Leaving the Hobby...SAY WHAT!?

Have you ever known someone who left the hobby and what did you think?
Yes I know someone and I felt nothing in particular, cause as every hobby people must be free to come in and out.
I would be sad if some close friend of mine, doll collector, would left the hobby, for sure. But just cause I love to share the dolly world and can't share it with someone who left it (cause I am quite sure who leave a hobby don't wish to see anything about it anymore).

Have you ever thought of leaving the hobby and why?
No, never.
Sometimes I think to downsize my collection for a mere fact of money. But I don't do it.

Have you ever sold all your dolls, left the hobby, then eventually made your way back into it and bought another doll?
No.

 

I've always found the phrase "leaving the hobby" very odd. You're selling the components of your collection, you're... I don't know, discontinuing your participation? I suppose, like "bonding," it's a shorthand, but it's always sounded strange to me. (Or maybe it's just that I'm strange anyway. Stranger things have happened! )

Have I known anyone who's left? No but I know a number of people who have stopped participating on this or that particular forum, and who I then lost track of. There are some people here whose absence would really make me sad, but as expensive a hobby as this is, I really can't have a lot to say about it.

Have I ever thought about leaving? Not at all. I've gone through a few periods of saying I'm going to downsize a lot and the next thing I know the darned things have multiplied again. I've removed myself (noisily, even, which still is quite an embarrassment to me, in retrospect) from another hobby's so-called "community" but I definitely still participate in the hobby itself. With a select few friends, many of whom are here as well! I can understand the sense of "it's not magic any more" but each one of these little critters is an adventure to me. I wouldn't be happy if I didn't have a faceup to try or a doll needing a restringing and a wash, or... that's a big component of the fun for me. Challenges!



BUT. I did think there was a rule here, somewhere, that says "if you're leaving, just leave. Don't announce it." I can understand having the posts in the marketplace areas ("maybe I can catch a deal!") but -- am I making this up?

 

Have you ever known someone who left the hobby and what did you think?
I do. She needed the money for other things that were much more important than toys.

Have you ever thought of leaving the hobby and why?
Sort of. I will not sell my dolls. They are wonderful and bring me joy. However, this hobby's community in general is one of the worst I have ever encountered. For every good person, there's one not-so-good. The community, quite frankly, ticks me off on a constant basis. So I "leave" in that I make sure I have no business deals pending and then I don't touch the boards for months at a clip. Heck, I barely participate now, it keeps my blood pressure down.

Have you ever sold all your dolls, left the hobby, then eventually made your way back into it and bought another doll?
I cannot imagine selling any of my dolls, except for the mistake head Dollcatch sent me but I still hope against hope they'll stop being *insert profanity here* and do the right thing. I bought all my dolls, they are all special to me, and I don't ever think I could sell them. Even if I "left" the hobby, it would be merely that I stop interacting with the community and enjoy my dolls by myself and with my RL friends.

 

Have you ever known someone who left the hobby and what did you think?

I saw a few, but I was never really close to them. The one who I did know quite well was suffering from financial problems and later concluded that the doll hobby wasn't for her. As for the doll community here (locally)... even though I've never really participated, I frequently sense some dark undercurrent running between groups of owners. It makes me wary of mixing around too much with other dol owners. And I suspect that this political aspect has caused some owners to leave the hobby... but I can't be sure of that.

Have you ever thought of leaving the hobby and why?

I actually did 'leave' for quite awhile, because I suddenly found a lot more other things to do. Partly because I was withdrawing from the doll community, partly because of the stress of university life, dolls just weren't a priority at all for quite awhile. I might or might not lose interest again, but I doubt I'd sell off my dolls until I really need money. I tend to hoard...

Have you ever sold all your dolls, left the hobby, then eventually made your way back into it and bought another doll?

I believe strongly in burning bridges. It's not good, but, somehow, it's become a habit. So, if I decide to leave one day, I doubt I'd ever come back to it. So far, the very idea of selling off my Camui is antithesis to me, so I don't think I'd be worrying about this for awhile.

It helps that I only have a small doll 'family'...

 

this one girl i knew is trying to sell her dolls to get a car. im like.. YOU CAN WALK! DOLLS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN CARS

 

Have you ever known someone who left the hobby and what did you think?

I saw someones sig saying that they left the hobby. It gave me a little pang in my heart for some reason. When I see someone selling a doll in the marketplace announcing that they are leaving the hobby I really start to hope someone buys that doll!

Have you ever thought of leaving the hobby and why?

No. I'm afraid that one day I will fade out of it, but I would never do it all at once.

Have you ever sold all your dolls, left the hobby, then eventually made your way back into it and bought another doll?

No. C:

 

When I first jointed DOA there was a sweet, young girl, I think she lived in Spain, who participated in the discussions and sometimes posted pics of her dolls. She was very active and her comments were so cute. It was quite obvious that she loved her dolls very much. One day she just quit posting and was never heard from again. That was about 2 years ago. I always wonder what happened. She was well liked by everyone.

I haven't considered leaving the hobby, but I hardly post in the discussions forums any more because of the rude and mean spirited comments of some of our members. It seems like evey time I post someone feels the need to respond with snide, cruel remarks, which is totally uncalled for. We're suppose to be able to voice our opinions without being verbally ripped open. I don't flame anyone and I become totally disgusted when it occures. So I can totally understand why some people remain in the hobby but don't take an active part in the doll communities.

I don't think I would ever leave the hobby, and I still keep up with the goings on, but I'm not active in the sense that I don't post much. I'm sure there are other people who do the same.

 

I stay OUT of the debate area and any area I feel will lead to backlashing. This has meant I get what I want out of this board!! also of course I give back with some info if I think it can help anyone. But I often delete things that pop into my mind and don't post that ! if I posted all the things I thought I would probly be banned by now

 

Have you ever known someone who left the hobby and what did you think?
One of my closest friends in fact. He had an SD boy and then had to sell him, but that was for financial reasons because he was broke at uni D:
I think he wanted another doll too, so it's not like he left the hobby by choice.

Have you ever thought of leaving the hobby and why?
I've wondered, what'll happen when I'm all old and grey, would it be right to keep my dolls that long. But I'm not fussed really. I'm not leaving the hobby ;p

Have you ever sold all your dolls, left the hobby, then eventually made your way back into it and bought another doll?
NO! XD

 

So, recently I have seen and heard the phrase 'Oh, I am selling that doll becuase I am leaving the hobby.'
Leaving the hobby? How? How can someone just 'leave' a hobby such as this? I myself can never see me without all my dollies around me!
Anyway, I guess my question is this: Why do you think people choose to leave this hobby, and would you ever do it?

Thanks!

 

Hmmm,
Well i just got into the hobby (* got my first doll*) for Christmas and bought my second a few weeks ago but have known about the hobby for a year or two....

As for leaving the hobby...
Well...
Believe it or not some people HAVE to sell there doll
As ina situation there in debt or something?
And sometimes they may have ordered there first doll, there all excited blah blah blah, and when the doll gets there... sad to say... the dont like um?
In the sense of...
They dont like the way the doll is made or the sculpt, or decide hey there is alot of cost for this doll, maybe i just need to leave the hobby...
Or they just left the spark the had with there doll :..(
Its sad but people have diffrent reason some personal, some not.

As for me, you know you never know?
I plan not to.
But something may happen that i have to...
But right now and for the rest of these next oh lets say... 6 years XD i plan to make my dolly collection grow!!!
But i am going to stick with dolls till i am really old and i will pass um down the line of doll hollic people!!!
But no i dont plan to leave the hobby ANY time soom whoops i mean soon....

 

Honestly, if you think about the hobby for one tiny second, the reasons should be relatively blatant. >u>; They cost a lot of money, without being extremely realistically useful. Life changes. They do affect social standings. They're time consuming, maybe they just lost the fire, etc... There may also be social trends amongst bjd collectors which they don't want to deal with anymore, etc...

I may leave the community, but not the hobby.

 

Get bored? Burned out? Find a new more exciting hobby?

Time passes, interests change... over a lifetime you can go through many hobbies and phases. I'm not into the same things I was ten years ago. Right now I'm fascinated by dolls, but I can't say for sure that ten years down the road I won't find some other hobby I like even more, and then I might not want to have my money/time/etc tied up in dolls.

Before I got into bjds, I was very anxious about making sure this was the right hobby for me. I was worried that I'd lose interest and leave the hobby. Now? The idea that I might not be permanently into bjds doesn't bother me much. Even if I lose interest someday, that doesn't mean I didn't have fun while it lasted - and hopefully, I can recoup at least a majority of my dolly spending if I leave, by selling my doll stuff.

 

Yeah unfortunately people lose their interest in things they use to really enjoy. I'm the only one left who obsesses over an anime(after what's going to be about 7 yrs since it's release) while my friends(who used to obsess alongside me) find new series and forget abou it. Once I love something whether it be video games/anime/characters I never fall out of it(at least it has not happened yet) I just still find so much joy in them! I've been obsessed with mermaids since as far back as I can remember and it hasn't waned one bit, whenever I find a new mermaid in a video game/anime/movie/whatever I go lol. As with everything else I cant see myself losing interest in Dollfies but I can understand those that do, if the love and excitement isn't there then it's just not there.

 

I left and sold all of my dolls and doll stuff once. I just got burned out and moved onto something else for a while. I had some major changes in my life and it was just not possible to find time for my dolls.

I then came back and bought a few dolls. I found it was refreshing to take a hiatus and then come back with a new outlook on the hobby.

 

This has definitely been brought up before: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333293

 

this is what i've seen the most... people get burnt out on the hobby because of drama within the community. it's sad to see something like that ruin the hobby for some people, but that is the most common reason i've seen for moving on.

 

Just because you can't understand, there's plenty of reasons for other people to get rid of their dolls. Money issues, social issues and simply losing interest.
For alot of people hobbies are just phases. They love something one minute and are bored with it the next. Same in this hobby, only less extreme.

 

I have to agree with fact hobbies of any kind have turn overs. Also these have become some tough times for people. Jobs lost, homes and so on in danger. A doll can be replaced for a lot less then a whole house or credit history. Some people leave because they don't find what they hoped to find in the way in joy in this hobby. But I would say most leave due to the costs and the fact real life happens. All one can hope is if it's a good friend their life gets better and they can come back. But best to just hope the whole world gets better for all of us.