Not worthy of buying a "One Of A Kind" doll!

A small part of me feel that way too. But the main feeling I have is that it would show support to the artist and company.

Whether I would utilize the doll to some pre-determined standard comes second to getting a nice doll, and showing support to the company. (if I could spare the money )
And I feel the same toward other people too. If they get a one-off doll, only to put it on a shelf forever, that's totally cool with me! If they want it then they are within their right to get it. No one should dictate how other get to enjoy their dolls.

 

The only reason I don't own a "one-off" is that it always costs one arm and a leg. In the MP there is my grail, but the person is selling it for 3,4k dollars: well, not gonna happen. For me "being worthy" doesn't mean anything, tbh. It's a doll afterall: why shouldn't be worthy of a piece of resin (I know you explained it, but aren't those just excuses you made within yourself? Just asking)?
Just do what you wanna do, buy what you wanna buy: dunno why most people in the bjd community put everything on a personal level, it's really difficult for me to understand it.

 

I completely understand how you feel in a way: I have depression and when it hits badly I don't feel deserving of anything...

Sometimes I don't even feel worthy of my current dolls that I worked hard to save up for/customize. But even if they sit on a shelf (or in a cabinet in my case), I still deserve them because I worked hard to get them here and because they make me happy!

And you deserve things that make you happy too! You're a human being, and there's an inherent worth in that, after all.

With one offs like those, though, I think the high price might set off some of those feelings of inadequacy. They're worth every cent, what with all the hard work that goes into every facet of these kinds of dolls, but sometimes I'll look at a price and go "aw man..."

Especially for those of us with chronic health issues, it can be too easy to compare our own level of hobby participation to others and feel like we're not "doing" enough. But everyone has their own problems to overcome, and there's probably lots of people out there who silently look up to you the way you do to others.

 

I kinda know what you mean, I laid my eyes on JEAN with the face-up from TIANBA. I'm not so long into the hobby to own such a grail and the price is too high for buying a BJD just because of the face-up. It doesn't make sense to me but I bet for someone else this is the best thing in the world!

 

What makes a doll one-of-a-kind? It's either the faceup or the costume--or both. I don't feel unworthy to buy such a doll. I just feel it's a waste of money. Sooner or later the urge to customize will hit me and I'll start making changes. Afterwards it's still one-of-a-kind, but I've probably halved the original worth. I'm better off buying a basic and making her what I want her to be. Even if you can't make the changes you would like to make, I'll bet you can hire a faceup artist and a costume maker to turn your basic doll into a stunning one-of-a-kind without breaking the bank.

 

Nope - I think your view is, to put it bluntly, a load of bollocks.

If you like a doll enough to want it and have the money to buy it, that's all that should matter.

Teddy

 

You're just as "worthy" as anyone else in the hobby, OP. Stop selling yourself short.
Even if you just have that One Off sitting on a shelf being pretty? You're not "doing it wrong". There are all kinds of ways to doll and simply having them as gorgeous objects that you love looking at is absolutely a legitimate way to participate.

I'm saying this as a fairly traditional "collector"-type who loves Volks' One Offs and has several of them.

 

In my opinion each doll of each owner is one of a kind, due to the excitement to save money and wait for it to arrive at home, beside the most important thing: the love that is put in its care, picking the wig, eyes and the effort to dress them.
This kind of dolls in the links are for collectors spirits maybe (very respectable indeed)... but the one of a kind concept is in the eyes of the beholder, I think... If one have to constantly show that kind of doll and take care of them, finally is almost slavery... Mostly of the time is more fun to not worry about something too expensive...
Personally I work a lot on dolls if I have time and I'm in the mood, but I don't think is necessary to keep attention full time if you can't
^_^ They are there and you can go and come back every time you want... and after some time I look at them and have lust to renewal and refresh the hobby.

 

I have a few off topic dolls that are literally OOAK as they were custom made but sometimes that scares me because it makes them utterly irreplaceable.
Which is stressful.

with bjds though, I LIKE the customisation aspect, it's the biggest draw for me so I have no real interest in full sets anyway. I want to put my own stamp on it, make it uniquely mine.

 

I think you deserve any doll you love. There is only so much you can do with a fullset doll you don’t want to take apart. Sitting on a shelf to be admired and loved seems about perfect for a doll like that.

 

Normally I wouldn’t get a one of a kind bjd, but if I could afford it, and it would be one of my greatest treasures (like a work of art/sculpture), I’d definitely get it! I used to feel unworthy for expensive bjds, but I’m over it now. Why not have something special?

 

It has probably already been said, but a lot of dolls technically ARE "one of a kind" even if they are not advertised as such, because as long as you do even a tiny bit of customization, it does become unique.

Well I DID order a OOAK doll as my first BJD, do not plan to make a lot of customization to the doll itself (though I plenty of projects for costumes) and, quite frankly, am probably not to be the person who will be incredibly active in the hobby, since I view crafting and BJD as a hobby to take at your own pace.

To this day, the thunder of the BJD god has not yet fallen on me because of my unworthiness, but I will update if it does.

It's not like there is only one "right" way to enjoy dolls. So you do you.

 

I was also feeling this way somewhat about a couple of dolls...Enough so that I put my own dolls away Altogether for quite a while…so when I got them back out in March of this year, I resolved to refine my doll collection until I feel like I can add ANY doll that I want and can afford. So rather than being depressing it was actually an encouraging realization. By this time next year, I hope to have my collection sorted, culled and ready to welcome a fantastic doll. With this in mind I’ve made some really good progress already and I’m making a practical (but not too ambitious) work list.

 

I can see how you might feel that way if you weren’t feeling good about yourself in general, but try to remember that there’s no right way to enjoy your dolls. You’re not required to play with, photograph, or document anything you own for other hobbyists. Only do it if it’s fun for you.

Personally, I see dolls like the ones you linked and they bring on nostalgia for the old Art Delfs LUTS used to do. I’m tickled they’re doing cute artsy one offs because it’s exciting to see customizations that are different than their usual defaults.

 

For me each doll is a OOAK due to the personality and character I give them. I don’t care if there’s a thousand others of the same line, my dolls are unique. This said, if I would fall in love with a so labeled OOAK doll and could afford it, I would buy it. And so what, if the doll only sits on the shelf?! If this is what makes you happy, than the doll is worth every cent. It’s about the joy and the fun something give us not about the value or forced activity. Everybody deserves happiness in his/her life, it’s a fundamental right and not a question of worthiness.

 

Imo most if not all dolls are one of a kind once you customize them to some degree.

 

I think a lot of bjd owners have different mind sets than other doll collectors. There are collectors that track down rare dolls from hundreds of years ago or buy one of a kind artist full sets. After being bought the collector puts them in a glass case, and that's it. That's the doll's purpose to them. It sits in that glass case all day every day, and it makes that collector happy. These same type of collectors would have a heart attack at bjd folk splitting full sets and wiping company faceups. They enjoy dolls for their rarity and beauty. Others enjoy dolls for their ability to be customized. Both of these are valid ways to enjoy dolls. I think one of a kind dolls are kind of meant to sit around and be decorative rather than to be played with. It's not bad to play with them, but I think they are intended to be a display piece.

Another thing, just because you don't have a beautiful display space doesn't mean you won't in the future. Just because your health is too poor to enjoy dolls the way you want doesn't mean it won't be better in the future. I also have cfs. It's hard to imagine a future without my health limiting what I can do (because it is possible that I'll never get better), but dolls will wait until you're able to do something with them. It's fine to leave a doll on a shelf or in a box until you're able to do something with them. They don't mind. It doesn't matter if it's a few months or years. They'll still be there. I also think it's important to find ways to enjoy hobbies while being sick. It's a shame to feel like you have to wait until some time far in the future to enjoy things. It's important to enjoy things now, and if seeing your dolls sit on a shelf makes you happy, that's great. You shouldn't worry about being a "good" bjd owner.

 

If you're enjoying the doll, then who cares how? I have a few dolls in my collection now that are ooak by modding or by being one off casts. I only sell these kinds of dolls if they no longer bring enjoyment for me, and if that enjoyment is simply getting to admire them, they stay.

We all deserve to have pretty things, whether we play with them or admire them on a shelf or anyway else