Guilt about other hobbies that bit the dust when you found BJDs?

I don't really feel guilty. If nothing else, dolls gave me a pretty good way out with some good benefits, too.

I used to get loads of GI Joe action figures, but that has slowed down significantly. I only got two from the most recent movie toy line. All of my other Joes have been sitting up in the attic for a decade anyway.

I used to be pretty big into anime, but the doll budget called for some cuts elsewhere, and anime also got the axe. I was beginning to lose interest in anime due to the direction it has been going in over the past few years, but I've also cut out the occasional thing that might otherwise interest me, too.

As a result, I've been mostly into dolls, but comic books have become less of a monetary concern due to the cutting of GI Joes and anime. I'll pick up the occasional manga under the banner of comic books as well.

 

I've actually learned about photography because of BJDs. It's pretty cool--I can snag my DH's photography equipment, and bug him about trying new things (and dip into his hobby budget), too.

But I do understand the balancing act, as well. When I first started out with BJDs, I also collected vinyl dolls as well. I still am a vinyl doll fan, but it's been harder to be as enthusiastic about them, I think. I write about both types of dolls, but BJDs are my "true love," I think. It's so hard to write (or finish, in my case!) a book about things you're not really passionate about, but unfinished projects just sit there, and don't do anything for you.

And then, those other forums (fora?), well, they just sit there in the bookmarks tab, calling out to me, as distractions. People may think I've fallen off the face of the earth. I think lots of collectors have collected many things. Lots of hobbyists have tried many things. I've tried quilting and scrapbooking, too. I was hoping to sew for my dolls--maybe someday. But not today! I'll stick to photography and writing, for now. Leave the "real" creativity to those who are more talented, LOL!

 

For me, dolls fit nicely into all of the interests I had before them. Fashion design and sewing, painting and drawing, photography: dolls make amazing models for all of these things, and all of my creative pursuits do feel cohesive to me. And as for my inordinate love of Star Trek/Stargate/Dr. Who/etc.... again, no conflict. I just sew doll clothes while I watch my shows. =)

 

I didn't really drop any hobbies because of BJDs. I've always wanted to learn how to sew and I've always loved crafts,so BJDs just gave me a reason to do all that.

 

I definitely dropped my other hobbies, which were work and cleaning my house! My house is a mess 5 minutes after I clean it anyway, and, well, I had been accused of being a workaholic by more than just my closest friends and family, so it's a welcome change to have this hobby (for me anyway!). I collected designer shoes and boots, which I didn't actually wear anymore, so they were mostly sold off on ebay to fund my bjd hobby. Now my resin kids wear much more expensive shoes than I do, but at least they wear them! I find that bjd's let me do more of what I've always liked; fashion, photography, art, sewing, and the "mechanical" aspect appeals to my mechanical nature. Bjd's have caused me to grow in areas that I may not have grown in otherwise. I look at 'younger' fashions than I would have, I've learned to use my airbrush in a whole new way, and although my photos are still not great, I'm a much better photographer than I used to be. All of these aspects help me in my career, I'm a better artist because of bjd's, my website photos are better, as is my airbrush work! My house is ALOT messier though, vacuuming skills aren't enhanced with bjd ownership...don't want to vacuum up a tiny earring or sock...
I don't feel one bit guilty about giving up my old hobbies, they weren't as much fun as bjd's!

 

I was already losing interest in anime when I discovered BJDs, so BJds didn't cause me to lose interest. I still enjoy drawing, needlepoint, and video games, BJDs haven't changed that.

 

I don't feel guilty. Why should I feel bad about giving up a hobby that no longer interest me?

Most of my hobbies can relate back to BJDs in some way: sewing, writing, roleplay, painting, photography. The only one that really doesn't is gaming, and I have cut back on that quite a bit, but it's not just because of the dolls. I have very little interest in most of the new games and systems out today, and I already have (and have beaten) most of the games that interest me for old systems. The biggest hobby I gave up was collecting Bratz and Barbies. Since I've owned resin, those types just don't appeal to me anymore at all. I don't see any point in wasting money trying to rekindle my love for something that no longer matters to me.

 

I don't feel guilty about my hobbies because they're to make me feel good and be happy, not to stress me out.

That being said, I've never given up any hobbies for BJDs. I've had to shuffle around fun money funds, of course, but I've not abandoned anything solely for their sake. I've gotten out of anime figure collecting because I've moved on to the even worse realm of comics figure collecting lol If anything, I've been spending less time with my dolls and more time on my comics collection as of late and that's totally fine. The dolls will always be there when I want them.

 

mm... I sometimes feel guilty because my other hobby is cosplay, which is something my fiance and I share. I don't cosplay as much anymore cuz of dolls. Sometimes I feel bad cuz she really likes to XD

 

I have many interests and hobbies, and it seems it's not possible to maintain them all at once... For years, I was really interested in learning Japanese, and I would spend hours on language learning forums reading about and discussing study methods and so on. But most of the other forum members were male and at times they were a bit unbearable (talking about "getting a girl," using sexist/sexual/violent mnemonics to learn stuff). I finally got worn out by their attitude and how repetitive things got after a while, and returned to DoA and the doll community. Being in a mostly female community has a waaay different feeling, and it's a lot more comfortable and positive.

So now my Japanese skills are getting rusty, but I'm doing lots of creative things with my dolls, and buying way more dolls than before I got active in the community again. I do feel guilty about not actively studying Japanese much anymore, but I realized I'd never get to a point where I could use it for a career, especially since I'm not a good speaker/not social (I freeze up whenever I notice a Japanese speaker in the vicinity, lol) and I have no interest in translating boring documents.

 

I don't think that I have really abandoned other hobbies for my dolls. Sure, how I spend my money gets shifted, especially is a convention is coming up and I need to get a cosplay ready or if I have a horse show and need something new for that. All of my other hobbies kind of work with my interest in BJDs and none of them really get lost in the fold. Sometimes I just feel like participating in one of them more than the others.

 

I usually toggle between my hobbies so I don't completely give up on them, even if it some times takes an year or two to get back to them ;3 So when/if I get bored with my other hobbies or dolls, I don't feel that bad about it because I know that I'll get back to them at some point ^^

 

When I got my first BJD I started sewing again, something I hadn't done in close to 10 years! I also started to knit again and I took an interest in photography. Unfortunately due to a lack of free time I kinda dropped the 3D hobby. I use to model a lot in Lightwave and used to rig clothes for Poser that I sold at DAZ. So I dropped a paying hobby for one that is costing me a fortune. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

 

I think I know that feeling, but for me it's BJD that I've gotten a bit bored with. I used to go to meet-ups and be on DoA and post a lot more but the last couple years I've been finding that there is just very little, and only very specific things, in the hobby that interest me anymore and other things have been cutting in. I was kinda sad when I first starting feeling like that because BJD was my main collecting hobby for a long time. I had invested a lot in it. Every once in a while I do wonder whether it's worth it for me to keep my dolls but when I look at them I feel they really still do have a place in my heart, even if I'm not as active in the hobby. It is a little difficult to have many hobbies at the same time. I think it's good to let some take a back seat sometimes and just enjoy what is most exciting for you at the moment. It doesn't mean you can't go back to focusing more the other hobby later if you want to. There are occasionally frustrating moments of trying to decide whether to spend my money on a BJD item that pops up that has been on my wishlist forever or a new thing that's come out in one of my other hobbies but for the most part things balance out pretty easily. So far, I have very few regrets about things I missed or passed on buying or participating in because I was busy with another hobby.

 

I never really had a "Hobby" in the first place. I did collect rocks, coins, then dollars from around the world. I do collect Manga but for pure enjoyment, but its me being an Otaku. When I found out about BJDs, I didn't really think much about them. The first time I saw one was when a girl showed me hers in 7th grade. She was an 8th grader and she graduated earlier. After she left, I got into BJDs directly after, I think I was always searching for something sentimental. I always look to collect my baby photos or to look for old rings, etc. When I found my first dollfie, all of the need for something sentimental melted away.