Leaving the Hobby...SAY WHAT!?

This never happened to me so I do not think it will ever happen.... but it saddens me to see people who were so much into it give up.

Because really it almost feels like that. This makes me think about a thread that discussed about popularity and how some people left the hobby because it became too popular....

But sometimes its becomes they came into the hobby because others were in it and lose interest the moment they do not see a reason to stay in it. I see a lot of people who buy a lot, sell a lot and in the end most of them will leave for another hobby and do the same thing all over again.

I am proud to not be like that, but you never know what may happen in the future.

 

Honestly the things I see now are tempting me to leave denofangels, not the hobby entirely. 8I But I can understand why people will see things that drive them from the hobby entirely.

 

I'm too much of a geek to drop hobbies normally. I might scale back on something, but I rarely lose interest completely.

People drop hobbies all the time though, for a variety of reasons. Life can throw up all sorts of unexpected obstacles and opportunities that interfere with hobbies, and sometimes people just get burnt out.

 

I've thought about leaving the community. I know what's said about me on another forum, and it hurts. I generally try to no longer talk much on here, so it can be the drama, or other real life things happening.

 

I can honestly say I'm not as excited about BJDs as when I first discovered the hobby - not being able to find the "right" doll/bond with the ones I thought were right and a lack of finances have sort of left me feeling a bit burned. I still would like to own a BJD one day, but right now I'm sticking to enjoying DoA and looking at pretty dolls - so I'm sort of 'half' out of the hobby. :P

 

Yep, I've "left" hobbies before, though never completely.

I don't actively watch or seek anime anymore, but I still enjoy Miyazaki films and go to cons (though moreso for dolls, now). I've considered selling all my dolls and paraphinalia before, though I haven't yet, I'm sure it's a possibility in the future.

If this life has taught me anything, it's that nothing is forever, but that's okay. I know how to move on without losing part of myself to do it. I could leave the hobby without necessarily selling off everything or leaving the forum, but to a degree, why keep something really expensive that you don't need anymore?

 

There is a lot of drama in the doll community and lately the behavior seems to have gotten worse-bad enough for the moderators to issue this statement:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=353433

 

I bailed on DoA for a while, but I do keep coming back. Partly becuase this place is the best place for news and information relating to BJDs, but also becuase I have grown genuinly fond of a lot of the people here- even the ones I don't speak to directly, but just see around.

While I was away, though, I continued to enjoy my dolls, and I doubt that is something that would change for me personally. The honeymoon period is over, and I don't photograph them or play with them as much as I did, but I do still enjoy them very much.

I have left other hobbies though, and I know why people do it. Essentially, things change. It could be a big dramatic change that puts you off something, or just a gradual loss of interest. It could even be financial necessity. But whatever it is, it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

 

All good things come to a close I guess, but as Guide puts it--it's not the end of the world. Being involved in this hobby's been a great experience, and those memories will stick around for a long while even if my dolls don't. Though at this point in time, I can't see myself losing interest in the hobby completely. I may leave the community, or reach my limit and stop buying more dolls for a while, but I have a feeling most the dolls I currently own are here to stay for good so they'll at least keep my foot in the door. But who knows? I may come to a permanent burn-out someday. I'll just have to wait and see--but in the meantime, I'm gonna have fun.

 

I understand the cost and all, I guess I figured if they are into the hobby, they knew the price? Btw, I am not trying to offend anyone who is thinking of leaving this hobby. I am just curious.

 

I like your justification, having fun while it lasts. I think that is an important mindset. We are lucky that many of these dolls appreciate in value, just in case the need/want to leave the hobby arises.

 

Ah :] , of course they'd know the prices, but would they truly comprehend the impact of their purchases? Would they be able to balance their finances? I see so many threads where people have invested unwisely and never saved for a rainy day, when a large sum of money is needed for something life threw at them. They end up panicking and having to sell their doll for lack of any other source of income. And who's to say the doll will sell immediately? Some stay in the market forever. Things change quite rapidly, Moruganu ;] Just how life goes.

 

Thanks for bringing that to my attention! If the mods decide to leave it up, we can look at it like a fresh new look on the topic. Haha.

 

This is all true. I do hope that a time does not come in my life where selling my dollies is a must.

 

Yeah, leaving the community is far easier for me to fathom. I mean, it is just a website, and while it does make doll collecting more of an activity and possibly more fun for people (for me!) leaving a forum is far different than leaving the hobby.

 

I'm sort of backing out of the hobby. I have other things I'd like to spend money on, plus they're sort of inconvenient for the nuances of my life. This doesn't mean I'm abandoning it entirely; I'll still visit the forums and keep track of my friends' dolls. I just don't want to collect my own at the moment.

I can see why some people would leave it outright, but personally, while it's no longer reasonable for me to keep collecting right now, I hope to keep interested and have an eye on the community so that in time, I can return.

EDIT: Also, use the multiquote button. Bottom right of the posts, the picture of a sheet with the quotation marks. Better than making many posts addressing individual comments (even though it isn't entirely necessary.. it's just discussion, not people talking to you directly).

 

Thanks for all the responses! You guys are wonderful.

 

Not too long ago I was into collecting Tarot decks. I moved on from it, I sold some of them but kept around 15. Recently I bought two new decks for no real reason except that I wanted to. I enjoy the art and I like Tarot reading and the decks don't cost that much. But I don't really collect Tarot decks anymore.

As for BJDs, I'm drawn to this hobby because I find something spiritual in it. To me the dolls are not just material possessions; although they're definitely material possessions, I also see them as vessels for spiritual entities, much like human bodies (yeah, I'm weird and creepy, I know). I think people who don't find any spiritual fulfillment in this hobby find it easier to just sell all their dolls and move on.

 

I think it is burn out coupled with the fact that a collector can make all their money back by selling their collection.

 

I agree with pretty much all of you!
Me personally, I tend to take "breaks" when I get super busy, but then when I have spare time again I come back full-force! lol! I've been into them for 4-5 years now....I'm just not big on being active on the forums or at doll meets. lol! I kind of just do my thing. lol! As far as giving them up.....well as a hobby they encompass so much of what I love! Character creation, sewing, art, planning, and getting crafty....Since they do encompass all that, and those things are my life long loves, I highly doubt I'm going to drop the hobby, even when I have kids, I've been planning on getting them their first one! lol!
It also has occurred to me that maybe people "drop" the hobby, because they were more going along with the "fad" rather than actually having an opinion, you know what I mean? like if all their current friends had one and they decided to get one? things like that....which I think is depressing, but people do it. pretty expensive "fad", lol!