Waining interest?

The way I see it is that the greatest thing about dolls is that they can wait.
Very few other things in life can. Pets, family, friends, bills, education, work; all have to be taken care of on time. Not the dolls, though. They don’t suffer if you don’t do anything with them for a while.

This is supposed to be a hobby, something fun to do on our free time, something interesting to think about to take our mind off the bad stuff and an outlet for creativity. Don’t let it turn into another thing that has to be done on time.

I think most people who have been in the hobby for a while have experienced that the level of interest and activity comes and goes. Some even take breaks from the hobby, sometimes even for years, only to come back again when the situations is different and the dolls seem interesting again.

If you really want to increase you level on interest or to renew that spark you used to have, why not try to shift your focus a bit? Do things with the dolls you have IRL rather than spending a lot of time with the hobby on line. Or see about meeting other doll people in person. These things may help your mind to see the dolls as something more real and something that matters more.

 

Happens to me all the time and with all my other hobbies too! I find that the interest will come back eventually on its own (a bit like a cycle) though you could try focusing on a different aspect of the hobby such asmaking your own clothes, faceups etc. or looking at a different style\company to see if that helps.

 

It's always a bigger excitement when something is new. You feel you need to look everything, know everything and you just have to buy and customize. But with time everything settle.

For me is like settling in a calm contentment. It's fun but there's no rush like when I first started, I can do things when I have time and feel like. The dolls will go no where and they have no needs, so I can relax and enjoy.

It's still fun to look new dolls but I don't need to check all the time. I don't feel more worried a doll will be sold out or discontinued because new ones will come. And in a way the same go for the forum, I used to check more when I was leaning and want to research about a specific doll or material.

I have started to check out more because I'm trying to learn be more social online and see all the cool things other people create, otherwise I'm fine to just stay on my corner.

 

When I want to make a break, I do it. And I always can return in the hobby.
I start a new hobby to gain my interest to bjds again. A new hobby hepls to develop yourself, gives more ideas and tools, fills with new emotions. That's very refreshing.

 

I had a month or two earlier this summer where I lost some interest in my dolls. I think it's totally normal to shift focus in hobbies for a while. I have a few hobbies and I'm not totally into any one of them all of the time.

 

It also happens to me a lot and I think it's ok. Sometimes it takes a long time to come back, and usually it's because I see something that I think would be great in my doll. Like seeing a dress or a hair that inspires me to change it a little bit or a place where I think "wow, photos would look great here".

I think this in-out-in again in a hobby is pretty normal with time.

 

I went three years without doing anything with my first boy. I didn't buy anything doll related, didn't get any new dolls or heads. I essentially took three years out, doing other things. For about two of those three years, I also had pet rats. After losing the last one a year ago, I turned to my doll to fill the void. He was moved back into my room and he became a companion again.

This year, I've become more active in the hobby. I've bought several heads and put my first hybrid together (Ethan, a Dollshe Saint head on a Resinsoul body). I won't do too much with him, but I also want to get his girlfriend home next year. Because those two are important characters to me, a point I have reiterated countless times, and I feel I can't have one without the other. And, I'm trying to work on their story, but I'm having a hard time picturing her. A visual aid might help.

I don't dress them every day, or change wigs, or pose them. Most times, they sit in my room, where I can see them. They're more companions to me than projects or objects. I love sitting them beside me while I'm on my laptop. Ethan is currently sitting within my line of sight, his toes lightly dusting my leg as I sit cross-legged on the floor. They're there, waiting for when I need them. Which is usually when I'm low or in need of a cuddle. I like the weight of Alex, my first boy (a Ringdoll Sol), in my arms. Ethan is a lot lighter but still wonderful to hold. I already have that bond with him because the character came long before the idea of the doll version.

 

It's most certainly normal to feel that way. I do agree with Lillith though. This hobby is one that has the ability to wait. That's the amazing thing about it. You DON'T have to devote all of your time to it. If your dolls are merely decoration for a while, who cares? They're fine and then when you feel better, you can invest more into them.

I personally have been into BJDS since I was in my mid teens. I'm now almost 30, have a two year old and a baby on the way, I'm married, work full time and have bills that have to be paid. I can't invest in my dolls right now, but I have been sitting down at night and attempting to do faceups on my poor Pipos Baha; Smudge. It's kept me a part of the hobby without too much effort.

If you need a break, take one. Don't exhaust yourself into hating something you should be enjoying.

 

I haven't done anything doll related in 3 years. 6 months ago I wandered back into the forum on a whim, and I haven't really felt especially inclined with my dolls, but I like to think that at some point I'll want to do something with them that involves stories and photography. I keep my dolls in my closet, hidden behind things because I'm not that interested in them anymore but can't quite bring myself to go to the trouble of getting rid of them. I'm 27 - it feels childish to still want them around, but considering that I periodically DO want them around, I've not thought especially hard about it. I say, just do you. Nothing will keep your interest forever really, especially something as expensive as this (and I always thought I'd never leave the doll hobby. Couldn't imagine it. Hahaha).

 

This happens to me, but sometimes I think it's a blessing in disguise. I have 8 dolls now, and they all need to be clothed, styled, etc... If I were to be working on them and thinking about them constantly, it might start to become something of a chore and I'd never want that. I have a lot of hobbies I move around between, so it's very possible one will take my attention away from my girls for a while at some point-- but, as others above me have said, dolls can always wait

 

I think it's the excitement of the new thing. I have this with everything. I'm super excited and collect everything in the beginning and when I'm happy with what I have, I cool down. Then I can be patient and take it slow. Doesn't bother me if I even take a little break, cause the things are still there when I wanna continue.

 

I've been in the hobby going on ten years with no real breaks, so I think this is definitely the hobby for me.

However, I definitely do have times when I feel more excited about it than others. Sometimes I'm very motivated and excited and all I want to do is faceups, shopping, sewing, doll photos, buy new dolls....then I'll feel overwhelmed and like I need a mini-break, and I'll sell off a few dolls, clean out the wardrobes, sell/trade extra accessories and props, really cut back. I never entirely quit, and I usually do something with the dolls daily unless I'm traveling or super busy, even if that thing is as simple as changing one doll's outfit or working on the character for a few minutes, but sometimes weeks go by without me making or buying anything for them. Like others have pointed out, dolls are very good for being there when you want them, but not needing you when you don't.

 

I don't have much to do with my one doll and floating heads right now, and I am usually in school for most of the year in another state. I can't bring my BJD with me, so she has spent almost her entire lifespan so far in a box everyday. Even when I'm home, I don't take her out everyday, and I don't always think about her. I think that's fine. There are so many things in life that demand your attention, and, as previously pointed out in this thread, your dolls will still be there when you are done with those other things. When I do take her out of the box, it's fun just to see that she is there and tangible sometimes. It's an expensive hobby, so some might argue that is isn't worth the investment, but it's impossible to be 120% enthusiastic and proactive about something you care about all the time. The good thing is, your BJD can wait it out.

 

I think as an Artisan, I jump between my artistic hobbies. But I tend to always come back to something again at some point. I am really bad though for doing like 12 projects at once or something . And some of those I tend to focus more so than others, but the good things is I am constantly churning out different works without getting too burned out by any one of my other hobbies.

 

I never lose interest in them. When I get a new doll or an idea I can get all excited and take lots of photos. Other times I don't do anything much with them for a while but I never stop thinking about them. Just knowing they are there is a great joy.

 

When I am working on something, I need to concentrate and see a thing to the finish. Unfortunately, I am slow - and I have several hobbies. So my work on my dolls is cyclical. It's not that my *interest* wanes, really. It's just that I go months without doing anything doll-related, and then I'll make time and complete a doll's look and take pictures and share them. Even when I'm not really working on the dolls, I'll still go to fairs and meetings and keep an eye out for doll things.

 

I'm very cyclical with almost everything I do, dolls included. I get excited/really into something for a period of time and then bam it's gone and I'm on to the next thing.

So I don't think it's a bad thing to go through periods where you don't touch your dolls, or visit the forums. Taking breaks if you feel overwhelmed or burnt out also is not a bad thing.

The best part about this hobby is that you can put things on the backburner, and that you don't need to be active in the online community all the time. The dolls you own are waiting for you, and have nowhere to go.

 

I'm always interested in my own dolls however I find my interest wanes in the sense that it gets hard to keeping up with all the news and company information, current sales, and all that. I tend to be just enjoying what I have rather than always on the hunt for news and bargains. I go through pretty long droughts before I start delving back in and looking through that stuff again.

 

Yes. When I first started, I was all in, posting on forums, handling dolls daily. Now I can go weeks at a time without being on DoA or even touching my dolls. I spent a couple years completely out of the social aspect of it without getting any new dolls or doll items and without touching my dolls so long, they got dusty.
I'm currently high on dolls and have been for a while, but I'm sure that will fade when holidays roll around and I have that to deal with.

I don't think this is bad but quite normal. BJDs are a hobby. Dolls don't actually need attention besides perhaps being cleaned off occasionally. I see people with other hobbies also having highs and lows of interest and activity.