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Leaving the Hobby, Before you have even started?

May 19, 2011

    1. I've done this before as well. I was planning and saving to buy a BJD back in '07, although I knew about them in either '05 or '06. I got enough money and everybody else convinced me not to. I was worried about spending so much money on something I would tire of, even though I knew I could sell it if I lost interest. Instead, I got my dog, and I don't regret that one bit! I lost interest, after all, they're so fragile and easily damaged, I feel like I can't really do much with them. They're mostly for dressing up and photographing, at least that's how I saw them. I wanted to use them as good anatomical models for my artwork, but a lot of the dolls back then didn't have double joints, and it was back when there were still dolls that didn't have joints in their chest, if any joints in their torso in general. I got into another hobby that cost me hundreds to thousands of dollars, and I was very happy. Due to wanting to travel, that hobby cannot continue. Now I'm looking into dolls again. I hope to get a realistic looking one I can photograph and create things for, while still being a good model for artwork (especially since it'd be helpful in my line of work)
       
    2. Well, I have not yet been in this hobby for a very long time. I somehow started last year in the summer, and the first ones I actually saw were Volks dolls (regulars). I was somehow fascinated by them, but there was no real "wow"-factor.

      Then I started to do research, and after 2 months or so a very clear preference emerged - I love big, mature guys. However, there was Souldoll, Dollzone, Iplehouse...but none of them had a sculpt which really convinced me.

      Therefore I started to make one of my own out of Apoxie. He is almost finished, and I kind of forgot of ever trying to get a resin doll.

      But as we all know, you can never predict what companies do. Iplehouse issued their (IMHO) ever most adult guy - Arvid. I soo longed to get the LE full set. It was love at first sight. He was everything I ever dreamed of.

      Then this opportunity passed. But they added the sculpt to their regular line. I saw the raw sculpt and was blown away.

      So I made a decision - after months or so of Arvid's appearance. I received a nice watch in a nice box as a birthday present. I declared this nice red box to be worthy to start my savings for Arvid in. My change went into it - yesterday for the first time. It will be a long way to go, I know. But I love this boy enough to make this step. I am looking at him almost daily, so I think there must be something between us.:aheartbea

      Of course, there is still the problem to explain this to my hubby. But there are still hundreds missing, so I have enough time.
       
    3. I waited a good 6 years before I got my first doll, and I dont even have her yet. So I feel your pain, I thought for a while not to get one but then I decided to take the plunge and get one. And I dont regret it.
       
    4. After I bought my first and only DD I let it sit sealed in its box for a good 6 months, thinking that I'd probably eventually come to my senses and resell it. Not sure what finally made me do it, but since I opened the box up I've watched hundreds of dollars mysteriously disappear from my bank account.
       
    5. Been in the hobby for a long time and have had "several" dolls (one at a time) I can never keep them; either because I have buyer's remorse or because I weren't what I expected. Tried leaving the hobby several times but I just keep coming back! not sure why, I guess I just like looking at them? I think I might be getting another one as soon as I get some bills paid. Not sure though....
       
    6. I started and stopped about twice. I discovered porcelain bjd dolls from enchanted doll ten years ago and loved them but could not afford them. At that point I don't think the resin ones really existed yet. A few years later, I rediscovered bjd dolls through luts but was aghast at the prices of a few hundred per doll. Then a few months ago I did a lot of research, found some affordable dolls that I liked and poof! I have a fairly large doll family now.
       
    7. I got my first and most in love doll after 7 years when I know BJDs at the first time. I was considering hundred times during those years if I really want to get one BJD instead of watching beatiful pics in my computer (money is an unnegligible factor when I was a student). After I worked for 1 and half year, I met something which nearly struke me down. I locked myself in my small room and only a male doll 's pictures accompanied me. The smile of him in the pics are so tender and warm that made me no longer feel lonely. After I recoverd I make decision to have him! He is a limited SD which sold out for ages but I luckly got him from an owner with nearly all my save. I never feel regret and no intention to leave the bobby though it is extramely expensive indeed. Probably it is too much for people around to understand my emotion poured into dolls but for me they are important. Now I have several. I leart to arrange my salary rational to pay all my cost, buy dolls and run my little financial investment.
       
    8. Thank you to everyone who has replied to my post it's helped me more than you can imagine, but please keep on posting! Seeing this has made me realise that I'm not the only one feeling/felt like, this and i'm sure theres other people needing this advice too. I've decided that the only way i'm going to find out if its for me, is by buying one of the sculpts that fits one of my characters best.

      One of the reasons I think I struggle with the hobby is because I'm the type that puts the character to the sculpt. That doesn't sound the problem but it is, my characters are frequent, just like my stories. They're not written down, they are an every night or quiet time thought process that I have that lasts about 1 month before I move on to the next. Because of this I've been strictly limiting myself to dolls that I really like the asthetic of (and the price) and thinking that I'l give them a character when they arrive, thats really not how it works for me. So Im going with one of my characters that i tend to reinvent alot and I will do with the others from now on. Im going to give myself a few months to panic then go crazy and just do it probably.

      Thank you
       
    9. It's very interesting to read everyones struggles with the decision making. And I thought I was the only one who had elaborate characters and stories only in their head :lol: I've read so many times how people have written down stories or characters and "shell" them in dolls and thought I was odd because I regularly daydream about my characters and think about them before I sleep, like "I wonder what they're doing.." as if they were real people lol.
       
    10. That's really interesting, because I have characters like that too. In fact, the ones that are very concrete now began similarly to what you described. As I said, I have some characters that became very set, but I have others that are much less so. The less structured characters tend to develop a strong personality and a sort of backstory (just enough to feel like I know who they are), but don't have the same level of detail or linear concrete sort of story that my more set characters do. If they go that way over time, that's cool, but I came to realize that I don't need them to and that's allowed me to more easily purchase dolls and better appreciate some of the ones that I already have.

      My main storyline which had become very structured I actually am in the process of redoing -- a lot of those characters I'm actually not reshelling, just a few favorites (they used to make up the majority of my doll family). I got to the point where I wanted to do other things too, and I got sort of stuck and wasn't sure where to go next with them. In the end my interest in them faded a little. Their story and characters are still meaningful to me, but they no longer hold a place of primacy when it comes to my doll activities. In short, I've come to favor the character group that is more flexible where it's easier to add (and subtract if need be) characters and there's less pressure to keep a large complex set story going. Character creation is still one of the parts of the hobby I like best, but I don't go about it quite the same way I used to.
       
    11. When I first wanted a BJD back in 1999/2000 I went through a period of looking and wanting and looking and wanting before I decided I was just toying with myself becasue I could not justify getting into the hobby right then. I had just moved, I had no savings, I needed to find a bigger apartment and a new job. Right around the time that SD13 Cecil came out I wanted to buy him so badly that I stopped looking at SDs and reading up on them altogether. So you could say I left the hobby before I started collecting and I left for almost five years.

      Five years down the road I was settled in my new city, had a bigger place, a better job and a decent savings set aside. One day I happened to remember Volks, found Den of Angels and stumbled across THE DOLL I had to have. Everything fell into place and it finally felt right to get into the hobby. If I had gotten into BJDs earlier it would have caused me difficulty and waiting to buy my first doll was the right thing for me to do to feel like I could enjoy the hobby and not feel irresponsible.

      I could see maybe some day narrowing back my collection to my few absolute favorites but right now I still love my dolls and the hobby and I don't have any regrets. I think I'd have more regret if I'd never bought my first doll. He is still my favorite.
       
    12. I found these dolls on ebay, looking for something else. Might have been looking for the little Dollfies, the Barbie sized ones? I really don't remember now, but when I saw them, I started thinking I'd never be able to afford one. This was like in January of 2005. I forgot about it, and started saving for Dragoncon that year.

      Around June 2005, I went back to looking at them. By that time I had at least $700 bucks saved. I started thinking I was going to blow all that at Dragoncon anyway, so why not? I went ahead and ordered my Delf El. Still have him too. Back then he cost me $625, as like $550 was him and faceup, $25 was the wig, and the rest was shipping.

      But yes, I let the hobby before I began.
       
    13. mind if I ask what the art doll was out of curiosity?
       
    14. I had seen bjds before when my friends would post pictures of their dolls, but I never looked at the pictures because I was really frightened at the idea of wanting my own doll after seeing them, because the hobby is pricey.

      Then one day I looked (and was instantly a goner. Thanks a lot, DoD!), and I started to research a lot. But after coming to the conclusion that there really weren't any larger "cheap" bjds, I sort of forced them out of my mind, but I ended up giving in again.

      Now, I still don't have my first doll, but I'm almost done saving up for him and I've already started to buy him clothes and shoes, etc.

      I think if I ever leave the hobby, it'll be because of lack of interest or something, but not price. I got used to the tags that come with dolls, and I tell myself, if I buy less stuff for myself like clothes, shoes, that I already have, then I'll have enough money to buy a doll. ^^
       
    15. I definitely left the hobby before even starting. I saw my friend's dolls and was like "ooh, aaah" before i got my dose of sticker shock lol. I really wanted nothing to do with them at all. I never liked dolls at any point. But did think these were pretty.

      What finally changed my mind was when my friend came back from school and she told me to hold Shin while she dug for something in her bag. Out of curiosity I moved his hand, and he was like "Gotcha, betch! >:3" I was hooked. Pictures don't do them justice. I really was fascinated. I went on to buy my own dolls too. The only regret that i tend to ever have is buying without layaway lol.

      Overall, I think you should probably start out with a least expensive doll that you're in love with rather than jumping head first and getting something super expensive. See how you like it. If you don't care for it in the end, you can probably find it a new home.

      My sister wanted to get into dolls, but decided against it because she didn't have the time to take care of one, or the desire to take pictures of it, dress it up or whatever. She decided that they just weren't her thing because she wouldn't really do much of anything with them. Think about what you'd do with one if you got one. That might help you in your decision making. :)
       
    16. I'm quite shocked at the response to this, for a while i've been looking for the answer to this question and also though I was pretty much alone with the characters in my head but im not, which is nice :)
      I've been spending too much time trying to force myself into a decision amongst a range of dolls with lower prices, which the molds dont fit my characters.
      And then theres the added thing of i'l be able to get one and then i wont be able to afford one again, which isn't true, but trust me the pessimist to think that way! Eventually I will have a doll, one i've been swooning at for a while, one i'm pretty very sure that il enjoy and be happy with. Thanks for the replies everyone :)
       
    17. Naffy-chan, is it committment-phobia or just cycles of life?

      for me it's sort of hard to have any hobby with my real life...the minute i almost have enough money to do anything that isn't food or shelter..some family member needs something expensive...and life is so busy sometimes I don't even have time to read. So it's frustrating when I can't do something special for me and I am left wanting again. But life, as usually, ebbs and flows...so keep your eyes on the prize and some day, the right time, the right doll and all that will come around. And it'll be so exciting. I know it'll be that way for me at least. And until them...dream. It can't hurt to look and think and dream, in fact...it's quite enjoyable...and free!
       
    18. I saw my dream doll a long time ago.
      I tried going to meets and conventions in other countries (because nothing was going on here) and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't. After a year and a half of yearning and wanting I just gave up. Too expensive, weird to other people and it just wouldn't work out. Really what was holding me back was not seeing an actual BJD. I wanted to see if I really liked them irl before I invested so much money. As I hadn't gotten the chance before, I got out of it before I ever really got in.

      Then someone started organizing meets here! I only heard because I got an email notifying me about a PM. I had already forgotten about DoA really...
      I went and someone brought my dream doll. Not only that, they let me carry him around the whole meet!
      I was so happy and felt like I wasn't alone in the hobby anymore. I interested two friends in BJDs, one of whom stuck with me and we ordered our first BJDs together.
      Why I came back?
      I wasn't alone in it. I really love my dream doll. I can afford them now. I didn't care that people found it weird.

      [Actually at the meet I took a latina friend with me and we followed the BJD group around, chattering in Spanish. We were in a public area and A GIRL FROM CHILE (where I'm from) actually approached me and asked me whether I was from there and she asked me what these creepy weirdos with dolls were doing here (in spanish, nobody else in the group spoke spanish). I told her (in spanish):

      "These 'weirdos' are here meeting one another and enjoying their hobby together. It's a hobby that doesn't hurt anyone and makes them really happy, and it's better than staying alone at home in a dark room like some people with other hobbies, isn't it? And look how beautiful they are. We're here taking gorgeous pictures together, isn't it fun?"

      Having to confront someone who was judgemental during my first meet, my first time seeing BJDs, really made me strong and confident towards the hobby :] I'm so glad she spoke Spanish! I would have hated it if she acted like that and offended the group!!]
       
    19. I honestly leave the hobby every 7-8 months for about 2 months and then I get back into it. Mainly cause my dollies make me happy. And I find dolls inspiring.

      Over the last two years or so I have had a really hard time staying into my dolls. I went to art school in NYC before becoming really sick this past march and having to leave. During that time I was constantly being put down by most of my teachers, and a number of my peers, for wanting to make doll clothing and accessories.

      I first got into dolls my junior year of high school, 05-06, when I found out that BJD existed while attending Otakon. And I got into them cause my sister hated them and I guess I wanted a hobby that my family wouldn't get into :D ah the days of being a teenager. But I didn't get my first doll till the summer of 2007 with money I had saved. I basically forgot about them because I didn't have the means to buy one. But when I did I was sooooooo excited. And when she came I felt so happy and complete in a way.

      I also fell out of the hobby recently because of my health issues, but mainly because I have struggled to find a job since having to withdraw from school. I knew about a year ago which doll I wanted to get next but it was so devastating to feel like I, once again, had no way of getting one.

      Not to mention my dolls completely freaked out my roommates that I had. But to be honest if you like dolls then you have every right to like them! And just because you like them doesn't mean you have to buy one. I think that the right doll has a way of finding people, so don't feel like you have to make yourself like one or make yourself buy one. The right doll(s) will come along and then you'll feel really good about saving your money for something you really want.

      Also just because its not made of resin doesn't mean it isn't a good doll. There are lots of amazing dolls out there in all sorts of mediums and any you decide to purchase you'll like. Resin dolls are, generally, going to be a lot more expensive. But there are so many choices that you shouldn't worry about the money side of things if its possible.
       
    20. I'm not sure you can really say you're leaving the hobby if you've never actually progressed as far as actually owning a BJD. It's more of an interest that's waned rather than being an actual hobby with material things you work/play with.