To those who left the hobby and then returned....

I was much more active when I was in highschool through forums online, but never had a doll of my own to post about. When I started college I didn't have the money to buy one or the time to browse online like I used to. I am earning some money now of my own, but not quite enough to justify spending it. I do have more time compared to a few years ago, and having a quick browse through the forums and looking at the beautiful dolls everyone owns motivates me enough to work harder to earn enough where I can spend some of it on my doll and not feel guilty or burdened.

 

I left the hobby about 7 years ago, I used to be very active online, i started a small webshop where i sold lolita clothes to bjds. It was a really fun time when i look back at it! I left the hobby bc of depression, i was not feeling creative at all and stopped sewing and I had to focus on my health.
I don't know if im back in the hobby or not but i just can't stop looking at all these pretty dolls I'm thinking of looking at the attic for the two dolls I still own!

 

I joined the hobby in 2004 and was active until 2008 or so when I started focusing more on live music photography, which consumed my life for the next decade, almost. My dolls and their clothes sat untouched in my room collecting dust, I stopped going to local meetups, and just felt guilty about the whole thing (when I wasn't avoiding thinking about it at all). I moved six months ago which forced me to figure out what to do with my doll collection. They were all in storage but I've taken two to my new place with me and I really want to get back into the hobby in general, I've been spending any free time reading forums and facebook groups, browsing hashtags on instagram, learning about new sculpts and companies (and being really depressed by learning about the explosion of recasts, which weren't even a thing when I left!), and I ordered my first doll since returning, a Haru Casting Joa. I need to sell most of my old dolls as I've discovered what sculpts and sizes do and don't work for me - I'm a slim mini lover through and through, and I really only bond with girl dolls, despite trying out some boys. Anyway, I've seen a few familiar names throughout this thread and the forum which has been nice, glad I'm not the only dinosaur around!

 

I started in the hobby around 2006, got my first doll around 2008. Made friends in the hobby around 2011. For me, it was the constant cost that I couldn't keep up with. I had so many BJD desires, and didn't have the financials to keep up with them. It left me feeling bitter and burnt out. So one day I packed my dolls up into storage... and didn't take them out again for three years. It wasn't until I had a new, better paying job that I coincidentally started eyeing up my dolls again-- at first because I was sizing them up to sell in all honesty! But once I had them out again, in my hands, in their stands and fussing with their wigs and outfits... I started falling back in love. And here we are.

 

When I first came across them I was like holy crap whoa but then when i looked at prices and i had wanted a centaur doll specifically so when i searched google high and low for one they are either all sold out or wayy to expensive so I got put off for awhile but my friend pulled me back in saying that we could make out own so then i tried but lmao procrastinated for a few months so I only got up to the rouch shape of the head, a rough shape of the body, and very rough shape of the arms and it was only up until a few weeks ago had i rediscovered bjds on instagram and i got back into it XD and ended up asking to buy one instead of making my own-

 

A few years ago I really liked dolls, lost interest, but I've been super into it for the past 1 1/2 years!

 

I got into the hobby when I was a freshman in high school in 2009. I ended up buying a Dollzone Chen and Soom MD Chrom over the course of a year. They were immense purchases for me at 14 years old, so I took a break from buying but was still involved in the hobby.

I ended up getting the first doll I ever saw or wanted, DOC Petsha, off of the marketplace a few years after. I bought two more dolls after that but they were a few years spaced apart. During the time of those purchases I only visited the forum to check the Marketplace or post in the relevant waiting room. I think the last purchase was at least 3 or 4 years ago.

Since then, I focused more on getting married, starting my career, dealing with a chronic illness diagnosis, and being involved in some of my other hobbies.

Then I saw a doll I have always wanted for sale, Volks Suiseiseki. My husband thought it was so weird I wanted a new doll after so long, but he has known me (and about my hobby) since middle school so he was supportive and bought her for me.

I always, always wanted a Volks doll. Now that I have one, I have been bitten by the Volks bug! Somehow I ended up buying a very TLC Yori off of Y!J. I'm finding a lot of joy and re-kindling of my passion for this hobby while fixing her up.

I have plans to buy another grail in the next two weeks, and then I'll probably slow down again for a bit.

I am re-adjusting to how the community has shifted to places like Instagram, which has been a very frustrating experience for me. I don't like how communication is limited there, and I have to go to each profile to find out who is not recast friendly before I like any of their photos (don't want to give any support to anyone who is). Its sad and disheartening to see how prevalent they are now. I'm glad DoA is still here to be a safe haven from the fakes and copies that are ruining this hobby

 

At the time, I first joined this hobby in order to recreate my favorite anime characters in resin. The first BJD I wanted to create was one of Sakuma Ryuichi, the lead singer from the band Nittle Grasper from the anime 'Gravitation.' A friend sold me a Elfdoll tiny, which I turned into Ryuichi. It was how I discovered that tinies are not my thing, so I ended up reshelling him into a Luts CP Delf Shiwoo, and discovered that SDs and larger are more my size. I ended up with 17 full dolls and 8 floating heads.

Unfortunately, when you are having health difficulties, it is better to focus on healing than hobbies. So that's what I did, I focused on me for about three years or so.

Because my dolls are out and all around the house, once I healed, I was soon looking at them and thinking, "I need to go to a meetup." So, I dusted them off, changed many of their outfits for the first time in all that time, started perusing DoA again, and set up a meetup with my local BJD group. That was a few months ago.

Things in the hobby have certainly changed! So many new companies, new sculpts, new clothing styles and new people that have joined this forum. I'm sad to see that some of my favorite companies are gone (Dream of Dolls for one. I was so hoping they would return!) I'm happy to see that so many people are against recasts, which was still very controversial right before I had to leave the hobby. I'm also happy to see that some of my friends from back then are now Mods! Congrats!

Since returning to the hobby, I ended up buying a secondhand doll when I came into some extra money. I'm currently planning to host a January meetup, working on many of my WIP dolls, hand sewing clothes once again for my Crew, and am about to put a new doll on layaway.

I have to admit, coming back to BJDs and DoA in general feels like coming home to me.

Ryu

 

Ok so some time after I got my first bjd (2013) I stopped going to forums and websites or anything about bjds really. And spent a long time without taking my doll out for anything. I think I just focused on other things? I also wasn't pleased with how she posed, one of her arms wouldn't stay in a position, until I hot glue-sueded some of her joints. I did have a lot of depression and anxiety issues.
I was also always spending money on other things like art supplies, video games and figures so never had any for her or other dolls. Not to mention, I kinda grew out of the characters that I was planning on shelling, which was a big problem.

Last year I started learning how to sew and making cloth dolls, and I slowly got into many kind of dolls. I decided it was about time I gave Satine some new clothes, as she only had a couple that didn't fit her very well, so I found some on Etsy. I also got my first dream Dal doll so I felt like I could achieve some of my doll goals.
But the trigger to return for me was when I saw someone's pictures of a Resinsoul deertaur on a website for anime figures and it totally made me want a bjd again! Their doll was beautiful and I got excited when I saw such a cool doll for lower prices.
Now I've gone over a lot of companies to see what is new and what kind of bjds I would like to have and fit my characters, and decided I wanted my second bjd. I also want to sew clothes for my dolls. So here I am!

 

I started in high school but I was struck with a few years of illness that drained my energy to do anything with dolls. By the time I was out of that I was working on getting my life back together so there wasn't any time or money. So, seven years later I am finally settled and can pay attention to the hobby again! It helps to have this forum too. Back when I was a kid I was scared away from this place by people saying some nasty stuff, so I never had a community to help keep up interest

 

I never intended to leave the hobby, but i was completly dormant for a couple years. I lost some irl friends that also had dolls. So that made me sad and also not have anybody irl that i could talk about dolls with. Then i just didnt have time for a while when i was pregnant and my kids were tiny. But now my kids have a routine and i get a little bit of time to myself everyday and have a designated crafting area i started sewing again and getting on here regularly. But now i dont like some of clothes i made and i need to restyle several of my dolls. And i bought a couple new since i came back. So im slooowly working towards getting all my dolls clothed

 

Mine was money and just had too much going on for a couple years to think about dolls. Now I’m itching to get back into it

 

@whooganana I am so glad you have a crafting area & are able to get back with your dolls again

 

I first found out about dolls when I was a teenager and quickly realised they where way out of my price range.

Then about 5 years ago I found BJDs again and quickly became obsessed, I bought dolls without really knowing what I was buying, I couldn't afford wigs or face ups, I quickly became frustrated and didn't connect with my dolls, I sold my dolls due to financial problems.

I've been watching the hobby from a distance ever since I wanted to make sure I really wanted to own BJDs, and invest in the hobby and what that meant for me, I decided if I still wanted a doll at the start of 2019 then I'd purchase another doll, I put a layaway on a doll towards the end off 2019, I know so much more about the hobby now then I did then, I've started sewing for my dolls, I'm more financially stable and even tho my doll hasn't arrived yet I have more clothes for her then I did before.

I guess for me it was lack of knowledge, I'm really glad to be getting into the full swing of the hobby ❤

 

@DaisyDolly I think now it will all be different for you-how smart you were the next time around. I wish I could sew for my dolls, I just don't have the talent. I'm hoping to be looking for clothes soon

 

Anyone can learn to sew depends if you want to invest the time and money, I'd love to be able to draw my dolls but I'm not interested in learning and that's okay just have to find what you enjoy, clothes shopping for them is a lot of fun lol

 

I got my first doll right after my sophomore year of high school. I absolutely fell in love with my boy, but I didn’t really have the money to get more than one outfit. I had saved up allowance and birthday money for years to get him, only to not really have much expendable money. With homework, I didn’t have time to make clothes, but I still had fun with him.

i kinda fell out when I started beauty school. I started having to pay for more, and just didn’t have money for anything BJD related. I also just didn’t have time.

i got back into it about a year ago. I had graduated beauty school in December, then gotten my associates in May. Between those dates, though, I ended up with a chronic illness. My doll was one of my comforts. I suddenly could work and was at home most days. Rin was just always there. I started to have more fun with him. And I have time to make clothes now.

 

I started collecting when I was in middle school 13. And when I went to high school I ended up selling my first doll but now that I'm working I'm back with this hobby.

 

I left the hobby due to my parents failing health and financial issues. How could I buy a doll when they need food or medicine? I felt guilty every time I looked at my dolls, so I sold them.

I came back to the hobby, I don’t remember how to paint a face. I had to relearn terms, I had to find out where to find clothes because half my favorite stores closed and I now finally have money to burn to buy my dream dolls! It’s been exciting. I really missed this part of my life.

 

The thing that made me leave the hobby was finances every single time. I don’t exactly feel as happy when I know I’m not able to enjoy the hobby, so I end up taking a step back whenever I’ve had to sell my dolls for extra funds because I end up missing them and it gets hard. I’m glad I’m in a position right now where things are going well, as I’m truly happy in the hobby right now.