Poll: Why Do You Collect?

3 and 4 for me! I've always been a collector and had my start mostly in anime figures and fashion dolls. I've always wanted bjd but it wasn't until the last few years I was able to afford any. I had a ton of oc's and I love portraying them in different forms of media and the customization aspect of BJD was a huge draw for me. Being able to built characters around my dolls or turn my favorite characters into dolls is my absolute favorite thing about them! Especially when you finally find the perfect sculpt for one of your characters its so exciting

 

3. It's always been primarily about the characters for me, even if some of the ones that got displaced by newer/better options over time are still hanging around. Sadly, I expected to enjoy the creative/customization aspect more than it seems I do.

 

3 for me, I can't buy merch of my own characters like I could with anime or video game characters I like, so I enjoy having something to represent them outside of drawing or writing.

 

I would have to say all 7. My favourite hobbies were always art, writing, photography, fashion designing, craft, and collecting. So, discovering bjds which was basically all those elements combined was like a dream come true for me.

Before Bjds, I was collecting porcelain dolls, but photography wasn't as fun with dolls that could not pose. When I first saw a post on bjds, I knew immediately this was it for me, and there was just no going back.

 

Combination of 1, 3, and 7 is what drew me to the hobby. I really enjoy sewing and putting together props, and I'm excited to share pics of my doll! I want to make "cosplays" for my dolls as well, so I try to order dolls with the potential to look like a few of my favorite characters.

 

Creating fashion lol I love tiny dolly clothes and I derive most pleasure from making them myself. Also, I love photography, but currently I only take quicky crappy pics for my insta. I haven't done a proper photo session in a looong time I don't like describing myself as a 'collector'. I don't actually collect them. But you could call me a dolly shoe collector, that's for sure

 

I would probably say 4,5 & 8 for me, with 8 being I honestly just like *pretty* things, and all of my dolls fit into that.
So I like having large collections of pretty things.

 

Well, for me it is very clearly 3 and 7. My dolls are fix characters, most of them from movies and TV. I really like superheros from Marvel and Star Wars/Star Trek. But I do not need everybody, I am very picky about choosing them. After all, the 10 guys or so I own are all 60-75 cm and thus take up a lot of space. So no, I do not collect dolls in any traditional sense. My glass cabinets are fully occupied by now, so there is no spot available any longer. But I am very happy with my crew as-is.

I love making stuff for them, dioramas, accessories (although I have to really pick what I "need" for them and what not - everything is gigantic). As I just stepped into a smaller scale, they are a bit on a backburner right now. But that may change again, I am pretty sure.

 

Sort of a mix of 1, 2 and 3 - I like making characters, I like dressing dolls up in cute clothes, and I'm always looking for excuses to take pictures! I do occasionally make stuff for them as well, but I'm just as happy to buy them stuff when I don't have the energy to sew.

 

Mostly creating! I just love making wigs and face-ups on dolls I also want to make more accessories and clothes!
And also diversity, as I try to get at least one doll from my favorite artists
But I also want to explore more in the hobby as well! Like photography!
In a way, bjds help me to be happy as well, it feels really good to have a hobby you can spend time on!

 

3, 6, and 7. Mostly 7. I thought having dolls could help me develop some cool creating skills. And I do love making characters and creating unique hybrids.

 

1, 2, 3 and partly 7.
I create their stories (mostly in my head, because procrastination). Writing and photoshooting is the best option for me.

 

I love the artistry and the beauty. Mine are displayed, not played with or photographed so I guess I just love the way they look and wanted to own some to enjoy for myself.

 

2 & 7. I like fashion especially on creatures that always look their best and 7 because it can be very fun trying my hand at things.

 

3, 4, & 7. Primarily Characters - they're all characters in some stories in my head. A touch of Collecting - I've collected dolls and stuffed animals since I was a wee child. I don't really have any now, aside from a small handful of stuffed animals that have sentimental value. And of late, Creative, as the newest story/doll group that's sprung up has come about while I was thinking of what sort of jewelry I want to create to start my shop - a character (Madelaine) popped into my head and the story blew up.

 

Photography and fashion. I love dressing my dolls! I'm not personally fashionable but I love to find the perfect outfit for my dolls! And I enjoy photographing my dolls but I don't have an awesome set up nor have I taken any photography classes and my camera is point and shoot. But I still TRY to take nice photos.

 

Characters and photography! Those two kinda play into eachother. If those characters were real people, I'd also be taking 1000 photos of them a day, but they aren't so my dolls get the brunt

 

Like Rabbidbunnies (quoted below), I came into the hobby after collecting a different doll type.

The difference is that I lived in Japan and was finding it harder to participate in the Annette Himstedt collecting circles since the dolls were primarily sold in Europe and the USA. So, I decided to try out BJDs. Now, BJDs are most of my doll collection even though a few other dolls still remain. Although I think being a long-time collector did play a part, I also feel where I live also determined what kind of doll I would collect. It was so incredibly refreshing to be able to go to a shop and simply buy a doll. I had never been able to do that before.

Then, like KLCdoll (quoted below), I have always loved dolls although I have never actually made them. I find the fact KLCdoll made dolls so incredibly fascinating!

What did resonate me with KLCdoll's experience, however, is the handmade factor. My first doll was a handmade Raggedy Ann doll I received from an aunt. I loved that doll and still have her. The stitching on the face is falling off, the fabric is so thin on parts of the face, the hands and feet long ago lost their stitching... There is something so incredibly wonderful about handmade items. And, this is where I will share KLCdoll's love for the clothes! The handmade clothing by various artisans is something I really adore about the hobby. That said, I do not particularly like fashion per se. I like the expression of artistry in the clothing that is perhaps anti-fashion in many ways. I want pastels. I want lace. I want to be inspired by the creative minds that create the wonderful clothing pieces.

But, primarily, I think it is about enjoying something beautiful in what can sometimes be an ugly world as Bianca touched upon below.

It is nice to have a "piece of beautiful" to inspire oneself or even distract oneself from worries or past trauma. That beautiful can inspire so many new hobbies as well like photography, story-writing, sewing, knitting, doll furniture... the list goes on. In my case, dolls inspired me to learn some photography, but I am definitely not a good photographer. It is something I dabble in enough to better appreciate my dolls. I have also made accessories and some clothing pieces for my dolls. I never would have been able to be creative like that without the hobby.

I also think doll collecting is one of those things that can grow with you. It can take on many forms as a person gets older and it can even bring people together. It is never one thing. It is merely what one makes it.

 

4 for sure! I’ve been collecting dolls in general since I was a child and when I found out there was an actual hobby pertaining to such, I jumped in as soon as possible! I wasn’t actually able to purchase any of the dolls until I hit my early twenties but it’s always been in me to collect a beautiful doll.

 

My answer to this question has changed a lot over the years. When I first got into the hobby, I was a high schooler with big dreams of going into fashion design and wanted to craft beautiful couture clothes for my doll. While I did end up getting one doll (Resinsoul Mei), I didn't really have a lot of money for the hobby so my ambitions were put to the wayside until recently.

I finally got back into the hobby during this past year. Now that I am independent and finished college (I got an art history degree in the end) I've been able to really get into crafting and fashion as a hobby. I've also invested in supplies to give my Resinsoul a new face up when the weather warms up. I'm learning all the things I wanted to do 10 years ago!

I've always had a collecting nature since I was a kid but its been a real joy to get back into the hobby. I think back to my high school days and it seemed like I wanted a huge list of dolls and was honestly overwhelmed at times. Now though, I feel more selective and focused. My collection is small but it is diverse and each doll is special to me in their own way. My next goal is to eventually shell a character to add to my collection. So overall, my answer a mode-podge of 2.4.6.7.