How did you know it wasn't a phase?

1. Everything is a phase in some respect. Nothing last forever. What you want to know is if this is a BRIEF phase that will happen in a flash and then leave. If you are involved in things for years at a time and really enjoy yourself, then you can decide if it's worth it to get involved with dolls for however long your usual period of interest is.

2. Depends on your personality. Look at what you've done in the past. Do you tend to really go crazy for something and then decide it was stupid and leave it all behind within a short period of time? Is it not worth the time and effort for a brief fad? If so, then maybe BJDs are not for you. On the other hand, if you really enjoy what you are doing at the time and its not a financial hardship and you can sell your stuff and go on to something else--maybe it's not so bad. On the other hand, if you waste time and effort and money on something you regret doing so afterward, perhaps you need to try and think about it longer to see if you really want to get involved. However--if you're thinking about it already, it seems to be a sign--that you DO think before you get into things and/or that you have second-thoughts. You'll need to decide which is what yourself.

3. Me--it was easy. I tend to become very involved in things, but they are long-time interests. Perhaps the interest will be really hot only for a year, but usually I still LIKE (in not be CRAZY for) the interest pretty much forever... I don't tend to like stuff and then decide I was insane and hate it after a time. I've always liked dolls.

4. I did have some worries when I first thought of buying a doll, that it all might be a short phase, even though that wasn't like me. I think it's a normal worry when you're investing SO much money (and time and emotion) in something. I think it's smart to consider this issue. But if you're usually not a total impulse-buyer who regrets or changes their mind later, you will probably be OK. Also--it is possible to sell these items and not lose all your money, at least, if you do find it doesn't work out for some reason.

 

I think I'm pretty safe, I've been in the hobby for 5 years and I still love my dolls more than ever, and that's pretty long. But I'm not sure if it's the dolls that's doing it tho, I have another beloved hobby that's been around for even longer! Working on my fantasy world. It was something that I started when I was 12, I'm way into my adult years and I'm still nurturing it. I think it's pretty much a part of me and I will never discard it. My dolls are based on characters from that world so discarding them is not something I do lightly.

 

I knew this wasn't a phase when it turned into almost 4 years of ogling and still no doll in hand. At first I thought it would be; me being me, with expensive tastes and too many hobbies to keep up with, I figured "aww, how pretty, wantwant" then "oh... way to expensive, nevermind" but, I'm still all over it, and planning on ordering my first doll later this week!

 

For me a doll is a way to keep a nostalgic period or aesthetic frozen in time. The world will change but my doll will only change if I want it to. Getting old and people and things changing around you can be depressing. Like for example when I was a kid I got to live through the years of 1993-1996. Just about every album I own or seek out, or music that I listen to, crystallized in those years. That's when Smashing Pumpkins were on the radio. That's when My Dying Bride released Turn Loose The Swans. That's when Type O Negative released Bloody Kisses. Darkthrone released Transylvanian Hunger. Any extreme metal band that matters to me happened in those years or are coat-tail riders of those bands. I find that really incredible. With the change over into the new millenium happened things got really conservative and all this 'counter-culture' receded completely. Now everything is commercial. Including clothing. Like when I watch old 80s movies the clothing has this weird way of clashing and not making any sense but somehow fitting together. I loved watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer and seeing the clothes on that show and how different they are to today's.. total degeneracy.

but hey thats me becoming a grumpy old man i guess. having a doll is a way to relieve this grumpyness.

oh yeah my point!
Dolls have a sense of permanence to me. Not temporality.

 

To be frank, every single hobby I have started as a phase. I saw bjds on ebay of all places one day, and just jumped in head first. I googled them, read up a little, and joined DoA within the month. I had Maika and Ed a month later. I suppose my point is, you'll never know until you try. Hopefully you're not spending tons and tons of money on your girl, and hopefully you know enough about selling to be able to get rid of her in a hurry if it doesn't work out. After that, it's pretty much, try it and see if it makes youh happy! I have a tendency to just go right into new things, and it's even harder to figure out if you like something when you haven't really figured out what you're doing, so if you've done all that research, I think you'll be fine. Just give it a go! You'd be surprised how much you can bond with a hunk of resin when you look at it's cute little face wearing the face-up you designed... etc.

 

If this is a phase, it's been a very very very long one. I may eventually stop buying dolls or even downsize my collection a bit in the future, but I can't see myself losing interest in my favorite dolls. I've loved them since day 1 and haven't loved them less since.

 

I'd say that I knew it wasn't a phase when several years of telling myself "No, you're not getting one, they're too expensive!" didn't do anything to lessen the WANT! And it's been five years since I got my first doll, so I somewhat doubt I'll tire of them anytime soon.

 

When I stayed more then 1 year in the hobby, got 12 dolls, am almost unable to sell them and keep being way more happy to buy them stuff then for myself xD

that sums it up xD

 

For me, it was buying my first doll. Nola (my first owned) was given to me by my girlfriend, when she realized that the mold really didn't work for the character she had it with, but didn't want to sell her first doll. It was a way to introduce me to the hobby, without spending $400+ and also keeping her first doll in the house. Not saying that's precisely why she did it...


Anyways, when I saw the DM Thinking Larme for sale on an old BJD forum, and knew what a good deal I was getting the process... I couldn't resist. I'm addicted to good deals, and I tend to pounce when I see one. But when he came home, I fell in love. And realized that this wasn't going to be just a phase for me. The face-ups, body-blushing, scar mods, other mods, and everything else that goes along with this hobby was enough to keep me entertained and busy for the next ten years, if not more.

I suppose I fell in love with the artistic side of the hobby right along with my first two dolls...

 

Something really cool about BJD, is that they retain a great deal of their value.
You really aren't taking much of a financial risk.
And, you don't need to buy a pile of dolls
Just try one, and see if it "fits"

 

For me it was easy to know. I have always loved collecting dolls. I first started with Barbies and such, later porcelain dolls, and even started a "victorian dollhouse" collection. So, when I decided to buy my first doll, I took it almost as if I was buying another porcelain doll.

Besides, I had known about bjd for 15 years or so, but I had given it up because they were too expensive.

But, if you've always liked dolls, or you love reading and writing, roleplaying, fashion or creating characters, you'll love bjd. As a warning, if you're not sure about the sculpt you're going to buy, you might think you don't like bjd. But, before you start rambling about it, when you get the doll in your hands, try to find out if it's this particular doll that you don't like. It happens sometimes.

I started small too, so to speak, because I had seen a 1/6 obitsu at an anime convention, and she was cute. I bought one from volks, though, because I had heard obitsu plastic bodies were not that good. I loved her from the start.

Just take it slow at first, don't go buying ten dolls in two months

 

I'm not too sure. I know I love my dolls and when they are not with me I freak out. At school I want them with me and at work I work harder to get money for them. I love just looking at them and holding their hands. I'm in love. I might grow out of it in time, but I highly dout it. They are just too pretty to give away or sell to me. oh, and I can't seem to stop buying them

 

I realized it wasn't a phase when, as I was saving for my first boy, I found myself consiously and completely ignoring the money I was putting away. For a long time the money wasn't even with me, it was in the hands of my brother who bought the doll for me, and I didn't feel like it was money that could be spent on anything but the doll.

Once I got the doll, that complete feeling just exploded. Even without the right eyes, wig, or a face-up I knew he was perfect. ^_^ And now, with everything right with that doll, I love this hobby even more, so much that only moments ago I ordered my 3rd doll, and my first girl.