Is collecting BJD's your only hobby? Which hobby came first?

Hey, I used to be big into pixel dollz too!!
I loved dolls for a long time but I got pressured out of playing with them like a lot of kids at a certain age But then I found the pixel dollz hobby! I always loved to see the dollz contests on everyone's websites. My favorite artist was Angychan of Yumestudio.
Eventually I shift to original pixel art, I loved making tinier and tinier dollz at some point there were no bases that tiny! I did pixel art and character design commission work into my early 20s, then took a long art hiatus.

A few years ago I learned 3d poly modeling and animation and fall in love with art again, and recently I finally tried voxel art, which is truly the best of both worlds
I'm also a hobbyist game dev and music producer And of course I am a gamer and music lover too.
Right now I'm working on a voxel board game to play with my family, after my cousin proposed the concept this Thanksgiving I'm hoping I can get everything polished by next Thanksgiving and surprise them.
My other new hobbies are sewing and crochet which I am learning just to supplement my doll hobby

 

My other hobbies are sewing, crafting, reading, video games, painting, playing violin, photography, writing... hmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something but it might just be because a lot of different things are included in the crafting. Or maybe it's because at times I feel like getting into hobbies is one of my hobbies too... I listed the hobbies in the order of getting into them as far as I remember, first four were as a kid, next three at ~18, writing I only got into almost a full year ago at 30. I've gotten into many other hobbies throughout the years but these are the ones I consider myself to still be into.

In a way though I kinda consider half of my hobbies to be part of my BJD hobby as I don't really partake in them unless it's to do something relating to the dolls. Before getting into BJDs about a decade ago I almost had abandoned the crafty hobbies as everything I wanted to make was stuff that I really didn't want to actually use, so I had been less and less able to justify spending money and energy on them

Oh, and the writing hobby was actually 100% born of this hobby. Originally just wanted to have a background story for my dolls but then randomly almost a year ago got an idea for a proper story I felt I needed to fully write, and I've been working on it ever since. A nice side effect of it that I've noticed is that my life-long difficulty to translate my thoughts into coherent language has gotten way less severe in general, which makes me even more grateful for the existence of this dolly hobby, as I probably would have never gotten into writing otherwise.

 

Aside from just collecting BJD I also love to collect anime figures, art books, CDs and plushes! It's not that unique but I just love cute things.

 

My first hyperfixation was on anime, which led to me creating anime fanart and fanfiction. I got to collecting all types of knick knacks as well, mostly I’d buy things from convention artist alleys. I also got into scale figures around the same time.
Many, many figures later, I came across anime character dolls when searching for figures which led me to the world of resin bjds.

 

Drawing is too vital to me to think of as a hobby... I write, but everyone says my prose is a purple mess, and I can't do it any other way. So I've ended up with sometimes drawn, sometimes prose outlines of interconnected (same world, different eras) long stories that get more vivid where I've made actual comics of a scene. I'm sort of OK with everything being hazy and incomplete.
I am not sure if I'll make a connection between dolls and writing. For the time being I feel they're almost two entirely different realms.

 

I also collect other types of dolls even if I'm not buying anymore cause I'm out of space I do have my collections of fashion dolls . toys and childlike dolls like paola reina , I used to craft dollhouse items and I also knit and sew somaking clothes is in the mix too even if I have far too little time available to do this anymore , I also like perfumes , I used to have miniature bottle collection but I gave away about 3/4 of it to a friend who was more interested than me , I still like perfumes a lot though and even if I don't usually have many bottles at the same time I like to gather samples try them and get a new one from time to time I don't keep the bottles though I usually gift them to someone who colllects them.

 

BJD's are definitely not my only hobby, and came after pretty much all of my other hobbies!

My other hobbies include sewing, crochet, video games, cosplay, collecting plushies, collecting/occasionally repainting Precious Moments figurines, and literally any kind of craft you can think of--resin pouring, Cricut, basic embroidery, soap and candle making, painting, jewelry making, gluing things together--you name it, I've probably done it. I also used to collect anime and action figures, repaint Monster High dolls (the gateway drug to the BJD hobby IMO), stream on Twitch, dance, and make dollhouse miniatures. I've always been a crafty person who had a love for dolls and miniatures, so BJD's for me were just the next logical choice in terms of "how can I use all my hobbies in one single hobby?" besides just cosplay, which I love but can often be overwhelming as my projects tend to be large and tedious

Being able to use all of the skills I've developed over the years in my other hobbies for my BJD's has been such a great outlet for me. I find making things for my dolls and painting them to be such a relaxing pastime, as I can just sit there, listen to a podcast, and make things that make me happy. No pressure, no deadlines, just pure creativity and doing what brings me joy.

 

I have always had soll since I was little and I loved collecting, crafting, anime, writing, and art. Since the first time I saw BJDs I was like "This is it". it is just the perfect culmination of all the things I am interested in and everything I enjoy. I can incorporate all my hobbies into one thing so that I always do something I enjoy with my dolls. I also enjoy these hobbies outside of BJDs as I collect fashion dolls, draw and paint, and write.

 

I have a bunch of hobbies, even if most of them are artistic! I started collecting MH dolls first and I still do. I also draw (I am a professional 2D animator and artist), write stories, sculpt in 3D and I enjoy videogames a lot. And even if it has been a lot since I last played it - I also play the harp! I just had to stop for a while due to my instrument being away from me.

So as you can see, most of them are creative and artistic hobbies. I would also like to pick up doll customizing and making (which I am kinda getting into). Honestly, with my range of hobbies, I feel like picking up BJD collecting was a matter of time!

 

I have so many hobbies ^^; I bounce back and forth between them all but some include: alternative fashion, sewing, cosplay, drawing, and other types of doll/toy collecting! I think BJDs is one of my oldest ones in terms of when I got into it, but I haven't been super active in the hobby until recently!

 

Drawing was my first hobby since it was really mostly what I did as a kid. Then as the years went by I got into anime, manga, games, collecting anime figures and watching dramas. I started getting dolls(fashion dolls) mostly because I enjoyed thinking of deaigns and stories for the characters I would project on to them. Collecting BJDs is actually my most recently aquired hobby.

 

I think collecting has always been a hobby I get lost in, doesn't matter if it's collecting BJD or other toys or knick knacks or anything really. I just like having groups of things that are same but different, if that makes sense. I love researching before a purchase, categorizing and taking inventory, arranging and storing, rediscovering older things in my collection that still bring me joy. Besides collecting, I used to dance and draw growing up, I was always very creative and that's kind of been missing from my life for a long time - I'd love to learn to sew so I can make clothes for my dolls : )

 

I am so old at this point, I have no real idea what my first hobbies actually were, and that both amuses and saddens me in equal measure, lmao. I did love dolls as a child, fwiw, and I still own nearly every doll I was gifted, including American Girl's Samantha and all her accessories. Actually, dolls are among my earliest memories of having toys, because I grew up next door to two elderly sisters in this big Victorian house, and they gave me some of their dolls as a gift when I was 7 or 8. I still have those, and they're from the 1920s, I think?

But let's see, the range of hobbies includes: vintage ephemera (collecting historical paper of all types, from fashion catalogues to WWI vintage posters to 1900s era Halloween postcards), antiques, especially old jewelry, clothes, and random objects like tea cups, makeup compacts, anything that's got interesting craftsmanship or historical use, anime cels (that was my big hobby in the 2000s, lol), gemstones of varying sizes and types, including crystal balls, fantasy artwork (paintings, prints, a few odd sculptures). Husband has swords everywhere, and they're actually real swords because of his primary hobby teaching historical swordplay, so yeah... this house is full of all kinds of weird stuff, lol.

It's neat to see what kinds of things other people have gotten into, and how much many of us seem to have in common! I do writing and always have, but it's less of a hobby and more of a "building towards career" vibe these days. That's for sure one of my earliest hobbies other than playing with dolls, though! Started writing stories around age 8 or 9, I want to say?

BJDs are actually my newest hobby, which is truly scary to contemplate, given I have 4 of them now.

 

I have been blessed (cursed?) with all the expensive hobbies. I collect rare gemstones and mineral specimens (currently sitting at around 150 specimens) and keep fish and aquatic plants. Recently had to drop some doll money on a custom tank when my old one started to fail, that hurt some.

my newest hobby is insect pinning/spreading, which involves manipulating dead insects into various positions and framing them. Currently working on a trio of Frog leg beetles.

 

I have quite a few hobbies.

I like to write, I collect art of my characters. I do postcrossing (recently got some rare countries). I like crafting, trying out new crafts and going to workshops. I sew both cosplay and historical clothing as well as normal clothing and other things. I sculpt art dolls as well as design OCs from open species creatures I find on DA, instagram and Pinterest. I modify monster dolls in humanoid open species.

I have travel mascots, a group of raptors and a plesiosaur that I take photos of when I travel. I also love to travel and explore different places. I really want to start taking photos of a BJD as well, but unsure as it'll be another thing I have to take out my bag to take photos of.

I enjoy baking as well as cooking and trying out new recipes, I take photos as a record and post on instagram of what I make.

I have a bucket list and enjoy completing items on it. It makes me try new things.

Go to theatre often, I enjoy musicals and plays; I have also seen some ballet. I also like concerts.

I also go to the gym quite a few times each week.

 

Some of my other hobbies are watching anime, reading, gaming (especially playing visual novels), writing, cosplaying, baking, and taking photos. Apart from BJDs, I collect other items, like plushies, anime figures, keychains, and pins.

 

Drawing, writing, sewing and collecting gemstones are pretty staple ones for me, but I've also recently gotten into painting warhammer minis- they're great for scratching the same itch to paint tiny things, but don't cost £150 like a BJD head does. Admech and Necrons are my little guys, funny little robots

 

I have too many hobbies, dollies is a new one for me ;^^ but there's a sort of willowy beauty that's in a lot of manga and games I like, and I always find myself thinking certain characters would be beautiful as dolls. So I'm excited to be able to make some of them happen.

 

Besides BJDs, a passion for fashion dolls began with purchasing J-doll "Esplanadi Katu".
My collection includes Blythe, Monster High, and a few action figures.
I would still like to buy some Momoko, Azone U-Noa Quluts, and Fashion Royalty, known for their stunning outfits with many realistic details.
Vintage jewelry and antique items appeal to me in particular. Every time I visit a new place, I try to go to flea markets.
I enjoy searching for designer items at thrift stores because reusing things helps combat overconsumption.
Japanese art fascinates me, including textiles, ceramics, paintings, and dolls.
My collection features antique Japanese dolls, clothing, kimono cloth, several fans, and ceramic bowls.
Painting and collecting high fashion inspirations are enjoyable activities.
Listening to podcasts about medicine, debunking false beliefs, and exploring conspiracy theories are also interests.
In my spare time, I mentor in design management, helping aspiring designers identify their strengths and organize their team’s workflow.

 

I won't consider bjd's and dolls a hobby anymore, I am selling the bulk of it keep certain parts of my collections as decorative artifacts I will keep static and displayed. I am not going to learn more about dolls or do anything so it's not a hobby they are amazing decorations for my house. I also don't do any creative hobbies because they are the worst money and time eaters leaving you with stuff you don't know what to do with or store. The only thing I do is perfume searching and aromatherapy, I use essential oils and perfumes every day for emotional uplifting and morning energizing or calming before sleep I love that this is 100%hedonistic which means about me feeling nice and not about others because I don't really perfume myself but some fabric and then smell it and feel the effects of the aroma it really helps and works. Essential oils is the best spent money if my life