How did you know it wasn't a phase?

I always knew about BJDs. I seen them on my friends pages or them talking about them on their journals. I always thought they were pretty and it amazed me that they were so customizable. ^_^ I waited for a long time before getting my first one. I jumped into the hobby in shallow water, starting out with an inexpensive doll to make sure I knew what I was getting into and if I'd like the size or hobby. I still enjoy it and plan to get another doll in the future (a MiniFee or something else).

I know it's not really a phase, moreso of something I've always dreamed of having because in my childhood, I never liked barbies because they looked the same and you couldn't do much with them. BJDs are amazing because they allow you so many possibilities. For 6 months I was inactive, unable to play with my doll or get her things because of finances but I know it's not a phase. :3

 

Well, I have actually wondered if it was a phase frequently during the 6 years of following the BJD world that I have currently done. *L* But then I look back and realize, yeesh, its been YEARS. Of course, all this time I never had my own. Now I finally do, so a whole new set of questions come up: Now that the unachievable has been achieved, where do I go? Will I still have the lust for BJD when they are no longer at a safe and fantasizeable distance? Some people just love to want something.... I dont think I am that person, but one can never know what the future brings. Though I am not usually somebody who switches interests like underpants... some just rise up higher than the others in an inevitable fluctuation of my needs and curiosities. I think probably the first time I realized it wasnt a phase with BJD was when I became interested in making them. If I am interested enough in an idea to involve myself with the mechanics, its usually here to stay. Once something becomes part of my art practice it's just ME.... not something I do. You know?

 

i knew that this was a hobby that i would be into for a long time when i found about them when i was 15. since then i was very interested but i could not find any info on dolls. 3 years later i went to a meetup at otakon, in 05', and i spent two years after that looking up info about what would be my first BJD.

so i guess now it has been 6 years into the hobby for me, and still going strong! i was actually surprised i tend not to like stuff after a few months, but being able to take breaks from this hobby has helped with that i think

 

Just wanted to throw it in there that now that my first has arrived, I think it's safe to say it's not a phase (or at least, not one that will die quickly). She's so much cooler in person.

 

I was worried myself that it was just going to be a phase, because I used to be into playing the keyboard, and then I wanted a telescope, a violin, then I wanted to start sewing, then I wanted to be an artist. So for me it could have easily been just a phase, but at the same time I knew that I REALLY wanted a doll. Even if it was a phase I could sell him later and get my money back. or at least most of it.

Take a chance, buy the doll. That's all I can say, because that's what I did, and I go through phases where I just CAN'T put my doll down. or he comes with me everywhere. I have a total of four dolls now. and I'm saving for my fifth. And after that one I have at least six more planned. Though for me it also helped that I have a lot of characters, and that's one reason why I started collecting the dolls. I take my all time favorite characters, the one's that I have had for over two years and then I get dolls for them.

 

For me it's not just about having some new beautiful things, having a few new friends around the house, but also about practicality. I love designing new clothes (and am currently going to school for it) so having a beautiful minature model makes it more affordable to create my designs and photograph them. Now that I am planning on two dolls (a boy and a girl) it's perfectly concievable for me to create clothing not only for people but offer minature version for the little people too!

So while my childish want of having the dolls as friends may disappear as I get older, the practicality and the wonder I have of their little features and beauty will never get old.

As many people said you can often sell the doll at near the asking price of the company so if you find that after a time you have outgrown consider it an investment of money you can't touch for a while. =)

 

I've been into BJDs for 8 months and I have 8 dolls. I still don't know for sure that it isn't a phase but ask me again in 20 years.


I don't think it's a phase but I didn't think The Sims was either and I did end up getting tired of that. I played both The Sims and The Sims 2 until around their last expansion pack.

On the other hand I have always loved dolls and I don't think I'll ever stop. Perhaps some day my dolls will turn into just beautiful objects I enjoy looking at - as we say in Denmark it's difficult to predict anything especially the future - but I just can't see myself ever not liking my dolls.


Dustbunnie

 

Life is just a phase. We're really gung-ho and into it for about 70 years, and then *piff*.

I guess if you're really young, then 'phase' must only means something that goes by quickly.... When you get older, you will notice that nobody ever sticks to the same things for their whole life. As you live, you WILL fall in & out of love with things. Change will occur. So if you're into something for 5 months or 5 years, why should that be dismissed as "just a phase", instead of recognized as another turn in your particular life-path?

I've had my dolls for over 3 years, which I realize is Longtimer around here, but which is a drop in the ocean of a lifespan. I can't predict whether I'll have them forever, or move on in another few years. But even if I do fall out of love with them later, I will still have the great memories & knowledge I've gained, and friends I've made, from participating in this hobby's community. I will also have more than thirty CD-ROMs full of doll photos.

(And... even if I do quit the dolls someday... I think I will still collect their shoes. Oh those DollHeart boots! If I can't wear 'em, and there's no dolls to wear 'em, I would still just sit there and look at 'em. I love those things so much that I'd be happy just sticking them on all my fingers and making them walk around the table. Yes, it's a sickness, but those of you out there who suffer from any form of chronic generalized Shoe Lust, you probably understand what I mean. ^^)

 

well my last hobby didnt turn out so well for me -_-'
however i hope ABJDs will since they are very pretty and cute.

 

Just locking at all the amazing pictures of diffrent Dolls i know this is not going to be a "phase" for me,as i just cant help finding myself getting the same "fuzzy" and happy feeling each time i see a new picture of a doll i havent seen before lol

 

I don't own any dolls yet, and have none on the way, but this is how I'm looking at it.

I know that when I get my first doll, this hobby will not be a phase. I never had a childhood, and because of that, I tend to like this type of thing. I always hated barbie because they all looked the same, moved the same (posed) because their joints were only at connecting parts of the body. their faces were flat and uninteresting, there was no real detail and character to them, just manufactured all boring like.

The things you can do with a ball jointed doll are nearly endless. They are completely pose-able, completely customizable, and unique. You can play with them, photograph them, and use them for art reference. I don't see how it could just be a phase for anyone really. =] There's just so much you could do.

 

I waited 5 years before i got my first doll ^^,,,,

 

Well said, Ambrosia Love, I feel very much the same way.

It's not so much a worry for me about it being a phase - I'd gladly spend my last dollar on something I love - but my fiance is much more cautious about it ^.^; I do have a tendency to jump from one thing to the next and he's worried that she may eventually get tucked away in the closet somewhere and forgotten about. A legitimate concern, but I hate to see my dolls and other toys unloved, and if I start feeling that I haven't been giving her the proper love she needs, I'll promptly try to find her a good home.

Just gotta get her first ;.; (or even decide which one to get >.<)

 

I'd say...

NO! Not at all. :3 I've been in this hobby forr quite awhile. I normally tend to fall into many hobbies; not really having one in particular. But this doll hobby has stuck around. Though just recently have I gottena doll (ended up selling, but oh well) and buying doll things. It took awhile, but I did. Making a pruchase and making so many posts here for such a time has made me realize that I really do like/enjoy this hobby.

 

Hm...I was thinking about that a while ago..
._. I'm not sure with me...it COULD be a phase, but it doesn't FEEL like it, LOL.

edit: There are so many possibilities with BJDs that I'd find it hard to stop liking them. For me, whatever phase I go through, my doll will go through that too and because of that I don't think he'll ever bore me! If he does I'll just have to change him until he can not be changed anymore! >:3

I mean, whatever happens will happen, right? 8)

 

I have a very fickle heart when it comes to things I like and don't like. I haven't gotten my first doll yet and I do wonder if it's going to be a phase sometimes...My biggest fear is that he'll end up on a shelf and get dusty. ;3; Dust is my fear. lol I'll love him no matter what. I've always had a very strong bond with 'toys'. The more personality I put into one, the more I love it and the longer it stays with me. There are stuffed animals I've had since I was a child that I still love just as much, even if some of them are collecting dust up in a net, because to me, they still hold that personality that they had when I was younger. I'm currently cleaning out my room and going through all my old toys and getting rid of the ones I can bear to part with. It's hard, and I know I'll never be able to get rid of my dolls. I'm extremely sentimental about my possesions. Even over the littlest scrap of paper. ^^; So, will it be just a phase? I don't think so. I plan on loving my dolls to be with all my heart for the rest of my life.

(phew! I feel happy now that I've typed out my thoughts. haha xD)

 

I'm pretty sure it is a phase. A series of phases...
I'm currently in the "must buy" doll stage. The collecting stage. It's in it death throes though.
I'm starting to get to the "what do I want" in my collection phase. I've recently figured out the total doll quantity total, how I want to collect (complete doll vs heads with fewer bodies, etc).
I'm hoping to start the "clothes" phase... besides purchasing. I have a few patterns and lots of fabric. Now I'm starting to get the dolls personallities figured so I can design their wardrobes.
These dolls seem to be the hobby that I can CHANGE what I'm interested in. Design, sewing, painting, collecting, etc. So, I can put them aside and come back to them.

 

Since I've been collecting dolls for over 20 years, I pretty much figure it's not a phase. Of course my focus has changed over the years & I usually sell some off to buy what I'm currently interested in but I never seem to be able to sell all of them. I always keep my favorites so my collection has ended up being quite eclectic. The BJDs have been with me for several years now & my interest in them isn't waning. They've become the perfect doll for me, incorporating elements of all the different types of dolls I've loved.

 

I'm glad to see this thread, as I've been wondering the same thing. I just first saw BJD's a couple weeks ago, yet I'm already saving up for my first and have picked out what my first 2 (possibly 3!) will be! I keep looking at them and thinking "I can't wait until I have my own!" then I look at the price and my eyes bug out of my head. I won't even consider spending that much on ANYTHING for myself usually, why a DOLL when I've never collected dolls before? I'm making myself hold off on buying until I have enough money for it already saved up. I figure if I can get ~$500 in "play money" savings and keep it for a month or so without getting a new iPod or TV with it, then I really must want it.

I'm not sure I'll ever be one who goes to tons of meets or whatever, but I'd like to have 2-3 of these to enjoy, make things for and photograph. The fact that right now they're sellable for little if any loss is helping, of course.

I have lots of hobbies that I seem to phase in and out of, and this may be another of these. As long as I don't go into debt for it I guess it'll be OK. I'll enjoy it as long as it lasts. Maybe I'll end up not really being into them and selling them on to new loving homes after a while, or maybe I'll enjoy having them around and keep them forever, who knows?

 

I really don't think this is a phase for me because I've been learning about them for 2 years prior to getting my boy in September. Now, I'm on my way to getting another one. The only phases I've had in my life was my looks, ie, my hair.