How do you tackle the 'difficult' bits of customization?

@Epicari : For me, I succumb to "analysis paralysis" quite a bit when I want try something brand new - but then overthink how I should do it... and then slowly become fearful of ruining/botching my project that I put it away and eventually forget about it.

I think one thing that helped me was to get my 'feet wet' with a project that I created solely for the purpose of learning/building my skills. For me... I want to do more extreme mods on dolls. I have a doll project that I've wanted to do for ages... but I haven't attempted it because it's a skill set I haven't quite built up, and the head I want to do it on is pretty rare. So mentally I've psyched myself out of attempting it more times than I can count.

However, I did try an extreme mod on an event head (ie free head) to help me practice my skills and help me overcome some of my fears. It's helped me realize that even during the process you can make many mistakes and STILL get to the finish line and have a final product that you're happy with. This mod took me 3 years to do... but the sense of accomplishment of finally doing something difficult and seeing it to the end was an awesome feeling. It gave me a huge boost of confidence to finally start drafting plans for my original project.

All this to say, is maybe you're not ready for the project right in front of you. Take the time to build your skills, build your confidence so that when you are ready - you can see it through. Just my two cents!

 

For me, the "difficult bit" of a project can vary from one doll to another. I recently did an eye mod for the first time, that was pretty scary. And I just got over a huge hurdle in the design and mock-up aspect of a faceup that I just could not figure out. And I'm perpetually trying to sew a decent pirate shirt for a doll who has a huge, uh. Personality. Usually the only thing to do is just ask for some second opinions and then jump right in!

 

It depends on what's the reason I'm stuck. If it's because I don't have the skills (yet), what Dybbuk suggested about learning on a less precious doll is a way if you still want to do it yourself. There's nothing wrong with sending the doll out to someone more skilled as well which is something I've done in the past when I decided after a few tries that the amount of time it'll take for me to get the skill is longer than I had to invest.

If it's because the work is long tedious and tiring, my personal trick was: set aside 1-2 hours in my schedule, telling myself I just need to sit down and attempt the work for 10 min and as long as I do 10 minutes of work (including setting up my work area lol) that I'm good for the day. I set a timer for 10min to keep that promise to myself. Usually by the time 10min rolls about I've gotten into a groove so I do want to continue working on the doll. I don't always use up my whole scheduled 1-2 hours, but once I've passed the 10min I know I'm free to stop anytime. And having that low stakes of "just 10mins of work" helps in getting some momentum. I've also just done 10 min on some days and gone, yeah, I'm not feeling it today, I'll stop now. And that's perfectly fine, since I got some work done which is better than not doing anything at all.

Making a fun playlist to listen along and helps sets the mood helps alot as well. Some people prefer livestreams or youtube videos for this but I like listening to the same playlist (sort of setting myself up for a Pavlovian response lol)

 

With tears in my eyes and lots of swearing

I tend to be a pretty careful customizer overall. I make sure to try/test things out first on parts that I won't be sad to see damaged due to a lack of experience or simply the risk of the customization in question. I also read up on suitable materials and other tutorials first to make sure I at least theoretically a) know what to do and b) know what to do, when I fuck it up. Knowing I can always fix it somehow does make it less scary.
I also through the years have gathered a lot of experience, and while I do shit my pants every time I try something risky, I know my experience will save me somehow in the end.

The tedious stuff, I have to admit the biggest issue there is for me just that it is physically tiring often (like sanding stuff smooth). The fact that it is tedious and takes long doesn't bother me as much. I also enjoy grinding in games, I hyperfocus and have total time blindness once locked in, and I know the time passes by anyway. If it is something I can do while putting on a show or movie, it's perfect actually, because then I don't feel guilty about watching a show. I am after all doing two things at once!
But the physical aspect remains an issue, and becomes a bigger one the older I get/the more my body shows signs of years of crafting. I try to put in more breaks nowadays, and split it across multiple days instead of slamming it out in two 12 hour non-stop shifts

@Dybbuk Is also right though. Sometimes you also have to accept that maybe you are just not there yet, and that is alright as well. I did have projects and concepts that I set aside because I just knew I probably right now could not do it justice yet (plus I am super slow with my dolls LMAO). Years later when I DID finally sit down to do it, I already knew it was the right decision to postpone because I could tell I would have not reached the same level of quality/have such an easy time doing it years ago.
I also had projects I had to accept would never become a reality, but there it often fell apart because I couldn't find collaborators (like a seamstress), and I am not in the position to wait ten more years to teach myself to sew on a level I would be satisfied with as well

 

Suffer xD Lol but honestly, I relate to a lot of what you're saying, and it's taken me like 2 years to even get close to a point where i can start a faceup on one doll because of the modifications and customizing i've been doing (with many months just sitting there while I've been too frustrated or stumped to work on him), and that's because if I keep poking at the mods, i know he's never going to be done and i'm just going to get more and more frustrated and give up for even longer. I guess some of it is just spite/ stubbornness at myself. And another part of it is knowing that things are selling slower/ lower, so I may as well keep going at this point. What have I got to lose, really?
I also have to learn to accept that i will throw myself into doing things with wildly unrealistic expectations of myself and my skills, and i need to learn to dial that back and not get mad when things don't turn out how i want them to. And maybe to just...not do that to myself in the first place ^^; Especially because I have adhd and can lose motivation and focus so easily even when things aren't going badly.

 

I modded a Pipos Star Cheshire by taking some of the "grimace" out of his big smile. I used a tiny sander and sanded very, very slowly being careful to sand each side of his mouth equally. I made him into a tiger, and I just love the way he turned out - he looks a bit more sweet and mellow than he did originally. I think you just need to make small mods and go slowly to get started, and have confidence in yourself. I kept telling myself, "This doll is for ME, and I can trust myself to turn it into a doll that I like; I don't have to please anyone else!"

 

Ok tbf the things I want to do are crafting related but either a) I'm burnt out from sewing so Giselle is gonna like her sartoria J dress or b) I'm not confident in my skills as a knitter yet to completely make a doll sweater with stripes and then make rips in it

 

Maybe this makes me an unambitious person, but... I just wait until I feel up to it, no matter how long that takes I'm not in this hobby to stress myself out, so if I'm not feeling it I don't do it. I have WIP heads I've put aside for MONTHS because I just don't feel like working on them.

I also admittedly try really hard to cut out any customization that I don't have sufficient enthusiasm for. I hate making wigs, but in the past I would really get my heart set on specific weird hairstyles that weren't available to purchase, like a mohawk or a flat top. Nowadays I would intentionally redesign the character to have a wig I could just purchase, or maybe try to sculpt a hairpiece with clay instead of trying to screw around with fiber and glue. Anything to avoid freaking wig making.

 

It can be easier to tackle something once you have a bit of momentum built up. Like a moving train I guess? Do some easier or stress free crafting to warm up and dial in first.

 

When I was younger, I was a bit more fearless. Back then, I just did heavy additive mods on my most expensive doll ever, without thinking too much about it. Without any previous experience, but I did a lot of research as well. Back then there were no video tutorials, but there was some useful reading material and decent clays to work with.

Now, I still do a lot of research, but it is easier to find visual aids in the form of video tutorials for most things. I never saw a BJD face up tutorial for example, I thought my background in traditional art would be enough. Just last year (if memory serves me), I watched a sixteen video tutorial on "properly "painting 1:6 action figures. Which I now want to apply to all my current and future doll/toy related customization projects. And have already tried on a few different dolls, including my "newer" BJD.

I wish sewing, wig, shoe and eye making projects were as easy for me to tackle -- just by watching a tutorial. However, I still keep trying. Even when the outcome is less than mediocre, I am stubborn and keep at it as often as I feel like it. My repainting miniatures is not amazing, but I at least feel like I am slowly getting somewhere (after a hundred million years). Now with the other customizing aspects, I still completely suck..DX


I also have to say that I am into many other types of toys, which I enjoy customizing. So, if I get too frustrated with one doll/figure/toy-project I just switch to another. That has helped me to never really give up, and the stubbornness also helps (:

 

I'm a little bit when the mood takes me. I go into an ADHD time blindness and will spend 3 hours on something. Because of Msc wait times I'll end up working on 3 different things. Then not touch anything for a month till my object permanence comes back

 

I totally understand where you are coming from. I myself want to modify dolls but procrastinate because I'm afraid of failure. I give credit to anyone who can dye, add or do subtractive modifications etc. to BJD's. Those people have guts. Typically, BJD's are expensive and have long wait times. So, the idea of messing up the project adds to the fear.

I do have a suggestion though. Last year I bought a bunch of those "Dividing Line" dolls. They were super cheap. I have a ton of customization ideas for BJDs and was thinking of using the DL dolls as first drafts for those ideas. This way I can get practice and then eventually do a final draft of the idea on a more expensive doll. Also, if I screw up the DL doll, then I'm not out much money.

May 'be something like this can help you? If you can't find DL dolls for sale, then may 'be cheap, second hand BJD's could work for you?

 

When I'm going to do something complicated, like some finger reconstructions I have "On the Bench" right now, I make plans. I rehearse what I intend to do, and I might even write out steps. I am admittedly very chronically-ill, so it helps me work if I can cut down steps into further steps- I can't do too much at once before I run out of energy. Taking it in little steps makes the whole operation less scary.

I remind myself, sometimes out loud, "I am a crafter and handworker with a LOT of experience doing precisely this: fixing and modding dolls". I remind myself that I do in fact know what I am doing, and won't do anything permanent until I am certain of success. "IF it goes wrong, find out why- then clear the decks and try again" is my other motto.

 

I'm going to echo a lot of what has already been said.

For this, I would make a decision on what kind of project it is that I'm working on. Is it a "fun" project that I am doing just for me, or is it a "work" project that I need to finish for some external reason (deadline, free up space for next project etc.) because I don't think it reasonable to expect a project to be both at the same time.
If it's the former, then maybe just be ok with it taking it's time and replan other projects around it. Adjust expectations accordingly.
If it's the later, then maybe set up some kind of work schedule, like cian suggested. I've done this for thing like practicing art or music with good results many times. The trick, at least for me, is to make it a priority to work at all, not for how long sessions or how much I get done, just set the bar low enough that it's easy to start and then productivity tends to follow. And if the bar is low, you have no reason to make excuses.

When the skill is the problem (or the confidence in your skill, your perceived skill, if you like) I'd say try to split the project into smaller bits. See if you can isolate the elements that are missing and work on them specifically. Or work around them, if possible. Doing other projects aimed specifically to practice the missing skills can do wonders.
For the tedious bits, those would be what my mother calls "just an amount of work". It's good sometimes to recognize when something just needs doing. It will still take time and it will still be tedious, but you can plan for that!
Listen to music, or an audiobook, or find hobby friends to hang out with for company. Be creative. Back in the days of MSN, me and my friends often had muted video chats open while working, so that we could hang out and show off what we were doing. That way it didn't matter that half of us were working with toxic materials, used noisy tools or lived hours away.
My point is that there is no need to suffer if it can be avoided, see what you can do to make things a bit more entertaining.

And, for what it's worth, you are not alone. I think most creative people struggle with these things to some extent.

 

The difficult bit of customization for me is sanding. I’ve given myself blisters working on my current project. If I have to do a lot of sanding, I invariably bust out my dremel, but that leaves scratches, so I’m currently stuck using 60 grit to bring down a big lip of milliput from attaching two pieces together. I have a lot of parts that need to be sanded—boobs in one case, arm joints, a foreatm, some thighs and possibly a butt. It all sits and waits for the day that I decide I’m willing to get the blisters.

The second hardest point of customizing is remembering/finding time to actually do the customizing you’ve planned. I’ve had Vidania’s body in the workshop long enough that she straight up got a new body in the time it took for me to work on it. Now I’m working on this body for ??? Some character?? And I just have no motivation to finish it. And to help with that I create project journal threads to share my projects, so that other people see what I’m doing and can hopefully comment and get me to do it more often. I try to set times to work on my projects, and just try to progress them as much as possible in the limited time I have to work on them.