How relevant is it for you that others like your dolls?

If people hate my dolls and say so, it's not like I'm going to turn around and sell them. They're mine and I love them But I will be hurt.

But, very rare as it is, I am always THRILLED when someone comments on my dolls. I need my ego stroked every now and then, and with nobody around here that likes these dolls, I need to hear about what others think of them, for comments on my photo threads and so on. I am not popular and know I never will be but I need to be acknowledged by the fandom to really be a part of it.

 

I think to me, it's more important that people close to me - friends, my husband, maybe parents - accept that I like collecting and "playing" with dolls. And I suppose I do care that they like the actual dolls too. An ex-boyfriend of mine used to prefer Pullips, but my husband likes Blythes. Some of my friends adore my dolls, while other are more bemused.

On a general note it is of course always nice to know your dolls are appreciated by the general public. But I seem to have a very peculiar taste in dolls and often shy away from the more popular ones like Luts' Minifees, even though I think they are gorgeous. So naturally, my collection will not be the most accessible.

I would probably be a little creeped out if someone idolized one or more of my dolls. Up to a certain point it is fine, if they want to take pictures or ask for me to bring a particular doll to a meet. But more than that would probably feel strange.

 

I personally don't care what others think about me having a BJD.
I'm the one that paid for it, out of my own money, and I'm the one responsible for my own doll. I figure that I'm the one that should feel good about her, not my friends or others

I'll listen to opinions of my friends of course, but in the end, they'll have to respect my decision. I'm not getting in their face with it or anything, I absolutely respect that they don't have an interest in BJD's (with a few exeptions, to whom I obviously do talk about dolls ^^) so I figure they should respect my interest in them

 

I don't mind what people could think about my BJD. I love them and I don't need to show them every day in forums or blogs. But it's interesting to share experiencies with other owners ^_________^ Whatever, sharing it's a way to learn more and It could help us for future purchases.

 

Hm... I guess... (I think I posted here before, LOL, but that was a year ago! maybe I have a new opinion, although that's probably fairly unlikely)....

I would say it's pretty important to me because I really, REALLY love my dolls, so if somebody has something unkind to say about them, I take it quite personally.

It's like somebody saying "omg that is the ugliest dog I've ever seen" and you think but... but I LOVE MY DOG, how could they SAY that??

So people liking my dolls is, I guess, an extension of people liking me, and I certainly hope that for the most part, people like me. I don't think that's unusual, is it?

I am always HUGELY, hugely flattered when people mention Juniper Snowpea or tell me their daughter loves her stories and looks 2x a week at her page... she's a creative extention of myself, so hearing that means that somebody thought I was creative and funny. And it don't get no better than that!

But if they didn't like my dolls... well, I do, so in that sense it doesn't really matter. I love them anyway. But it's really nice when people do like 'em.

 

Wow, this is an oldy! It's funny, but my collecting days hail back to pre-internet, when we would anxiously await the latest doll magazine, to have contact with other collectors, in letters and pictures. And then there were doll shows and doll clubs, where we could bring our dolls, and hope to have people enjoy them as much as we did. So my views on my own dolls really spring from that time, where 98% of my enjoyment was having my dolls at home with me and having fun dressing them and taking pictures, which I kept in albums, and shared with friends who did the same thing. It was a less interactive way of enjoying our dolls, but it meant that you really needed to love your dolls enough, because frankly, you were the only one who would, except for those brief times you were with other collectors.

The internet has changed all of that. We now have lots of online friends (and sometimes enemies) and we can share our dolls with them in many ways - pics, stories, videos, meetups, conventions. It's opened up a wonderfully communicative and creative ways of sharing our love of our dolls. With that has come some unpleasant things as well, but for the most part it is a positive situation. Now you can post a picture of your very-loved doll, and get some friends and strangers saying, Ooh and Ah, and giving you a happy thrill that someone appreciates the doll you love so much. I love it when my friends, and folks I don't know, say nice things about my dolls. And of course it's hurtful when people say un-nice things about them. But...I've learned that if people you wouldn't want as a friend say something nasty about you or your doll, how seriously must, or should, you take it? The answer is, not at all. So if someone who is in general not so nice to other people's dolls, makes a negative comment about mine, or someone else's, I've learned to put it in perspective. People who want to make other people feel small, do so to make themselves feel bigger. It's sad, and shouldn't be given any energy. "Big winds come from empty caves" - that's a phrase I once heard, and I have no idea who said it first, but for me it applies directly to this hobby, and to those who have lots of unpleasant things to say about other people's dolls.

For those who enjoy hearing sweet things about their dolls, good for you! It's healthy to like positive response, and when you give it out, it can come back to you ten-fold. I like nothing better than being thrilled by someone else's doll(s) and letting them know how much I like them. But then, I tend to enjoy the positive things in life.

But how much do I need others to love my dolls? I don't really have to have that to enjoy my dolls. I have several dolls whose faces aren't terribly popular. It matters not, because for some reason they speak to me. So if no one else likes them, or tells me, I'll still enjoy them. And...I'm at a point in my life where I feel pretty comfortable with who I am and what makes me happy. That doesn't mean that I don't get tickled when someone "squeees" over one of my dolls. It does make me happy, and I usually express that in some way.

To wrap up....I don't need others to like my dolls, to be happy with them. But it's always nice when they do.

 

These dolls are for me first and foremost, and a community I can share with is just a pleasant bonus. I'm happy being a fairly anonymous face in the world of dolls.

If someone tells me they like my dolls, I'm very flattered and happy that they like my guys. It's not strictly necessary, though. If someone told me they didn't like my dolls, my reaction would depend a lot on how and what they said. The majority of the time, I'd just shrug it off.

 

My dolls are not the prettiest, most interesting, or unique things in the world, and I'm ok with that. My photography skills are nothing to write home about either. So when I post in the gallery I usually only get one or two comments, and I'm fine with that. If a few people like my dolls then that is quite nice and a wonderful ego boost, but I'm not going to go cry in a corner if they get overlooked. I don't need to be the brightest, the best, or the most special as long as I'm doing what I love to do.

As for negative attention, I tend to classify criticism as either useful or not useful. If I can use it to make my work (be that dolls or whatever else I'm doing) better then, huzzah. If it isn't useful, then I ignore it. I almost never get anything right on the first try and I think getting good at anything involves a certain amount of trial and error. If someone tells me what I'm doing wrong, then that just helps me improve. If someone is just going to sit around saying, "that sucks," well then I'm not going to get anything more out of them then a headache, so there is no reason for me to pay attention to them.

 

I find it fairly important to me in terms of stories, that people enjoy them.
If no one else enjoyed them, I probably wouldn't make them. *shrug*

Now, it doesn't make me love my boys one whit less, if no one else likes them, but it sure does give me a thrill when others do.

How important is it to me? Well, if you like them, then I'll share them with you, if not, then I won't. No skin off my nose either way, I'll love my boys regardless.

 

its nice to have friends who enjoy the same hobby
as for DOA,,,I think its nice for people to post comments because, well it IS a forum, however I dont think it would cause me to dislike/like either one of my boys any more or less

 

I love getting comments on Aiden because it makes me happy. It makes me feel like he's appreciated even though he's a very unknown doll from a virtually unknown company. Any comments I get on the photos I take of him are well appreciated and cherished. Even if it's just a "he's cute!" I get a smile from it. My dollie is like my baby (though not as intense as that, maybe more like a puppy?), so when someone compliments him, I feel complimented.

I take time out of my day when I should be doing something productive, like finding a cure for cancer, teaching blind people to read, chaining myself to historical buildings to stop a demolition, ya know, good things, to take a few photos of my dollie to share with others that feel the same about their dollies. It's fairly relevant for others to look at my dollie, but the choice for them to like him is another story. I just want to share his utter cuteness with the world.

 

I love and enjoy my dolls, taking pics of them, making stories, clothes, etc etc. So naturally I want to share with other people, and am over the moon when people feel the same way my crew! It doesn't make or break me, I still post even if I don't get alot of comments or whatever, but I love the ones I do get. It's natural to get a bit frustrated when I see some other posts with large followings, but they obviously love their dolls too, so I can't get too jealous. Just a bit sometimes.

So, it's important, but not vital for my own enjoyment that people take a liking to my dolls.

 

I love when people call Beatrix cute, but honestly I wouldn't go out of my way to seek out approval for her. Besides, I know she is the most adorable doll ever! ;D

 

Although it can be hugely gratifying when someone likes a doll you adore and that can add to the fun of the hobby it's not essential for me that other people like my dolls. First and foremost they are my purely indulgent hobby pleasure and only really need to make me happy

 

So how important is it for you that others like your dolls?
Not important at all. They are my dolls and I'm the one that needs to like them! Of course, others saying they like my dolls is definitely nice. I don't seek that, however.

Does it relieve your anxiety in some way to know that you have BJDs that appeal to others and not just you?
Only if I'm feeling really insecure (and that sometimes happens). But now I'm older and I don't care. Really, I don't! It's nice and freeing to feel this way! More people should try it!

Is this relevant to your sense of belonging in the BJD community?
Nope.

Are you content being a fan of other BJDs or do you aspire to have your own BJDs become minor celebrities of their own?
I'm not a fan of any kind of popularity contest. Never have been, never will be. Sure, it's nice to get some attention, but attention is not something someone should want or have as a goal. It's a very empty thing, attention.

On the flip side, how much adoration is too much?
Look at what some celebs have to deal with... people scrutinizing their every move, invading their privacy, thinking that they need to behave and think in certain ways or FANatics easily turn against them... and they attract all kinds of trolls and hate (as well as adoration). But the adoration/attention does nothing for them, really. Popularity doesn't get them better jobs or more money... I mean, it COULD, but really, a person who does good work and has people who want to pay them for it can do well enough without all that...

Would you be creeped out by people who constantly profess they are fans and demand that you give them more stories, more photographs, more updates?
Sure. There are a lot of crazies and stalkers out in the world. Is popularity worth that? To me, no!

 

For me, my dolls are for me. Granted with that being said, I do enjoy when others say nice things about my dolls or like them as well. But its not crucial for me if everyone absolutely adores my dolls like I do.

 

It isn't that relevant. I get really happy if people I treasure likes them but these dolls are mine, for me, the purpose committed is to collect, dress them, etc. And who does it? Me and no one else, it doesn't really matter if there's people who dont like my dolls, as I said I feel flattered if they compliment or like them but if not I don't care, I'm a secure person in many terms so... it doesn't affect me xD and more even if it's people I don't know

 

I've gotta agree with everyone here, my dolls are for my enjoyment and nothing else. If someone doesn't "get" them or "understand" them, I don't care. Everyone loves to collect what they want to and as long as you aren't hurting anyone by collecting what you do collect, people shouldn't care. That's my two cents.

 

It isn't relevant at all xD I have dolls for me and only for me. If people can appreciate the work I put in them that's just fine but I won't go out of my way to make my dolls more likeable or anything similar. The only people whose opinion matter any if at all in regards to my dolls are my best friend and occasionally brother... they are the only ones that I will occasionally consult if I feel like it, but again, my opinion matters over that of them all.

 

I haven't ever thought of others opinions. I mean none of my dolls have bizarre styles, or controversial personalities, but I don't think I would care. Unless they were vocal about it, but that would be just plain rude and extremely unnecessary.




Waiting on a Minifee Seorin!