I want to buy a doll, but...

Mine currently reside in a cleaned up part of my long dresser and I've got two I'm paying for to come in ><
It can seem like they sit there doing nothing sometimes. However just like many said above, there's some fun things you can do even if there's no community close by you to do meetups.
I personally love making clothes for my dolls and eventually I do want to do a really big photoshoot with the whole group. Some people also like to draw their dolls as something fun to do with the character.
Conventions and (if you have one around you) some Japanese theme festivals are always fun to bring dolls and even try to find local doll hobbyists
Try some different things, I think there are a few things that would be fun to do on slow times ^^

 

This made me lol so hard, more than I thought it would. But it did get me thinking about sentient beings and what dolls would do if they could come alive.

 

That's odd, isn't Junkyspot located in the US? I wonder why they wouldn't accept your state, did you email them about the problem?

I've had some problems with catalog and online companies not shipping certain items, and also eBay sellers who refuse to ship to my state.

Of course, I'm in Hawaii, and a lot of people seem to think it's the same as sending stuff to a foreign country, it's going to "cost an arm and a leg", and I'll make a big fuss about it, and leave them a bad review.

I think folks in Alaska have similar problems.... Lol, just because we aren't part of the "CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES".

 

I don't really do that much with my dolls. Unless I have a day where I get them new stuff or make them clothes (whenever I start making them). One day I'll do a photoshoot.. One day.

 

If it makes you feel better, my girl usually just sits on display. I do faceups, and sew, but I don't always have time to do things with her. It also doesn't help that she doesn't pose very well, so photoshoots aren't really that fun. I really just like having her around. She brings me a lot of joy and I love looking at her.

 

Everyone does things differently in the hobby. Also, you can shift in how you choose to interact with your dolls from timeframe to timeframe, going from interacting with them almost daily to hardly at all for weeks or months on end. Time and life are weird things, and they're always changing.

Me, for example: when I got my first MSD, I took her out to a local park for photos, and really hung out with her. But, for a period of years, she ended up staying in her box. I only recently took her back out in the last year or so and had her displayed, but currently have most of my doll stuff in general packed away while in the middle of a move. My one main completed guy is the only one who stays out in the open for the most part. And, like I said above: it changes daily, weekly, and even monthly for me.

Also, people do go through phases of interest as well, where one type of doll appeals to you for a time, but then you get drawn more towards another after a point. Of course, some also stay interested and committed to one. Like life, our interests fluctuate, and you have no reason to feel guilty about not paying as much attention to your Puki as you like, or eying that other girl that has peaked your interest. Just let your mind and intuition lead you in the direction you feel is best, and don't feel bad about the decisions you end up making along the way.

BTW, I wish you the best of luck!

 

Once I get my dolls completed they go in the curio cabinet to be enjoyed. Once in a while I'll take one out to photograph but that's pretty much it.

 

I'm in pretty much the exact same boat right now.

I never really did anything with my boy; other than the occasional photoshoot. But, coming back to him, and the hobby, after 3yrs has renewed all the old ideas I had in the early days. But, with the extra vitality that renewal brings. In the early days, I simply considered cosplay for him. Now, I'm actively thinking of how to achieve those finer details (the props, the little touches to the costume that make it as close as I can get to the real deal, etc.). I'm also thinking of painting backdrops for cosplay photos, to utilise my skills with a brush and make it a little more exciting behind the doll than a blank wall (or the mess of my room).

I'm also considering a second doll, five years after bringing home my first. Not just so I can attend meets, when they come about in the UK, but also to give my current boy a companion. He looks so lonely at times; and, with a second doll, I can do cosplay duos that allow for an adult & a child. Leon Kennedy & Sherry Birkin, Enjolras & Gavroche, Valjean & Cosette, Logan & Laura. Or a Hobbit, or dwarf, and a Man, or Elf.

I can't wait; it's like I'm starting anew, but I still have my original doll.

 

I think it's perfectly fine if your dolls are just display only. I tend to do stuff with my dolls when they arrive, like customizing and photo-taking and all but once their styling is almost done, they mostly become display-only. Once in a while, I take them out to take photos, or if I have a new concept or style in mind for them, but most of the time, they are just sitting in the cabinet. Not everyone does things like sewing outfits or story writing or drawing and stuff. Some are just contented to just... collect. So I think it's up to you as the owner to decide what to do with them (unless it's "abusing" them then that's a different matter LOL ).

 

I like to re-dress my dolls and move them around. I have non-bjd dolls in a doll's house I created so that's pretty straight forward. But I am wondering a little if my minifee will feel join them.

 

I'm actually on the same position as you right now. Well I haven't bought a doll because I always have the wrong impression with the hobby, I taught you need to be super creative and you always need to do something with your doll. However now I have the urge to do my very own face up which is super scary. And also wanting to learn how to saw. I enjoyed painting since I'm young. But now I'm excited to have a doll to finally do something with my spare time. Or just put the on display and be happy. Everyone is correct enjoy your doll the way it makes you happy and not how others enjoy theirs. Take care

 

I don't do anything with my dolls. They just sit on my bed/shelf and look nice and keep me company. They're a comfort item for me, so even if I don't do a lot with them, just having them around is all I need.

 

I'm the same way. I live in a small town surrounded by more small towns. There's not much in the way of supplies. I don't do much with my doll, she's mostly just for me to look at

 

My dolls sit in their boxes most of the time and I would consider purchasing another doll if I really loved it. I like taking one doll out at a time, and don't have room to display them all. It's all about how each person enjoys the hobby

 

My dolls spend their time sitting on my dresser where I can see and enjoy them. I like to take one of the tiny ones upstairs to spend the day with me, but that is about it. When the weather gets nice, I plan on doing more photo shoots outside with the bigger ones. My dolls are mostly there for me to look at, work on occasionally, and enjoy. Find whatever makes you happy in this hobby, as that's what really counts.

 

Yeah, I say I've got all these plans with my boys now, but they're more than likely just going to sit on a shelf for the most part, where I can see them every day. I might change their clothes or poses once a week, or once a month, maybe even just once in a blue moon. But, they're essentially there to be enjoyed however we see fit. Not all of us are handy with a camera, or needle and thread, or paintbrush.

And, yes, I have gone and ordered my second doll now. I ordered him - a MK Cris - on Thursday, actually, and the status has already gone from 'awaiting fulfilment' to 'pending'. May be another month or two before he's here, but I'm excited! Next up is the sewing machine, a small one to do small pieces on (I can probably borrow my grandma's for bigger pieces or tougher materials, to save money).

But, I bet by the end of the year, I won't have stuck to all these grand schemes and ideas I've got once more! Check back in with us, in December.

 

I suppose it's a similar thing for people that buy cool figures but never take them out of the box. If that is how the owner enjoys them, then that's how they enjoy them.
I plan on doing similarly when I get my doll. I'll make him some clothes and maybe wigs and get some extra eyes, but aside from that, he's just going to be displayed, probably in his own special spot lol. Some people just don't want to do a lot of the extra stuff or do meetups and that's nothing to be ashamed of or feel bad about.

 

Yeah, if it helps, you can just treat them as cool art pieces. Granted, they're a bit more expensive than a poster, but even if you just leave your new doll on a shelf to look at and never touch, that's fine.

I have all sorts of plans for when I finally settle on who to buy first, but more than likely, she's going to get dressed and posed a few times and then sit in a display case. I doubt I'll ever go to a meetup, and none of my friends are into anything like this, but I'm more than okay just having something pretty to look at. And maybe brag about online every so often.

 

I'm honestly pretty frightened about this. I've not got any dolls yet but I've been interested for, I think, a good couple of years now. I've always been interested in photography but not to the extent that I've actually persued it beyond the obligatory 'pretty nature' shot and things like that. So, yeah...Just thought I'd express my similar fears