"Once You Get Your Own..."

Before I got my own first doll, I thought "there are more important things to spend money on". Then I got done with school and found myself with time to deal with them and I've learned that:

They are heavy! (I only have big ones, but I bet the tiny's are a bit weighty too?)
They are stubborn. (depends on the strings, but really tight means you can get smacked in the face when dressing them) Strings can be a major issue. I didn't think it would but yeah, those strings are major important. They really aren't "just elastic, what's the big deal?"
I'm willing to starve to afford them. >.> Okay so I was spending too much on the wrong groceries anyway....
Expensive is not necessarily good. There are some real horror stories about the more expensive dolls out there.
I can do my own face ups and take a power tool to a doll if feet don't fit/work or what ever.
I'm increasingly willing to spend more money on these guys (and girls) because they make me really happy.
I suck at photography, but the more photos I take the more I learn.
I try new things I wouldn't have been inspired to try sewing for a human client or even myself.
Shop shop shop before you buy. Ask questions, and if they don't answer, don't deal with them. Just because a company has a 'great rep' in the digital verse doesn't mean they'll do right by you in 'analog'.
When your first doll takes a tumble, it's heart stopping. You check every limb and inch of 'skin'. (First kid syndrome?) then you have a few more and sort of get like, "Oh go wash it off and put a bandaid on, you'll live" about it. (horrible mom syndrome sets in. *snark!*)
My friend just mentioned potato chips. It's really really hard to live with having 'just one' doll once you've gotten your first one.

 

I don't know if my Elly would want a brother or sister. Learning to sew enough clothes for one doll is hard enough, primarily because I'm still learning. I love her dearly, and have loads of fun getting her into "trouble" (wait, she's trying to scare me by getting into situations, that's it!), and her clothes are fairly easy to design and I don't need to remove her head to change clothes (another thing that had been putting me off ownership).

Now, granted, this is my first, and I just got her for my birthday this summer, so my thoughts can change. But right now, we are basking in eachother's glory

 

Did your attitude towards BJDs, or the hobby in general change once you got your own doll?

Yes and no. My girl was everything I had hoped she would be and more. I was even more excited and enthusiastic about the hobby in general because I knew I wanted to be in it for the long run! I was able to better understand the stringing process and just normal lingo because I could do it.

My preferences have changed from when I became interested in the hobby though. Almost a year ago I stumbled across the first BJD I'd ever seen, which was on deviantart. Now I know what I like when I look at a doll and thankfully the first BJD I ordered (Dollshe Saint) is still one I want, even though I'm still waiting on him (ordered 12-19-2010)

 

for me it was totally different from when i was looking at dolls to when i actually had one!
before i hated fur wigs thought they were cheap and ugly! when i get my doll only synthetic for me!~
now the fur wig my doll has is like my favorite thing to play with i have no idea why i thought they were ugly they are super amazing!
also i told myself they would only ever be out of the box if i was playing with them..that didnt last...i have since bought them a bench and they sit in my closet~ i also said no more than 2 i dont need more..but hey, they DO get lonely...plus so many pretty bjd's~ so yeah ive changed alot since when i planned for a bjd to now owning 2~

 

My big thing was being afraid to try things out for myself in case I screwed them up. Now, however, I regularly make clothes and I do all my own face-ups, because after I took the plunge and tried, I worked out that you can fix mistakes.

With one of my new dollies coming in, I'm even thinking about doing my own modifications. I'm a far cry from the girl who didn't want to have anything other than a default set. >_>

 

I think when I got my first bjd I was under the impression that they'd be easier than what they are. XD;
I had thought that painting was easier, that clothing them wouldnt be so difficult or expensive.. that I wouldn't want more. LAWL I guess I thought I would be content with less and that I wouldn't become so enamored by them and the hobby as a whole.

I'm finding with each doll I get its harder to spread my money far enough to sustain all of them and the wardrobes I want for them. ^^;

 

I have always loved dolls but never thought about collecting them because the people around me would think I'm crazy lol. I'm still waiting for me first bjd so I yet have to experience what you all are mentioning here. I have promised my self she will be my one and only, well only time can tell. But I'm already scared of dropping her after reading all the comments about that.

 

I was a little disappointed after I got mine, they just seemed so alien and different from the toy dolls I used to love when I was younger. It took until I finally got Cass (one of my ultimate grail dolls) to finally fully appreciate the delicate artistry of bjds and to actually prefer their more realistic proportions and such to the playthings I had as a kid! Nowadays, when I look at dolls for kids, they all freak me out because they look so unrealistic and stylized -_-;

I also completely underestimated the management of bjds until I got mine. I hadn't given any thought whatsoever to how I was going to manage the small hoard that I seemed to be amassing at an alarming rate. In fact, I only recently counted and discovered 13 of the little buggers. 13! Where the heck they all came from is beyond me, but I have absolutely no space left for anymore. I'd hate to have to start keeping them in boxes, but all my available shelf space is pretty much consumed by books and dolls (in that order.) Don't even get me started on how many wigs, eyes, and other accoutrements have been stuffed in doll boxes in the closet and under the bed. A major clean out needs to happen soon...

 

After Iv owned my own, it seems like the magic that first lured me into the hobby disappeared. There was something they held in pictures and even drawings that seemed so amazing, something that made them seem alive. Now that I have a few, Iv learned their limitations, seen their flaws, and magic is mostly gone. However Iv found new feelings that keep me just as in love with the dolls as ever, they are very precious and are still 'alive', but in a far different way. Although once every blue moon, Ill catch a glimps of one late at night and boom, the magic feeling hits me again. Of course this time the doll is mine

 

I've found that suddenly I've just gone crazy and dived headfirst into this hobby. Before I ever even thought about purchasing one, I just stared at them and thought they were some far-off dream. For the longest time, I wasn't even aware that you could customize all these parts (luckily, I figured it out well before I bought Cupcake ).

I've found now that I'm willing to try new things, such as painting on the doll. I've learned that if I screw it up, I can always fix it without too many complications. I'm also willing to spend an entire day hand-sewing a pair of pants for my boy, something I never would have done before now. I think the hobby has brought out a different side of my meager artistic ability, and I like it. I just hope the magic doesn't fade.

Also, I've become so used to the price of this hobby, that anything in the $200 range is now "cheap" when it used to be "horrifically expensive omg."

 

Definitely changed my outlook--not just on the hobby, but on my own life. Beyond giving me something to be happy about, my dolls remind me to enjoy simple, quiet moments in life (those who sew, work on faceups, and even anyone who's done cleaning/restringing know what's it's like to allow yourself to be absorbed into fine details, and slow down--if only for a little while). I didn't even think about BJDs for six years after I first saw them, they seemed so outlandish in price--I never thought I'd find so much value in them. Or aim to own so many.

I never knew I could feel so passionate about work with bjds. :]

 

I don't think my attitude changed all too much. I have owned more dolls than I ever thought I would have, but other than that - pretty much the same

I am happy to have found DoA, though. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about DoA until after I had bought my first.

 

- Did your attitude towards BJDs, or the hobby in general change once you got your own doll? How?
I have always been a doll person, from childhood, and often sewed my own customizable cloth dolls and often rerooted or gave Barbies and Bratz new faceups, so I really didn't have too may misunderstandings of dolls in general. My big thing was the money...that $500 on a doll was crazy and that I would NEVER spend that (and yes, now I have...) and that saving for one was so impossible that I'd have to only get one...and save for a year....now I've learned to budget and save and get several per year...and that layaway is awesome!


- What would you say to someone who might have thought the way you used to, but hasn't owned a doll yet? I will never do the "It's different with your own" line, because just because it is for ME doesn't mean it will be for THEM. I've heard that line about kids for so many years...and I am DETERMINED never to have any....and when I firmly state it won't happen, I get "Oh, you'll change your mind." to which I reply "well, I hope not, since I already got my tubes tied." Some people have no interest in things and never will. Just as I cannot stand kids and think it would be horrible to try to prove myself wrong by having a couple, some people will never have a strong interest in dolls and pressuring them into getting one isn't going to fix that.
So, my response to someone with my old thinking would be "You know, I used to feel the same way, but I kind of changed my mind." and leave it at that

- Are there any feelings or attitudes towards the doll hobby that you have held onto, even when you got a doll of your own? I still don't care for fullsets, I still don't like time period or lolita or anime or frilly outfits, I still don't like MSD or SD dolls that look like young children. But that is a personal preference, not really a misconception.

 

- Did your attitude towards BJDs, or the hobby in general change once you got your own doll? How?
Honestly, I have been dealing with this quite a bit lately. When I see other box openings of people getting dolls it's like, "a magical feeling" of some sort and it makes me so happy seeing other people open their dolls. I have been through a lot in this hobby and from what my other friend has told me, it hasn't been all that great for me. First of all, whole family doesn't understand and thinks it's ridiculous and sadly, I have ran into a few doll collectors who were trying to use me and control my hobby quite a bit and I didn't appreciate that. Sometimes I feel it's not as "magical" any more like when I first started. It's hard to describe this feeling but I have always loved dolls my entire life whether it's Barbies, Disney dolls, Porcelian dolls and more. So I believe it has changed, maybe I am thinking that it takes quite a bit of work to obtain the doll that it's not worth it until I receive the doll. I have no idea. I am still trying to discover this answer .
To the second question, just be prepared for the good and bad times ^_^.
Third question, I still love my girls very much. I do not think that has changed. And that it's still amazing to open that box knowing something special and a whole new person has entered your life ^_^.