Grail-related Apathy anyone?

I've only been in the hobby for a few years but the last year I was definitely a revolving door doll owner. I would admire a doll, get it, do nothing with it, and then sell it to get a new doll I wanted. I have slowly started selling most of my dolls and have a much smaller collection that is becoming only dolls I truly love. I still think of some of the dolls as Grails, but that is mainly because they are hard to find or expensive and I treat them little resin royalty. I'm not where you are at yet but I do feel like I am slowly finding a peace with my collection and a direction as well and it feels really nice. And that reminds me that I should update my profile with my current dolls haha

 

I've been collecting a long time and I remember seeing dolls that would have been my grail dolls but they were not within my reach for many reasons. I kept a tight rein on those longings and chose to focus on some very lovely dolls that were more economical. Now I have stopped listing what I own in my profile. The number I own has risen to the believe it or not kind of number. I'm not bragging. I'd say I'm more embarrassed and don't want to declare the whole picture.

Now I have spent more money than I would have ever dared dream I'd spend on one doll. {at a time}
I see now how I fall in love with dolls when there are owners who have done magical things with them. I can spend endless hours admiring doll photographs. My doll crushes move around. Suddenly the ones I couldn't stop looking at pale and some other type moves in as the new Grail. And I have been all over the styles, the ones I have fallen in love with.

Right now I'm studying, hunting, hoping to find whimsy dolls, like Nevermore bird.

Apparently, I am odd man out as to your question and what everyone else has described about themselves. There are certain artist's dolls that at one time I felt I needed a complete set of everyone she's made. Now I can't even see why I loved them so much. The ones I am mostly investing in heavily at this time I thought when I first saw them NOPE, never... and somehow my brain/heart flipped over them. I have to say I have never gotten grail apathy, except for losing interest sometimes and moving into completely different loves.

Maybe my answer is NO to your question because I've never shelled dolls into characters. I am all about making art of them...

 

I don't really have grails, but regarding apathy/indifference towards collecting new dolls...

I erased my doll sculpt wishlist about a year ago, and decided to move forward in the hobby without having one. That turned out to be an excellent decision. Though I still keep a wishlist of bodies for hybriding - I'm not in any danger of buying a body without a head.

At this point in time, in my life and in the hobby, I've had the financial means to buy all the dolls I wanted. (I do have various doll buying criteria and a spending limit, but within these limits, I've been able to afford everything.) So for me, a wishlist was no longer a list of goals or targets to focus my finances on, but turned into a constant reminder of things I don't have. I already have wonderful dolls at home that I love dearly! and I wanted to focus on them, lean hard into enjoying what I do have. I didn't like how a wishlist became a focal point of dissatisfaction and bred discontent within me. So I nuked it, and don't miss it at all.

Keeping my eyes on my own crew has done wonders. I'm finding that the more I lean into doing things with/for the dolls I do have, the more joy it gives me, and the more indifferent I get towards dolls I don't have. I still like looking at new dolls and releases, but I'm quite happy to savour the promo pics for that moment, and then move on. My dolls give me so much enjoyment, almost nothing "out there" moves the needle anymore. I love being in this place of contentment and pleasure. Not to say I wouldn't fall in love with a new doll and go chase them, but I'm glad that my default state of mind is being delighted with my dolls at home.

 

I only ever had one grail doll. Of course there was a lot of dolls that I wanted, but only one was that unattainable grail doll.
To be honest, I had given up hope of getting him. The need to acquire said doll was gone. I was not actively looking for him, as I figured him to be an impossible find. I was content with not having my holy grail. I was resolved with the fact that I wouldn't get him. I had decided just to admire him from afar.

I did manage to get him, and I am happy that I did. But I had also become happy with the fact that I wouldn't get him, so it was a very nice surprise that I was able to achieve my holy grail.

I don't want another grail, he is my one and only. If a doll is no longer being made, I am not going to bother setting my sights on it. There are so many beautiful dolls to choose from that are readily available that I can get instead.

 

I've only truly been gripped by "grail fever" once per each type of doll I collect and I believe that has to do with the way I, personally, define "grail." A grail, for me, is a doll that I am both desperate for and is likely going to always be out of my reach for one reason or another, though usually a combination of reasons. I have been lucky enough to now own all of my grails (bought my last one last year!) and I'm filled with a deep sense of contentment. Sure, there are other dolls I like a ton and pine for with low chances of ownership, but none of them hold a candle to the "omg NEED" feeling that grails evoke in me.

Regarding future purchases, I still keep a wishlist and split it up between "dolls that are going to come home if/when the opportunity presents itself" and "dolls that would be nice to have." That first list doesn't have the desperation associated with my grail search, but is rather sort of a leisurely monitoring of various sales and secondhand markets. My second list is basically just where I dump my ideas and gets cut and added to all the time (I'm a creative type and my brain weasels refuse to stop). I'm convinced that the "dreaming about dolls" hobby is an entirely different hobby from the actual doll hobby, if that makes sense.

I wouldn't necessarily say I have "grail apathy." It's more that I've found my grail, I've taken it home and it's on display on my mantle. I've had my adventure, found my mythical prize, and even got the girl at the end. Let it be someone else's turn to go on an adventure, I'm happy with the way mine ended and I'm not looking for another.

 

Anyone else experiencing that sort of positive, peace-bringing indifference towards collecting and grails?
I've never been that crazy about grail dolls, which I find strange but overall good because I had issues with obsession about collecting in a previous hobby. I can think of two dolls I consider my grail dolls and one of them I already got a few years ago.
When I look at my current collection, I think about it as complete in the sense that I no longer browse and browse for novelties, nor I check every website I know looking for that impossible grail doll. This notion fills me with happiness and joy. I don't close myself to having more dolls (I'm planning one right now but it's the longest story), but I don't fret about it, I don't keep wish-lists or such.

 

I understand what you are saying. I feel very similar. Grails come and go... And they come back again at the least convenient moment.

 

I wanted a Minifee Chloe since 2016, finally got one in 2022. It was fun at first until her face paint chipped. Her faceup was perfect, now she just sits in a storage bin. I’ve tried several times to redo her face, but it just feels so pointless.