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Second thoughts about the hobby

Jun 27, 2010

    1. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      I bet there are quite a few posts where I say that I don't own an SD or any larger doll yet, but I do have two, 25cm dollfies. But that doesn't mean you don't have second thoughts. Because I bought two small dolls that each cost around $100 instead of something else? Not at all.

      For me, at least, the second thoughts I've had were when I was thinking about getting a larger, SD or MSD-sized doll. I was looking at getting the Bobobie Mei doll. I did a lot of research on her - and you may find some posts here about her that I looked at. Instead of going the route and asking my mom straight out to get the $300 doll for me (which she wouldn't do, anyway), I decided to gather my funds together (mostly from change from the left-over gas money I got weekly), and buy her myself.

      As you can imagine, I couldn't do it all by myself. I didn't want to get a job, so I offered to do some cleaning around our house - like the bathrooms, and just everywhere. However, my parents weren't going to give me the rest of the money until I did the thing I absolutely hated to ever do - clean my own room. I decided that I'd just have to keep going all by myself.

      I had even bigger issues doing it myself since I have the bad habit of wanting to spend every cent I got. I ended up having to take my money out of my wallet, put it in an envelope (so I couldn't see it), and tack it to my wall. Out of sight, out of mind. And it worked. I'd see the envelope every day, of course, but then I could ignore it easier than I would have in my wallet.

      Well, time went on, and I'd gotten about $250, I think. And that's about the time where I gave up. I said to myself that this is never going to happen, and I spend all of my money. And in that sense, I think I had second thoughts.

      But regretting having my little dolls is something that's never happened - especially when I saw the anime Angelic Layer, where they had these cool fighting dolls that were the same size as my little ones. In fact, discovering the awesomeness of that show is why I got my second doll!


      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?

      This one doesn't apply to me, but the dolls I have came from the 'Lost Angels Story', which had their own books because they were character dolls. I don't have any of the books, but I do wonder if I'd treat the dolls differently if I found that one may be a slut, or one a very evil villain.


      - What made you have these second thoughts?

      I don't think that I'd have faltered quickly or at all if I had done a little more research. I wanted something cheaper than Volks - which was where my little ones came from. However, I found that it would be terribly hard to find clothes that I wouldn't have to make myself (my mom has a sewing machine, but we've never used it). I mean, I know doll clothes tend to be a little pricey, but I'd actually would've been ok with sewing my own doll clothes if it was an option, and I had the knowledge that there would be clothes to fit if I messed the whole thing up.

      So, I found that this doll would've been more trouble than she was worth, and I gave up. I realized that having to go crazy over even one outfit would be too much trouble, and my research wasn't really getting me anywhere.


      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      Even with what happened about a year ago, I don't think it ever made me not like the hobby. I prefer to say my interest became 'dormant'. I was into ABJDs since my first year in college (3-4 years ago) when my friend showed me the Volks site, and I've always wanted a big doll because they seemed the most fun! I love my little ones, but you can't do the same sort of things with, or even find many outfits for them. I wish this weren't the case, but it is. A lot more things are open to larger doll owners than regular dollfies (who apparently aren't even ball-jointed oddly enough), and having the little ones sort of kept me sated from the desire to have an SD.

      And I actually am looking into getting one again! I'm looking at the Dollmore dolls this time, who have relatively close specs to Volks SD and MSD. The $200-300 range tend to be the MSD-sized dolls. And I realized I'm cool with an MSD doll. Lots of people have them, too. Plus, I can always build up to a large, 60cm doll. It's all good. PLUS, as I did with my first doll 'expedition', I have gathered 23lbs of coins to take to my local Coin Star (bless that company!), and hope to see what I find!

      So far, anything except cleaning my room, I'd do!
       
    2. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes, mostly because of the expense.
      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I am actually quite happy that I have gotten dolls for my OC's. The dolls have changed my characters a little bit, but all in all, in my mind, there is a doll version of the character and the actual Oc. Together but separate.
      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      The cost of the hobby. I want molds that are too expensive, but it sparks my creativity, so meh.
      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      The dream of one day actually having my completed oc as a doll. My friends too. Darn peer pressure.
       
    3. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes as well as third and fourth as it's been expensive and I have had more stress over the money then anything in past.

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I have tried both ways, and I find for me it works more to say personalities as I don't role play or even do video games, I just read manga and watch anime and even my dolls take on just the subtitle layers of who they are named after. They are not them.

      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      The costs! I have an allowance and I am able to sell most times what I buy that doesn't work out but mostly at a loss weather it's wigs, or dolls. But it's never been enough. I have come close to being in trouble with my CC and every time I say I will do better. But not always the case. Unlike the dolls I had in past these are really unique, but not cheap. So when I find I want one that means others have to go. Sometimes it's okay others it's saddens me but what can you do.

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      The people as well as dolls. All my other past hobbies it was either one or other not both. When I had horses it was the horses, the people were not always as they seemed. When it was the other dolls the people were super nice, but the dolls were just what outfit they are wearing. With these dolls I have made actual friends and been able to go to their homes and spend time with them, and the dolls have become my small special world I used to dream of as a child. Small people who did things I couldn't do like be smart, have good relationships and stay in one place all their lives. Plus the clothes are always so neat to find and the vacations even with DH are better because I have a doll I can take pics of at places, not just the places. Makes them more special. To me these dolls have made my life so much better and I am in this good and bad.
       
    4. I've never had second thoughts on the hobby.... but on dolls in particular, yes. I've gotten some dolls that just weren't for me for some reason. Some dolls I just couldn't attatch to. I learned to avoid this problem a bit by looking at owner pics and not just the official photos. The other issue is second thoughts after I order a doll because of price.... but I never canceled an order or anything. But sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't have...
       
    5. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes.

      For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I have no regrets about trying to personalize these characters with a physical avatar. The characters are always at the forefront of the process, but buying the dolls themselves is an experience that is both good and bad.

      What made you have these second thoughts?
      I've been wondering if it's really worth spending so much money on. We often have to put up with physical imperfections or even quality issues, and for the money we pay it can be disappointing at times. I recently had a very bad experience with a company. I never want to deal with such horrible customer service again.

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      For the moment, the hobby is going to take a backseat while I put my money towards things I value more. I believe I will finish this project someday, but for now I'm more or less on hiatus.
       
    6. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes!

      For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I find this might actually be my problem--I have a character from a book and a character from a game that I want to make into the most gorgeous dolls I can manage. Coming from the professional cosplay scene, I have extremely high standards for their props, costumes, and accessories. I started getting extremely frustrated that I couldn't track down the same items in dollsize that I was able to (almost EASILY) find in human size. I bought one doll, and all the clothes I found for her didn't fit, so as much as I loved her I put her on the marketplace after only a month or so of owning her and replaced her with a doll that has a more standard size body. Even now I feel her face isn't right! If I could just "let go" of the image I have in my head and on paper of how this character SHOULD look like then I think I would have a much easier time with it, but I am a die hard perfectionist and I know I won't be happy until I've spent my entire fortune (read: savings account) trying to make her perfect.

      What made you have these second thoughts?
      Pretty much the idea that I may never have the doll I want and imagined, after spending way way way too much money on it. Being dissatisfied with a purchase that is purely recreational is horrible. You start to think of how many REAL HUMAN LIVES you could have saved with the money you wasted on dolls that don't even make you happy...

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      Stubbornness really...and I figure that I bought these dolls and I could probably sell them again for close to what I paid. I refuse to give up and I have my Cuprit that I adore even without her being my own design. She is the centerpiece of my collection, she is what makes me say "I can make a doll that looks as gorgeous as her, with an amazing fantasy costume an unearthly details in every element of her design..." Also, I decided to get a "cheaper" Resinsoul Mei doll. I felt terribly stupid to keep buying dolls when my satisfaction with the ones I had started to wane, but she has completely turned me around. I am excited to try body blushing with her, and she's so flexible I love to see her pouty little poses and all the expressions she seems to make. As she was a fraction of the cost of other dolls I feel I can be more "rough" with her, leaving her in her costume and her wig, keeping her outside her box, having her chill with me on my desk while I work...I realized that there is a different kind of satisfaction I can get out of the hobby in lots of ways :) And she made me realize this. So I'm here to stay :) And commissioning the costumes I want and hunting the wigs I need to bring my characters to life.
       
    7. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      I go through waves of interest and non interest in all of my hobbies. I will put more focus on one thing at a particular point in time, which can make me think the other things are less important. Perhaps this is typical for someone of my age? I'm unsure. So I suppose I can say yes, I have.
      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      Price, really. I think of all the additions I could have placed into my Sailor Moon collection, or to my anime figure collection with the money I just dropped on a doll. I also experience temporary guilt when I'm in a wave of doll collecting, because I regret making one doll purchase over another, and get scared I'll hate the doll that's coming to me. That fear spreads over all of my thoughts for the hobby for some reason, and I temporarily loose interest. Usually until the doll arrives, then I'm back in it again.
      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      Like others have said, walking into my room and just glancing at my dolls can either give me complete reassurance in my love for the hobby, or just merely cheer me up for a few hours. No matter how many doubts I have, I don't think I could ever leave. The thought of letting my dolls go makes me physically sick. I couldn't bear to part with any of them, even ones that I don't bond with as much as others. I get very attached to them, so leaving is out of the question. They're dolls. They're amazing. And I love them. That will probably never change ♥
       
    8. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      No, I've really enjoyed the hobby and have never had any thoughts about leaving.

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?

      Interesting question. When I first started, I didn't plan on buying bodies for pre-existing characters. That changed several months after getting my first doll. I think it's great that I shifted to being so story and character oriented with the dolls -- it helped get my creative juices flowing again and I feel like it makes bonding easier too. The one thought in the back of my mind is somewhat the opposite of what you mentioned -- that I should have only done pre-existing characters, and infact, I let some non-preexisting characters go so that I could use several dolls in my main storyline as pre-existing characters. I still have a few extraneous dolls that I'm figuring out what to do with, but the vast majority are all story characters, and I'm happier with that.

      I think it's normal over time to rethink how you're collecting and what it is you really want -- it took me being in the hobby for awhile to figure some stuff out.

      - What made you have these second thoughts?

      On leaving the hobby -- no such thoughts

      On (almost) completely swapping over to pre-existing characters -- it was becoming clear that my main storyline was my favorite group that tended to get the most attention. Plus, by just dealing with that one big storyline, I could put all my resources into it, and allow for further development much more easily.

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      I've never wanted to leave, but what's kept me feeling so positive is that I love the dolls -- they're beautiful, they're a great creative outlet, I'm very attached to my crew. I've also met some really fun people through the hobby as well. There are times when I might get fed up with something on a message board, but that's just a matter of taking a step back for a bit and letting things cool off. There's so much more to the hobby than just internet interaction, and most people are really very nice.
       
    9. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      Yeah, sure. Within a week or so of getting my first doll I was wondering if I wanted to just sell her and get a new hobby ha ha!

      For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?


      Hm.....Well, right now I'm going through a period of thinking that getting my SD boy was a mistake because I don't really do anything with him. I mean, he doesn't even have a photoshoot here on DoA! D: But in the end they're just dolls so it's not like I should worry about not doing anything with them since they're pretty ha ha! And I wouldn't get much for him on the 2nd hand market so...

      What made you have these second thoughts?


      Getting into other expensive hobbies. : | I keep thinking "if I just sold this doll I could get this!" but in the end I don't sell them cause I'm too lazy and would probably regret doing so.

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      Hanging out with other doll people. I like the social aspect of it and looking at other people's dolls even if I'll never buy the same mold. Plus I tend to just do something with my dolls when I'm feeling particularly apathetic towards them so then I remember why I got into the hobby in the first place. To spend ridiculous amounts of cash on a doll that looks nice on a shelf. :'D
       
    10. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      Sometimes when I get stressed out (like feeling guilty over buying my newest doll when I realized I liked MSDs more) I want to give the hobby up.
      For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I've usually tried to make dolls into book characters but after 3 yrs I've noticed that it never seems to come out the way I'd like it to be. I've decided maybe its a good idea just to let the dolls develop their own character.

      What made you have these second thoughts?
      Well I have two hobbies (SCA and dolls + my sewing) and sometimes it seems like I don't have enough time for both.

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      Funny enough its my little Custom House Yeondu that kept me in the hobby....she's the first doll in a long time where I actually feel the desire to sew for her and to cuddle her.
       
    11. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Absolutely! I think every one has doubts when entering a hobby as expensive and time consuming as this one.
      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I do not really understand... :/
      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      Lack of time, winter depression, financial problems, procrastination.... A lot of things XP
      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      I just love this hobby so much I do not feel I would be myself to stop because of little problems or just passing moods. I like my dolls and I do not think I will ever leave the hobby like that ^__^
       
    12. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes

      What made you have these second thoughts?
      The cost is a little discouraging at times. Another reason is people. ^_^; The hobby's kinda like being in a room full of indie rock fans... I don't plan on doing a box opening thing when my Benny comes 'cause I think it's kinda silly. I don't want to do photoshoots aside from the random obligatory phone shot for Facebook to show my friends, I'm not entirely certian I want to take her out in public just because, I don't have elaborate backstories and worlds for my dolls (just enough to get an idea of their personality),and I don't think I'm going to play with her like she's a normal toy. People are very intense about these dolls, far more intense than I am or ever was about dolls as a little girl. So, sometimes I worry that I'll come across as fake because I'm not into all the extra things.

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      People, lol! It's tiring to read "It's yours, do what you want with it" responses in debate threads, but that doesn't make the statement any less true. Just because I don't plan to enjoy my dolls in the exact same way as others doesn't mean I'm not meant to collect them.
       
    13. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yup. I think most people do at some point or another!
      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      Having characters transformed into dolls is an amazing thing for me. I love having a tangible version of them to snuggle, my doll right now is one of my new characters but I'm saving up for some dolls that I will transform into some very old beloved characters. But naturally your focus will be more on the actual doll for a while when you're trying to finish them, but once they are as close to perfect as possible then I feel like you focus more on the actual character again.
      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      The prices and the social factor (I went to a very preppy conservative high school when I first got introduced to the hobby) were what made me have second thoughts the first time. Another time I've had second thoughts was when I had encounters with some not so nice elitist doll owners.
      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      I got over the money issue because I realized that these dolls are investments, emotionally and creatively, and I also realized that my high school classmates would have no effect on my future and they were only a small segment of my life. And for every elitist owner there were always at least 20 kind genuine owners. So my faith was restored in the hobby each time I doubted it. :)
       
    14. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yes, a few times~ They didn't last too long, but it's something that happens with every hobby; I tend to have second thoughts about it :C

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      Hmm... this is kind of halved for me. My first two dolls didn't have full fledged characters until I got them, however all the dolls I'm saving for now all have characters first. That's not to say I didn't have character ideas, but since they were my first too dolls, it was much different designing a doll rather than an OC.


      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      Oddly enough, it wasn't the price of the dolls that gave me second thoughts. It was a mixture between the skills it takes to make a doll "look good" (or just how I want them to look) and... the people u-u;

      The people: My first meetup was... a disaster xnx; Luckily I don't think anyone ever ended up noticing me, but regardless... it was horrible x-x; I couldn't talk to anyone, and when I tried to, all I got were flat, one-worded answers. "Stop it." "No." "Yeah." etc... I tried wandering around to see others' dolls (since this was before I had my own boy, I was freakin' amazed by all the gorgeous resin) but I was actually -pushed- out of the way o___O; PUSHED?! o-o;; I even tried asking questions to people small-talk like to get a conversation going, like "what sculpt is your doll?" sort of thing. The only answer I actually got was "I don't know." >_>;... .... wut?
      That experience seriously made me want to just not even open my doll when he came and instead immediately put him up for sale. Of course, I couldn't do that- he was a gift from my parents and the second I saw that bald, faceupless, naked resin I fell in bittersweet love ;n;

      But, then, the skills: faceups are HARD DX And time consuming, and expensive no matter which way you slice it. Finding the materials is hard (at least where I live- I STILL can't find any acrylic paint thinner x-x!), and sewing is difficult. I'd love nothing more than to send out my boys for a professional faceup, but I'm too stubborn and like to do stuff myself :C Also I don't have the expenses to pay for a $50+ face up, with extra for shipping both ways x___x! Nor do I have the expenses to pay for clothes- my MSD boy still only has a pair of leggings as his only pants since I've generally scarred my fingers with pin pricks trying to make him some jeans.

      With that, I guess expenses do tend to cut in a bit and give me second thoughts xD;

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      In all honesty. I have no clue. All of the above arguments make me want to sell my boys immediately- because then I'd have an extra $1500 in my pocket. I could buy a new PC for all my PC games! Hell, I could even just buy all the Mac versions -of- my PC games and programs! xD
      But what keeps me in the hobby?

      Whenever I take my boys out of their little drawer-based beds, something about them... it makes me happy < 3 I see two characters I truly love, I see all the creative possibilities- whether it be their faceups, their clothes, their backstories... It's awesome, and I love my boys. My characters are the most important things to me, and having them as something I can hold and pose and... do anything with! is awesome.
      Their characters are just about 100% solidified; Jeremy just needs a faceup while June needs a wig, face up, and eyes, but once they're done with that- I can finally start making all the photostory ideas I had months ago! < 3
      ... Where's my MSC, I want to give little Germy a faceup now >w<
       
    15. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      All the time. I've come close to just packing them all up and putting them away indefinetely.

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      For my crew the characters have mostly come with the dolls, even if that means they pop up in my head when I see sales pictures. What's gotten in the way of enjoying them is trying to get them so they have what they need to be that character. My first doll still isn't 'done'.

      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      Some of the time it's the frustration with getting things 'perfect'. The rest of the time it's the people. I don't really care for people in general in the first place, and I seem to run into the terrible ones when it comes to BJD collectors.

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      I realized I couldn't let the actions of a few idiots affect my life in a way I didn't want it to. That and my girlfriend would murder me if I sold them all. I simply avoid the people I have problems with, and just work harder at making my dolls perfect.
       
    16. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby? A little. It's a huge time-and-money sink!!! I thought, oh, there goes any hope of productivity! But really, that's my fault, not the dolls or the hobby. I need to be more organized and disciplined so the dolls don't take over my life. It's not their fault. Nor the fault of the other folks in the hobby. I've never been bothered by what other folks in the hobby do--so all the drama that happens in that respect doesn't ever make me want to quit. I can easily skip threads I'm not interested in when on DoA, and skip talking a lot to people I'm not interested in when at meets (this rarely happens with me--I'm easy-going and it's nearly impossible to offend me or get under my skin).

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters? I have a friend who started buying dolls for her characters, then she changed her focus and got out of BJDs. It happens. I happen to really like the dolls first, so I'm in it for the long-haul. I like my dolls regardless of characters or what I'm interested in at the moment... or at least I hope that's why I'm buying them! It's impossible to predict the future, though, so who knows? But I've been here since 2004, so that's a few years at least. I wasn't sure how long it would last at first, I still don't know for certain, but I know that I tend to like things for quite a long while (or maybe forever), so I'm not all that worried... I think DoA keeps me more interested than I might be without it... it's certainly chock full of ENABLERS here!!! But if DoA went away, I would probably still keep my dolls... I just wouldn't do as much with them and my focus would shift a bit.

      - What made you have these second thoughts? Mostly the amount of time and money I spend on dolls. Other owners don't bother me at all. I'm here because I like dolls--period. But I've found I like a lot of the other owners. Especially in how creative and skilled many of them are...

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby? I'm here because I like BJDs. I'm interested in seeing what dolls are being made and sold. I love the fashions. I love the props and accessories. I love the creativity of other members when they post photos and stories and games. I like the social aspects--the doll meets. It's all good to me... save for me spending too much money and time here and on dolls!!! But, as I said, that's my problem, not the hobby's. *_*
       
    17. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      The hobby, no, my dolls, yes.

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?
      I tried putting a character to a doll, but it didn't exactly work :/ I planned things for him (clothes and such), but then it led to a massive dollie snowball and I was not ready for that XD" But I have, and currently am, putting personal characters (Imaginary friends/demons/spirits, if you will) into doll form. Since the characters themselves aren't human and I wanted to solidify them in some way (I just cannot draw them ;_; ), I chose them to be dolliefied.

      But many of my dolls are doll -> character

      - What made you have these second thoughts?
      I'm still getting use to the different doll sizes, so I'm constantly thinking if I should have stuck with one size. And since I bought quite a bunch in such a short-ish time, I wonder if I should have only bought one or waited to buy a certain number all at once. So I'm in this back and forth of 'sell or not sell,' but I don't have the heart to X3

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?
      Always going to be in the hobby, hopefully. It's very interesting to see new dolls released and look at what different members bring to the community c: As for my own woes, I'll get over them and keep planning and buying <3 (Until I reach 20 dolls ._. *Limit*)
       
    18. Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      Yes. Not infrequently, to be honest.

      For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?

      It's funny - I discovered bjds when I was looking for a physical representation of a set of characters from a (terrible, if I'm being honest) novel that I wrote, but I never actually found the right sculpt/colour/size combination, so my dolls are all coming from an "Oh, pretty - must have!" place rather than a character one.

      What made you have these second thoughts?
      A little bit of it is the crazy/drama factor in some of the social bits, but mostly it's the cost. Not in terms of affording it, but more in terms of balance - I have other hobbies that I'd probably say I'm more invested in where I think the hours-of-entertainment:cost ratio are a somewhat better value (as in, I could buy doll-X or spend a week in Cuba for the same cost. Doll Y or buy 100 comic books. And so on.)

      What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      I just like dolls, I guess! :)
       
    19. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?
      Yeah. When I think about how much everyone has cost and how I could have spent that money on other things. But I'm just so happy being a doll collector, it doesn't last long.
      - What made you have these second thoughts? See above.
      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby? Again...I answered too fast.
       
    20. - Have you ever had second thoughts about the hobby?

      Yup. I've been in this hobby for about a year and a half now and I've thought about just leaving the hobby because it's so darned expensive and I don't think I really do a whole lot with em.

      - For those of you with characters before dolls; Have you ever thought it was a mistake? Or that the focus shifted too much to the dolls, and not enough on the characters?

      I've always made characters as I decide to buy the dolls. I see a pretty doll and I think I want that then make a character for it.

      - What made you have these second thoughts?

      I think it's more the expense of the dolls. I tend to love dolls that are more expensive (dollshe, souldoll, soom, ect) so being able to afford them...well could be quite a stretch. I also get a little irritated when I see a doll I just bought faceupless, shirtless or wigless but I just spent all my money on buying the doll in the first place

      - What made you change your mind and decide to stay in the hobby?

      I like the way they make me feel. I like looking at them and posing them and I like "being apart" of a community like DOA and going to meetups. I love how when going to a meet whoever is there looks and gasps at the doll or dolls I have and I love how if I go to a meet without a doll(because it's only a head or clotheless or whatever) I love how everyone says you should have brought them anyway. It's nice how everyone is on here :D