other crafts and woodworking stuff for them. And the best part is all of the friends I have made. Truly lovely ladies and some guys to be around to share my obsession. My husband even participates and my little boy knows who some of the dolls are.

 

One of the positive things is that I haven't been able to snack all the time while I'm sewing or playing with my girl. Don't want to get anything on her or her clothes.

Plus it's a nice distraction and lets me not feel so bad when I can't seem to figure out where I want my stories to go. Figured out a number of things in the last few months while sewing.

 

My dolls are there for me when I'm in the middle of huge life changes - going off to college, joining the Navy, and even deciding to take a year off and work to save up money. They are also there for me when I'm sick or depressed and never fail to cheer me up. Lately, I've been inspired to try and start making things for them - clothing, furniture, etc...and just knowing that I have a hobby to come home to is great.

La

 

BJDs have done two great things for me. The first is that they help me keep in touch with my creative side, through writing, taking pics, and doing faceups/modding. They serve as a great focus for all my creative energy.

The second great thing is it's brought me so many wonderful new friends! Some of them are ones I keep in touch with through DoA, some are local friends I might never have met otherwise. I actually met a girl through the hobby who was an old friend that I'd lost touch with over the years. It turns out we both got into collecting BJDs, and ended up running into each other at a meetup and it got our friendship started up again!

 

I used to be really big in the arts, I almost went to SCAD but decided against it because I just lost the inspiration to create anything. Since getting Aidan, all I have to do is come onto DOA and the inspiration hits me like a rock. I'm at my happiest when I'm working on anything whether it's sewing outfits, designing costumes and furniture, making her minatures, etc. It's really gotten me back into the groove of things. I love my doll, she may have been expensive, but what I got in return is priceless.

 

I can now say I'm an amateur photographer, not only of BJDs but of my other toys. They do tend to sap my want to draw and write, though ;~~;

 

I've met some wonderful people all over the world since getting into BJDs, it's brought out my creative side which has been hidden since I was a child, I've learnt a lot about dolls in general, and it keeps my mind off my chronic illness!

 

When I first started looking into BJDs, I was going through a rather difficult time with a rather personal relationship that was beginning to falter, and I really started feeling alone. But as I started chatting with people in the waiting thread for my first boy, I have made many friends, one who particular who helped me so much in getting through that difficult time and still helps me now when my emotions get a little jump. ( I won't mention her name as I'm not sure if she'll be embarassed or not that I wrote this )

That's a huge thing for me, and one reason I love all my BJDs so much. I've started roleplaying them again, finding a newfound love for each and every one of their character, helping them grow too and learning more about them, which also helps a great deal when it comes to writing my book.

 

My boys have definitely been a positive influence on me. Despite loathing my current job, I willingly put in extra hours so I can save up for my dolls faster and buy them clothes, shoes, etc. They've also renewed my creativity: I want to sew for them and learn how to do my own faceups.

 

Making friends in another state 3 months before I move there, and therefore I won't feel so alone out in the middle of nowhere

 

Getting Kazimir made me sew again, I had forgotten how much I used to love it. I draft patterns especially for him, things that I would never get to do otherwise like frilly shirts, cloaks etc... BJDs are great for channeling my creative side, with the added bonus that no one can tell me how to dress my boy. At work my boss always has to come and impose his unwelcome changes to my designs.

I also made a new friend to share the hobby with and that's always nice.

 

Made me buy some nice clothes - just not for myself!

But really, I think the nicest thing BJD's did for me is to give me a fun evolving hobby and nice people to share it with here on DoA.

CArolyn

 

I've made many new friends through this hobby and get to express my creative side in all kinds of ways! Those would be way up there on the good side effects for me.

 

Well, Tanal's improved my sleeping habits, because he gets cranky if I don't put him to bed, and then I feel guilty if I stay up after that.

And I'm another who had fallen away from the arts, and I'm just so relieved to have inspiration again. My hands are always restless, so the method I've come up with for wig making is absolutely fantastic, because it's a way to occupy my hands almost anywhere. And making clothes for my boy has given me the courage to work on clothes for myself, something I've been meanign to do for years. I've finally started getting somewhere on a novel I started writing over a decade ago (Tanal's the main character).

And then there's all the fantastic people I've met through the hobby, all I've had for the past few years is my D&D group. That's been fantastic as well.

Funny part is, my mum recently told me how a lot of our friends and neighbours were very surprised I didn't go to art school, and now I'm working on my first wig commission! (Doing local before I set up shop.)

 

Because of BJDs I now have several new friendships & am getting creative again. They're also an answer to my dream doll ideal; there's a huge assortment of faces, a variety of skintones, they pose beautifully, are easily customised & wear almost any style of clothing well. Plus there's so much to learn about them that boredom doesn't easily set in.

 

My BJD hobby has helped me with my job too actually

I've been really disliking work lately and the other day I was feeling crappy and didn't want to work. So I just said to myself "It's all for Ivan!" (D.O.C. Homme Ivan) and it really picked me up.
In fact I got all my work done early!