In a hobby for longer than 4 years? How is it going?

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
Since 2003.

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
I've learned some about handling and painting since then. I'm not nearly as scared of breaking them now.

How many dolls have you got over the years?
12 ugh

How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
They've all experienced some yellowing, but it really doesn't bother me. Other than that the ones I've not modded or sanded are still in factory condition.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

I believe its 9 yrs now

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

I treat all my doll the same. Played with them and change eyes and wigs often.


How many dolls have you got over the years?

Too many

and the question that interests me the most:
How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

My oldest would be my Dollshe Mai x 2. Both of them still very beautiful and skin still perfect. I should have gotten 4 hahahah. I have two older Lati when Lati started and both of them have diff. color from my other Lati, I do not think its yellowing just the color change over time as Lati produce. All my dolls are kept in dark areas but so far I find everyone of them doing well.

 

How long?
six years


Did anything change?
My tastes have changed over time of course. As one stays in a any hobby, there is a learning curve. I do miss those heady days when I first started, as I had so much to buy! Dolls, eyes, wigs, art supplies, shoes, and clothes!
Now, my crew is very well supplied, with most items being interchangable. Try as I might I find little that I am interested in buying in the marketplace. My crew wears casual clothes, and unless I go in a different direction such as Victorian, etc, I don't see buying very much unless it is special. In addition I take less photos, and post less on DOA.
The big change in this hobby is the new companies popping up every month! And now some bjds are amazingly low priced. When i started here on DOA, there were not nearly as many choices, particulary for slim minis, and tinies. In fact slim minis were rare. Minis consisted mostly of childlike, stocky, and shorter bodies.


How many dolls?
Presently I have 7 mature minis, and a several floating heads, and faceplates. I keep a spreadsheet of my doll purchases. I just reviewed it and found I have sold 10 bjds, and several heads over the past 6 years. I prefer keep my group to a smaller number. I love re-dressing them, and posing them about the house. But sometimes I put them back in the boxes when I have to deal with major life issues. Then out they come again for my enjoyment.

How are they holding over time?
They appear to be in good shape. My Unoas are the oldest and previously owned but have not yellowed in my opinion. I do try and take my gang apart on an annual basis, wash their parts, re-string and re-blush. I like doing this as part my love of the hobby.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

I've known about dolls since 2003/2004 but never thought about getting one till mid 2006.
So doing research and being interested wise (as well as joining DoA) it's been 5 years. I've had my first doll from March 2007 so 4 nearly 5 as an owner.

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

Yes, I used to be more hands on with making clothes and generally taking photos of my first doll. Nowadays with limited time to do that, I generally style them and look at them instead. I prefer doing their faceups as well.

I also prefer quality over quantity on all aspects. I rather they have less stuff but on higher quality. I prefer more polish and finished looks, more detailed outfits and shoes rather than a huge range of choice. (i.e. My first doll had stupid amount of shoes but these days I rather have one pair of expensive beautifully finished boots than a range of casual.)

My taste in dolls have gotten more refined, I know what I like. I know what I would pay for and go with it.

How many dolls have you got over the years?

I've had 14 dolls in total and 4 heads. I've sold all the heads, one doll and in process of selling 2 more.

and the question that interests me the most:
How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?


They've yellowed that's for sure. All very evenly and not very noticable until you put it to new resin. But none have gone bright yellow or green or purple in the case of my Euclase. I try to keep them in shadows and dark as much as possible but I think they've all suffered mildly over time. I don't think they can get more yellow now but I prefer the colours they've turned. My Musedoll boy is no longer bright pink, my oldest delf is no longer really pinky-orange toned so it's all good.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
About four+ years. I got my first BJD when I was 21, and I'm now 24 (25 next year) - but I had active interest before that.

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
I ignored my boys for a year after a bad break-up because they reminded me of the other party in the break-up! We're now back on resin-playing terms now that I've gotten over myself and realised that resinboys aren't to blame for my woes

How many dolls have you got over the years?
I'm currently waiting on the body for my 3rd 60cm boy. I also have a micro-mini custom anthro wolf doll, who is literally the cutest - and my only foray into sizes smaller than 60cm...

How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
I've had to restring my two 60cm boys once already and it's coming round to that time again, but they've not yellowed at all. One has slight, almost invisible green staining where I idiotically used a coloured nail-polish remover! I've re-done one face-up and considering re-doing the first one I ever did, but... it was such a milestone for me that I don't think I will.

 

I got into the hobby in 2005. At first never thought I could afford one, so was saving up for DragonCon...then after having about $700 saved up, realized I could afford my first. He's an El, and he's still here.

I'm a little more careful with them. And I don't really baby them, but none sit around naked or in their box unless being sold, or when I was getting carpet, lol. One is bald but he's a Chicline and hard to find a wig for. (Well, the color I want.)

How many dolls? I have 62, one on the way, and maybe 10 or so that's been sold? I don't remember.

Well, some have yellowed, but it looks creamy to me. The only YELLOW one is a second hand one and it's only his head. Dunno if his first owner was a smoker or what, cause he will never match his body. So I try to hide it.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

About five years now. A very dear friend was into these dolls for years, but I got introduced to them when she got her first as a Christmas present in '06.

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

The need to acquire everything I like is far, far gone. I haven't bought a doll in pushing four years, although I have one on layaway right now. My tastes in dolls have changed, too; I own three Delfs, but I can't imagine buying another one at this point (but I'm also not letting go of the ones I have!).

How many dolls have you got over the years?

I own five, I've sold one, and I have a sixth and a floating head on layaway.

How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

They're all holding up quite well, though they've also all aged. I'm not seeing a boatload of yellowing, really. Grey has definitely yellowed some, but he was also older when I got him so it's no huge surprise; Lian is also showing some yellowing. Those are my white-skin boys, though, so it's much more obvious. With my NS boys it's not apparent at all. No damage, no degradation; one still has his factory faceup and it's in pristine condition (beyond that he could use new eyelashes). They're all in quite, quite good shape.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

I got my first doll in 2004, I think i'd been lurking for about six months before that. I've been making bjds since about the same time.

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

A lot of the people i knew when i first started are gone. They either don't come on the forums, have abandoned their journals, or just post privately... I used to make the clothes to sell as well, but I've cooled down on that. It's so much easier to get things for the dolls now than it used to be, it seems a lot safer too. I don't think I play with them as much as I used to, but i'm so busy sculpting or working at my day job I don't have a lot of time to.

How many dolls have you got over the years?

Probably about 15 not counting the "home birth" ones. XD I've sold a lot of them, they're just too expensive to keep if I'm not wild about them. My taste hasn't really changed, I still love the doll I started with, my Shiwoo Elf, and I've always liked the big more mature guys, like Hound. After I stopped sewing to sell, I was able to be honest and get dolls I really, really loved and not have to worry about using them for sewing models. I got into the mature minis in about 2006 and they've become my favorite size. Not too big to haul around, but not so small that they're very fashion doll-like.

and the question that interests me the most:
How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

Ghaleon, my shiwoo elf, is a white skin and he's still very white. He's a bit dirty and could do with a baking soda bath, but I'm afraid it would ruin his face-up and I like it so much. I used to change it fairly often, but he's had the same face for about four years now and I still love it. XD

My narae, however, is like a big banana. She's so yellow. It's much, much worse in pictures than in real life, so I don't like to take photos. She's one of the white french resins. It wasn't a gradual thing... She was fine, then one year BOOM. Yellow. I gave her a couple of different whitening techniques and she'd look good for a week or two then BOOM yellow again. I don't smoke, the house isn't hot, she's not in the sun... I started working on her a while back but i haven't had time to mess with her. I even got her a new face-plate(it's equally yellow to her body) because her old one had been modded. The mods originally matched her skin but when she got so yellow they didn't match anymore!

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby? since January 2008

Did anything change? My attitude toward tiny dolls changed, I love them now

How many dolls have you got over the years? 21

and the question that interests me the most:
How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
I have mostly whiteskin dolls. Yellowing depends on the company. My Fairyland and Dollstown dolls have turned a pleasing shade of creamy yellowy white, while my Soom and Luts dolls have turned an unbecoming shade of yellow with greenish undertones.

 

No, he was blank. The old faceup had been removed, so it's not the sealant cause even his headcap is yellow. He's an Abadon, and likely from the first back of realskin Luts did, but I can't be sure of that. I need to see if the baking soda wash does anything but I like the faceup too much!

 

I just turned 46 and been in this more specific hobby since 06. I only had three doll's
till I joined DOA. Now I have 20-30.... A lot! Some companies yellow with time and
some yellow with certain light. The only yellow I don't care for.. is the yellowing
on the WS bodies. The others have a creamy yellow that is more natural. I'm more
into the tan dolls... so I dont have much problems with yellowing. All my dolls are
adults and live all over my house in different rooms. Some alone and some with other
dolls. The things that have changed the most for me is that I don't get just one doll
at a time any more.. I get two or three at a time now! I try to limit it to once a month...
But... that sometimes doesnt work out. I do sell a few here and there. If I want a doll
that is out of my budget. But i like to sell on layaway... so it's a much slower process.

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby? 6 years

Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

I treat my dolls with the same care but I'm not as enthusiastic as I was 3 years ago, I can go on without touching my dolls for months and when I do I feel all melancholic for neglecting them. Also, I would get pretty excited watching new dolls and pictures but not anymore.

How many dolls have you got over the years?

12 dolls but some of them were sold. Right now I only have 7 and I'm content with them, not interested in getting more =D


How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

My first doll has yellowed a lot, he's 6 years old and I have never changed his face up but He's my favorite doll and I love him to bits! I think I should send him for a new face up because the old one is starting to fade...I'm just scared to get separate of my cutie pie I need to search intensely for a responsible, good artist that works fast (I have sent my other dolls for face ups and one of them took 8 MONTHS to finish >.> ). My other dolls are doing great, I don't mind if they get yellow or green, I'm attached to my current dolls as if they were my children so as long as they're with me...I'm happy :]

 

How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
For five years now.

Did anything change? Like the way you treat your dolls, etc.
I like to play with my doll a lot more now instead of just having him displayed on a shelf. I've definitley got more confident in actually handling him since he first arrived.

How many dolls have you got over the years?
Just the 2 - I've only just ordered my second.

How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
Cesavier has yellowed, but other than that he's still in great shape - he even still has his default factory faceup! I really don't mind the change in colour, as I find that by the time aging has begun to make your doll look not brand new anymore you've already had enough time to attatch to him or her to make it not matter in the slightest.

 

I couldn't find anything similar with the keywords I tried, and I've not come across any similar threads, so I thought I'll start this. If there's already a similar thread on this, do direct me to it, and mods, feel free to merge/delete this if it is a repeat.

[edit: Lulu pointed out a thread that touches on the aspect about being in the hobby for some time, which I feel is similar to part of my question, but not entirely the same. The thread is here: In the hobby for longer than 4 years, How is it going?
***

This question came to mind today, as I was on the way back from collecting eyes from a GO organiser. I remember when I bought my first ever pair of eyes from a local owner, I was so excited about collecting the eyes from her, and on the train ride back, I couldn't resist taking the package out and peeking at it every few minutes or so. But now, 3 years down the road, I no longer get the same sense of excitement, joy and glee over the same task. It's understandable, of course. Once you are used to something, you won't be as excited or filled with anticipation as when you got your first doll/first eyes/wig/whatever other firsts related to the hobby. It happens for other things as well, but I'm going to focus my questions on the bjd hobby:

How long have you been in this hobby?

Do you still feel the same sort of awe/anticipation/excitement as you did when you got your first doll? If so, when?

If not, are there any particular reasons other than the "used to it" one I mentioned above?

[edit: The main question here is not so much of how long you've been in the hobby, but once you've grown so used to this hobby, when do you still feel that sense of joy and elation that was so common when you just started?]

[And another 2 questions suggested by april:

Is there a NEED to keep it exciting? Or is just enjoying dolls and doll things enough?

If you feel jaded and that it's not as fun as it was... What would you recommend to do to stir things up and try and get the excitement back?]

***

For me, I still remember how excited I was when getting my first doll. Counting the number of days since he's shipped, writing his arrival date down precisely, in my notebook, blog, the database etc. Then, everything after that was pretty exciting as well, since I've never known what glass eyes were supposed to look like, never knew how wigs would arrive etc, and I was so ecstatic getting ANYTHING at all for me, immediately going to try it out and take photos when it arrives.

But nowadays, it takes ALOT more to even get me excited for the doll hobby. Usually it's the arrival of actual resin (heads, bodies) that make me happy, but it's nowhere near the same awe I felt last time. I don't know if I'll ever get back the same amazement I did when I open my delf box for the first time and saw my first doll, haha. Or if I'll ever go back to the crazy track every few minutes, waiting for my doll to arrive thing. The few times I've suddenly felt REALLY amazed/excited was when I gave one of my doll a haircut, and he suddenly looked so in character that I did the whole, post-photos-everywhere-with-hype-and-enthusiasm-that-is-usually-associated-with-new-owners thing. Or when I go shopping and see something that I've always thought would be impossible to find and turns up so suitable for a doll, like some star shaped beads for a bracelet.

I'll love to hear your response! I'm quite curious what makes seasoned doll owners feel the same joy they did a long time ago, cos it might make me less passive about the hobby when I'm feeling out of it. (We all have those days, don't we? But I don't like to stay in such a mood for long.)

 

In the hobby for longer than 4 years, How is it going?

Similar thread full of info.

 

Thanks for pointing out that thread to me! I read through bits and pieces of the thread, mostly the first and last pages, and I found it interesting, if slightly different from the question I have here. Maybe I should rephrase my question properly, to stress on when one feels that excited/awesome feeling rather than the "how many years you've been in the hobby" part?

 

How long have you been in this hobby?

Since 2004.

Do you still feel the same sort of awe/anticipation/excitement as you did when you got your first doll? If so, when?

I do, actually, when I see new and exciting dolls and finally bring them home. It's always a lot of fun or I would probably have stopped before now. I wasn't really terribly excited when my first one came home, as I bought it more out of curiosity than a burning desire to have a doll. Now, though, I only buy dolls I love and I can hardly wait to get them in my hands.

 

It's been about four years for me now. I took some breaks from the hobby and I haven't bought a doll for over a year now. But I'm still excited when doing stuff with my dolls and when new dolls I like are released. Also I think if I got a new doll now, I would greatly anticipate its arrival and would be happy that it arrived just like with all my dolls before.

 

For me the group as well as size has changed so much and so many new and different ones tried it's always a new adventure. I hope after now 5 years in hobby I am settling down, getting my dream dolls as well as keeping ones that give me comfort.