Were You Afraid to Start The Hobby?

I was a little afraid since I don't have much space at home, my parents nags at me every now and then to throw my figure boxes . I was also overwhelmed by the thoughts of restringing, suedeing the joints, doing faceups (the first head I got does not come with faceup), respirators and more. But after some research, it doesn't seem as bad as I thought and owning a doll is one of my "before I die..." goals haha

 

I was always really terrified of getting into this hobby because for a long time, I had loved it and loved dolls in general. However, my mother has a thing where she finds what I really like (mostly hobbies or interests, but sometimes more general things, like things about other people or myself that I like) and slowly degrades it and tries to turn it toxic, if that makes sense. So I was always very afraid to let it slip to anyone that I liked dolls because it's something I feel so passionately about, I would be heartbroken if she found out and started yelling at me about dolls every day.
Now that I've moved out for college, I've found that I can start getting invested in the hobby, start repainting dolls and looking at doll sites and forums like this; but I still instinctively hide it, especially from people that could somehow be in contact with her at any point.
But, with dolls themselves, I've only ever really been afraid of ordering a doll and it never arriving. I'm not afraid to save pennies and invest in something pricey if I know it'll be worth it to me, so while the expenses are daunting, I think that they can be handled. In a year or two, I think I'll be able to buy my first doll, and hopefully I'll live somewhere that I can feel safe with being open about the hobby. It's a good feeling.

 

I also started with Pullips I was just browsing along I really forgot what and then I saw this doll and then kept on searching and everything that I ended up going with volks DD and now going for the resin type xD

I was actually thrilled to know that there are doll owners around the world that made me really more comfortable with the hobby I especially love it here in Japan as they treat everyone the same I mean not everyone is open with the doll hobby or even knows about it. But here in Japan I didn't have any "look" experience wherein people would just stare or make faces because you have a doll with you.

I am happy I was "chosen" (by dolls) to join in this hobby xD

 

I was absolutely terrified to get into this hobby. It was a lot of money to invest in a hobby I wasn't sure I was going to like. I'm more than happy that I took the plunge now though, and have to say they're definitely my most precious possessions. Just keep focusing on the positives this hobby has to offer rather than anything negative!

 

Yes I was, the money spending was a hurdle I had to figure out how to overcome, then the learning about how to do the clothes and faceups. From what I saw there was a lot of drama and bullying of people in communities according to youtubers too which made me nervous. Grown people bullying over toys seemed ridiculous to me. In the end I decided to dive in. I haven't regretted it yet.

 

I was scare of the price..lol but not so much having dolls. I'm already a long time doll collector, plus my mother was while I was growing up so it's pretty normal for me anyways. I am still chicken to bring them in public though.

 

I wasn't afraid to get my first doll. The only one I've been afraid of in some sense was when I bought my Lusion Dahlia because she is larger than any of my other dolls, heavier, and bloody expensive. My breath actually caught for a moment before I clicked and committed.

 

I wasnt afraid to get started. I am afraid of the monster its become though. I am seriously restraining myself from buying more dolls untill I finish at least 2 of the ones I have.

 

I was pretty afraid, yeah! The money aspect is horror worthy, but also I was worried people would judge me. I spent so long being worried about people Finding Out. Now I just talk about my dolls normally because... people don't actually care that much in my experience, not the people who know me. And my friends, who are mostly artists, think the dolls are rad! So it's all much comfier now If only the money part had such a fairy tale ending lol...

 

I was never afraid that I wouldn't like/would lose interest in the hobby after actually getting my doll (it tied in perfectly with my lifelong interest in miniatures and crafting) or that my family would react negatively, but I was a little worried about JOINING the hobby as a community. In all of my research I had run across plenty of horror stories about scammers, jerks, and people just...getting ignored completely by everyone else so I was intimidated. My experience has been very positive though! Everyone I have interacted with has been helpful and excited to talk about both their dolls and mine ^__^

 

I was not afraid of the economic consequences as much as the social ones. Like, what would my parents say or do? Luckily they accepted it with a rather anticlimactic shrug so all that fear and anxiety was completely wasted.

 

No, I was never afraid.
I was watching dolls and BJDs for a long time and always loves eLuts.
And someday as a friend gives me a head as a christmas present... well, I finally started the hobby

 

Absolutely! The money was too much...not to mention the scare of lost the doll with the customs... I want a bjd since I was like 15 years old...now I have 26yrs and a year ago I just got my first doll.

 

Definitely.
The cost of them was one reason I was a bit hesitant to get into the hobby, but for me the main reasons were possible judgement (mostly from family) and generally communicating with others (the social aspect).
As much as I say "Do what you enjoy" and "Be yourself", judgement from family can sting a lot if they make their clashing opinion obvious.
That and my constant hesitation and lack of confidence with interacting with a community, even online. It might seem weird to some people to read that but I am legitimately scared and hesitant to actually post comments and talk to people. Part of the reason I like certain hobbies is the community that surrounds them, so if I got into the hobby with part of the reason being that I like the community and then I end up never posting anything, writing comments and or just generally spending time looking at and ready others work it would be a complete waste.
I've had plenty of bad experiences with online communities, from moderators seeming out to flag anything I commented or posted to chats being over hostile and kicking me out (even though they were PUBLIC).

I'm really glad that's not the case here, I really enjoy seeing other peoples' dolls and creations and being able to confidently post a comment just makes it that much better for me.

 

I'm afraid that I'll regret buying a doll because it won't be 'right' for my character. I want my character to be represented perfectly so I'm a little worried about committing to a purchase right now.

 

As someone who has "been into" a lot of hobbies I TOTALLY understand what you mean. I was into reborns for a while and fell out of the hobby because I realized that BJD's have everything I liked about that hobby and more. The price is scary when you first start with BJD's but I find with myself when it comes to BJD's its just like my make-up and funko pops where even when I'm not currently obsessed I still love what I have and end up going back to it. =]

 

I've collected play dolls for the better part of my existence, but I was slightly concerned that these dolls were realistic enough to creep me out a little--most of my family are a little scared of my dolls, so I figured I was definitely going to scare them! It didn't help that some of the company photos for Hyacinth made her sweet little smile look more like a sinister little smile, so I wasn't sure if I was bringing home a miniature axe murderer...

fortunately, my fears were unfounded and her sweet little smile has charmed just about anyone who's taken a good look at her. (Or perhaps unfortunately--that particular trait was how she convinced us to get her a sister!)

 

The only thing i was afraid of when starting the doll hobby was, that my doll and ideas wouldnt turn out as i wanted to.
Since i had a specific idea of what i wanted, it was a difficult decision.
Especially because i have had never bought something in that pricerange for a hobby before.
But in the end i am more than happy that i did it

 

I'm terrified that I'll buy a doll and not like it as much as I'd hoped. I'm also afraid of spending money on dolls that I won't have the space for--I'd hate to have to keep them in boxes all the time 0.0

 

I feared and still fear both my parents and the postman's inability to understand the term 'fragile'