It Just Makes Me Want to Sell Them!

If you truly feel like you want to give up the hobby, it is up to you to make that decision. It's a personal decision and no one else can make it for you.

Now for some thoughts on your reasons:

Reason 1: do you mind learning how to sew? It's not that hard since dolls are smaller than people. If not, I'm sure you can find someone willing to do it for you (or commissions!)

Reason 2: I'm pretty picky on faceups too so I kind of know how you feel. Maybe you can find someone to commission? Research really well and make sure you find an artist whose style you like.

Reason 3: This seems to be a reaction people get a lot; why don't you try dealing with it in a humorous way (depending on situation and people involved). If whoever is calling your doll creepy someone who is close to you, maybe you should have a good talk with them about how bad it makes you feel? For example, I told my friends about my newfound hobby and when I got tired of being told it was scary, I told them that it really hurts my feelings to call them creepy when I tried my best to make them beautiful in my eyes, that it was like calling me creepy. My friends stopped calling them creepy.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I have a lot of the same frustration finding MSD-sized clothes too. So I know how you feel. There have been many, many times I've wanted to just sell my MSDs and get SDs so I could actually buy the clothes I want and such, but in the end I look at them, hold them and realize I couldn't imagine not having them.

I find Nine9Style, Dollheart & Luts have helped me a lot, I have been able to mix and match things between them (as well as Volks), to be able to find enough stuff I can be happy with to keep my Volks MSDs. It just takes a lot of patience and a loooot of looking around. Also, you might want to try checking Yahoo Japan auctions. If there's something special I'm looking for, like a certain lolita, visual kei, street or 'classy' clothing if I watch there enough I usually find something.

What mostly annoys me is the fact everything is so limited. The items are released one month, then sold out, then you have to look all over for someone selling one, which is frustrating as heck! If you don't always have over $150 in the bank, on hand it feels like you'll never get what you're looking for in this hobby. So yes, I've felt the way you have before but I think in the end it's worth it once things start falling into place. Things certainly won't just fall together at once, it will probably takes years! But I'm sure it will happen.

 

1. Instead of trying to impose a personality on your doll, change her eyes, change her face up, see what expressions you coax out of the sculpt itself. That may suggest a personality to you. As for clothes, if you hunt around you'll find equivalent MSD clothes to the SD clothes you like. There are lots and lots of sources for doll clothes and there are also people you can commission to produce something in particular. Just because you can't find it in the first place you look doesn't mean it doesn't exist

2. Keep changing the face up until its something that looks and feels right. Unless you're modding the doll as you go or using sharpies to face up your doll you can keep removing and painting face ups as much as you like until you get the right one. This isn't a race to instantly get the perfect doll, a lot of it is trial and error.

3. That is something you'll never really get away from unless you unfriend and unfamily the people around you calling your doll creepy. If you have a silly sense of humour like mine, I'd be tempted to put a card in my doll's hand saying "Yes, I creep you out. Get over it." Art is subjective, opinion is divided on these dolls - so what? If you enjoy the hobby and you like your own dolls, how is it anyone else's business? Don't let them get to you. It can be tough to ignore at first, but the more you ignore the ignorant, the better and more confident you'll feel.

If you really want to sell your dolls and leave the hobby that's up to you, but before you decide for good there are lots of things you can try with your dolls to bond with them.

I'm not sure with my dolls. I get frustrated sometimes, but I know that sometimes a solution is just a new pair of eyes away. I'm quite satisfied with the dolls I have and I've sold the ones I've been unsatisfied with, but I can't say right now that I'd leave the hobby over it.

 

Smartass is here to say...

Sounds like you weren't sure before plunging into this hobby. It's not as great as you had dreamt, and the happiness you do get is overrun by negative and hurtful (and nagging) feedbacks.


I have two dolls.. and I went through buyer's remose for both. But they are just lovely, and I think sometimes you just have to turn a blind eye on the critiques you want to shower on your dolls and the possibility that all the money you spent was in the wrong direction. If you manage to convince yourself that those dolls are not for you, then just sell and lurk around for something better to your tastes.
...on the remose thing, mine lasted pretty long before I bonded too.. (I take them apart to clean and fine tune their stringing, then test their ranges. that's bonding for me. Try?)

 

I totally understand the size issue. I make my doll's clothes --- but I still have the same problem with shoes ans accessories. Whatever I want seems to never be available in the right size. I think it's mostly a matter of the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence because I have SD, MSD and tiny sizes now and it still happens.

Faceups are hard. I've always done them myself or had company faceups. When a doll gets a new one, I find they always have to settle into it for awhile. (Translation - I have to get used to and see what it brings out in the character.) Give it some time. If you still don't like it compare it with some of your favorite faceups in the gallery or company pics and find out if you can make some recommendations to your friend (or other customizer) on their next faceups.

I"ve got to say, out of my six dolls, it took three of them about a year to really start to seem finished to me. The other three were just immediately and forcefully the character they were meant to be.

The "creepy doll" thing could be a more serious issue. If this is coming from someone who doesn't live with you, just talk about the interests you do have in common with them. Don't mention the dolls, show them pictures or otherwise bring them up and see if they act mature about it. If they don't or if this is someone who is definitely going to be around the dolls, then you are going to have to confront them a little bit and tell them they don't have a right to put down your hobbies like that. Remember to always respect that they have a right to not be interested in your hobbies. You don't have to share all your interests with all the people in your life.

 

No matter what you do in life, SOMEONE will make you feel you are wrong. It is human nature and half the time it is jelousy / admiration which they don't know how to express so they say "creepy" just to say something.
With so many doll collections, there are people who just can't accept the realism and the dolls might truly make them feel strange. But that is their opinion and won't make me give up anything I enjoy.
You should do or not do something because YOU made the choice and not because peer pressure took away your ability to say to heck with your opinion.

I love the way the BJD community is able to offer their services in any and every way. You might just need an opinion, or a faceup, or go the whole way to getting someone to make the clothing and accessories. You might not be able to do something you want but there are others out there who can offer the words you need to hear or the physical work to create what you are dreaming of having.

Good luck creating the dream doll and if you can't make one doll into that dream, there is another out there who is just busting to become that special little one you are imagining.

Good luck and enjoy your little people.

 

I've considered calling quits with this hobby for several reasons..

1.) I just can't seem to get them to look how I want. I don't impose so much personality into them as other collectors, they're more visual to me. It's as if things never seem to live up to my expectations. They spend more time in boxes because I'm disappointed in their current state; so much so that I contemplate selling them off and cutting my loses.

2.) There are sculpts out there I want but can't afford despite how much I save. This is an extremely financially draining hobby and it's frustrating to want dollflower eyes but only being capable of affording acrylics.



Although, despite how close I get to selling everything and forgetting all about the hobby, I never can. I keep hoping that one day things will fall into place.

 

1- I agree with Dezarii. I have dolls in each major size, and it seems like whenever I look for clothes for any one of them, I find the perfect things in the wrong size XD Just be patient and eventually you'll find things. Or if all else fails, commission clothes from one of the many talented people here.

2- Just keep trying! Hopefully sooner or later you'll come up with something that works. Look around at the many face-ups on here for inspiration, or find an artist whose style you really like and commission them.

3- I tend to deal with the "creepy doll" comments with humor. I'm well aware of the fact that many find these dolls creepy, and I just try to not let it get to me. Some of my best friends have said this to me, but I know it's just their opinion. It doesn't change how I feel about the dolls, and as long as my friends aren't rude about it, I just laugh it off. However, if you are upset by it, try to calmly explain how you feel to these people. If they get that it's really important to you and upsets you when they insult them, then they'll cut it out.

In all honesty, though, it's a choice you have to make for yourself. Hobbies exist to make people happy, for them to do things that they enjoy. Just about any hobby can get frustrating from time to time, but if in the end you still love it, then stick with it. If the feelings of frustration cancel out the feelings of happiness, maybe you're in the wrong hobby. Just focus on what's best for you! Good luck ^.^

 

It's up to you. I am sorta new too all of this myself, but have friends that have been into bjds for a while. Yes, it's a lot of money, but just about any hobby costs money>.< but if you don't like what your doll looks like now, is there a doll you really want? If you sell the one you have now, and get the one you really want, would that make you happier? If so, then do that. If you have a hobby, and don't enjoy it, then stop. There are tons of things you can do. You will find a hobby that will make you hapy^.^.

 

As I have no local friends who are into the ABJDs, my favorite spots to view photos and get info are the doll lists, and, of course, DOA being one.
Many folks have come in and sorta look strangely at my dolls but... my feeling is, 'each to his own.' I did not buy my dolls to make anyone content but me. If someone said a negative comment, I'd probably just sluff it off as it isn't their interest. It's mine.

Lots of good info above... I hope you stick with it and enjoy.

 

well, i have a LOT of family things going on at the mo, which is making me sell my Brownie, it breaks my heart, but i have to. My family is worth much more than my foll right now,, and my daughter treatments are not cheap at all.

 

Yep, all my friends know I have bjd. And my coworkers as well, I work two jobs, lol (gotta support my hobby^.^)When they first found out they just looked at me. But the more I talked to them about them, they saw how happy I was with them. I even got a couple of them interested in them^o^ like previously stated, 'to each their own.' Which is how I live my life^.^

 

No, I have not encounter any of the reason you listed. I spent a great 2 years looking at different sites etc before starting this hobby.

Guilt from excessive shopping is the only thing ever made me wanting to size down.

 

i couldnt find a caracter for my doll. i didnt know how to dress him...
so i tried to sell him. i had to keep reducing the price all the time and it wouldnt sell.
it made me quiet upset. then, someone finally bought it! and my other doll, the only one left, broke!
then i got like: its too complicated and it makes me depressed! i wanna give up!!

hopefully, my father fixed him and now everything is fine and im already planning what my next doll is going to be

 

I do not share your sympathy. If I see something that is not for my doll's size I find a way to make it. If I don't like the face-up I'll either keep trying or send it off to someone who knows what they're doing. If peop,e call him creepy it makes me happier. I thrive off of scaring people (I work in haunted house in the fall) so I actually try and freak people out. If my friends say he scares them I make sure he watches them or they wake up with him inches from their face, starring at them. I think you either A) just don't want them and are trying to find reasons why, or B) don't want to put forth the effort it takes to keep these dolls happy, AKA the trouble doesn't seem worth it to you. nothing wrong with that, but it's not my descision or anyone eles's on what you do with your dolls.

I hope you find the answer you're looking for.

 

That ^^^^^ Totally. I've owned pretty much all the sizes bar the really small (Under Yo size) And I've had this problem XD When I had a MSD, SD had niser stuff. So I got a SD girl, (it's always girl stuff...) and sold my MSD, I see tons of nice MSD stuff. And Yo stuff. I always saw cute Yo stuff...till I got one. It never ends. Honestly

 

Yes your feelings are normal- lots of people have them- but are they productive or useful? Probably not.

One at a time here:
1. Not satisfied with clothes. Learn to sew? Design your own. It takes work but then you can have whatever you want just by making it.

2. Your doll has had two faceups and it doesn't look right. Did you tie your shoes perfectly the first time you ever tried? Do it again. And again. And again. Nobody who does great faceups had it handed to them by the faceup fairy. You can do wonderful faceups too! It just takes practice and study and more practice. This improvement may turn out to be a part of the hobby you'll find you really enjoy!

3. "Everyone" says your doll is creepy.
Who is it specifically saying these things, and why does it hurt so much when they don't approve? Examine these reasons for yourself and decide to either ignore them and just never show them your lovely doll, or to explain calmly to them that this doll means a lot to you and that it makes you unhappy when they don't respect the things you care about.
Also, look into the principle of the Uncanny Valley. Many people comment because they have a real deep-seated fear of overly human-like figures. Either just don't let them see her/him, or... Make yours wave at them, and learn the Creepy Doll song?

 

Basically, I'll say the same thing as everyone else for questions one and two.

As for three....

I don't own a doll (yet) but I've showed my friends pictures of the ones I like.
They sold me they looked like rapist psychopaths who just so happen to be serial killers and pedophiles.
I said thank you x3 No matter what others may think of the dolls, it only maters what YOU think of them. You're the one buying them after all.