Odd question: ... An extention of you...

Kind of, but not too much like a sword. I don't generally hit people with my dolls, obviously!

What I do find, though, is that the lifelike appearance of my dolls and the characters I have made for them are comforting to me. Having them around puts me at ease becuase I spend a lot of time alone at home (not entirely through choice) and my dolls make me feel like I have company. In the past I have kept pets, which give me a much the same thing only with actual interaction, which is lovely. However, the house I currently live in does not allow pets.

I do usually take one of my dolls with me when I go places. I always take Mikos home for the holidays, for example. I like having them around.

 

Hmm I don't think my Giriko is like, a part of me. I usually don't miss him but then when I do play with him and have him around I feel really happy and better than I did before, so I guess he means a lot more to me than I realize

 

Yeah my dolls are like... they're the listening (kind of) ear when you needs it, and when no one else will listen. I just don't feel as alone with my dolls near.

 

I work as a nuclear fuel technician for a large corporation. My job is very stressful because if I do it wrong the consequences are frightening and not just for this location. I always have one of my small off topic girls or anthros in my car because for some off the wall reason they center me. Weird huh?

 

I feel that way to a certain extent about my collection. But I think the reason that I do is because the majority of my dolly family members are the physical representations of the characters in the stories that I write. They help me to see their world more clearly as I'm writing, but because their lives & personalities are all a product of my imagination and their stories are a labor of love; they are *hugely* important to me.

 

I don't think that's weird at all, LostKitten. If having your girls or anthros near you helps keep the stress levels down, then go for it. I know when I'm having a particularly bad/stressful day, just walking into my doll room helps ease and calm me.

 

no, never. I use them for photoshoots, I style them differently quit often, and none of them actually have a name. As long as they do the purpose I have them for, I am happy with this hobby and I am glad there's artists who can make such beautifully made objects. But see them as my extention - no.

 

That said, I enjoy when my dolls are around me. They don't make me feel incomplete when they're not around me, though. It's just kind of fun to have them around, sometimes.

 

I can always depend on quoting Taco - who always hits the nail on the head.
Yes, my dolls are an extension of me, especially representing certain times of my "past lives" as I call it - as the life I'm living now is not the life I was living 15 years ago, 155 years ago, or 400 years ago. That's just my way of looking at it. All of my dolls carry some of my attitudes/ideals.

 

Haha, sometimes I feel like a lesser bjd enthusiast when I read stuff like this. I am not all that attached to my dolls. If, for some reason, I really had to sell them all, I could do it without feeling too bad. Given the choice, I would choose to keep them, but that emotional thing just isn't there. Although I would say I am much closer to them than my other possessions, like clothes and electronics. But I am much closer to the pet cat I've had for 14 years XD I guess that goes without saying?

They are a part of me in the sense that anything I use my imagination on is a part of me, like a drawing, painting, written story, whatever. I guess that's the extent of it, though. On some level they mean more because I like and cherish them, but... I'm honestly not that emotional intertwined with them.

 

The characters of my dolls are like an extension of me...as a grouping of cherished memories perhaps. I chose to do this with dolls instead of recording my thoughts and experiences in written journals or diaries because I found it to be a far more interesting, ever-changing, creative and fun way to remember special moments in my life. (Plus, I love pretty things!) So I created elaborate rooms like 3-dimensional art displays that can be changed on a whim, and populated these special spaces with dolls that represent a sort of urban fairytale of my life. Each one represents a collected memory and because of that, each one is special in it's own way. But the attachment is to the character I think, rather than the doll itself...because there has been times where a new doll came along that better suited that character, and I chose to reshell them. But to have no doll on display for that character...that would certainly make me very sad indeed!

 

Of course! They have some of my likes and dislikes. They are, in essence, a part of me.

 

All of my dolls were given to me. I received them out of some kind of extreme luck and generosity (luck that otherwise I never come across). I think they are the greatest gift I have ever been given, and to me they are certainly an extension of my mind. Having them around helps me organize my thoughts, focus on what I need to and put things into perspective.

 

Do you feel that your dolls are an extention of you?
I would have to sort of agree with you. I think my BJDs do exemplify some of my idealistic views of either myself or a part of my persona and personality. I see myself as multi-faceted and dynamic therefore my dolls are to. Some of them represent fringe elements of my personality and others are closer to my core being. I cannot say I would feel uneasy or ill if they were not displayed but they are surely testimony to elements of me and I am calmed by them, so to speak.

There are some facets of me which are yet to be embodied in a doll and I think that is the great part of the joy that comes from obtaining and customizing these dolls. My mind is so full of images and feelings that I need to express and embody in a doll. I find that extremely rewarding. This is why I am able to appreciate where you are coming from with this thread.

 

Have any of you ever felt like your doll was a part of you, much like a sword is part of the swordsman, an extension of yourself in some manner?

I think this is a really interesting question!

My thoughts are on a similar line to Mariano G's.

For me, the dolls in my collection are an expression of something I've created. I think there's a strong link associated with that. I worry about them, both because they are costly and because they have significant emotional value to me. Sometimes some of their traits are something I see in myself, exaggerated and animated. For example, I see Fawne (CP Lishe) as an exaggeration and projection of my more serious personality traits - loyalty, determination and stubbornness.

In that way, you could sort of see them as an extension of me in that their characters are taken from my feelings and experiences. However I haven't had a specific experience like yours. So I wouldn't say it's exactly the same.

But if you feel a connection, and you feel comfort in that, I think it's a very good thing.