Were You Afraid to Start The Hobby?

I was definitely afraid of the price tag and how to take care of a doll when I was younger. I remember searching endlessly on how to properly take care of a BJD. I felt like my brain was on overload and thought maybe I'll wait until I'm older... Now that I'm a bit older, I feel I can have a good handle on taking care of a doll besides the big price tag!

 

This is a good question. I was somewhat afraid, only because I had been interested in 2 previous doll hobbies before that sadly ended up not being as exciting or enjoyable for me as I had hoped. In all honesty, I was trying other things to avoid investing so much money in BJDs but ultimately, I wasn't happy with them and ended up wasting money doing that. I am so glad I did finally take the plunge and make the investment in what I truly wanted. It did not disappoint and I've been happy ever sense.

 

I didn't actually "start" a doll hobby; I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't love dolls. Now, BJDs...I fell in love with them almost from the moment Volks put out the very first Super Dollfie. (Actually, I loved Dollfies even before that, but those are off-topic, so...) It took me years to get my first Japanese doll, and this year I finally took the plunge and got an honest-to-goodness (though sadly also off-topic because not the right sort of resin) BJD. No regrets. None.

 

I was afraid I started the hobby and get sick of it after few months with huge money invested... I am still afraid of it now actually...

 

I'm a little afraid - just because I'm so new. I've never owned dolls before, not even as a kid, so for the most part I'm still figuring out my own preferences and trying to keep it as simple as possible. I'm trying to shell two very specific characters, so I'm also afraid I'll make the wrong design/sculpt choices and wind up with them not really looking like themselves.

 

Nope! When I first got it, my first doll was a gift to myself for getting my first real job. She was worth every penny at the time. I did end up leaving the hobby for a bit. But I jumped back in with the same enthusiasm the second time. As long as my financial obligations can be met before getting a doll it doesnt bother me.
Thankfully everyone close to me, is supportive of my hobbies. So I never had to worry about that.

 

I was a little terrified of taking the plunge of buying my first doll. At the time, it was the most expensive purchase I'd ever made for myself, and I spent a huge chunk of my summer job money on him. I also felt really weird about opening up to my family about my dolls, especially with them knowing how much I'd spent on one. Things got so much easier when I met other people in the hobby and was able to share my interests with people that were just as enthusiastic as I was.

 

My initial fear was definitely the price tag. I felt extreme regret when I paid for my first doll. But then once I made the plunge I started to get more nervous about how much care my dolls would need. I didn’t do my research so it was a bit overwhelming. Now I’m not too worried but it was like two different waves of fear getting into the hobby.

 

I'll use the word anxious instead of afraid. Every time I hit the purchase buttom, there'll be the mixture of happiness (of getting something new) and anxiety (about losing money). But hell, what's the point of earning money if I'm not using it?

 

I was very afraid to start the hobby, especially because I was ( and still am) quite young for this hobby. I still consider myself as "new", because I don't really dare to do a lot of things on my dolls so I have very little experience. I'm still very afraid and I feel very intimidated because pretty much everyone here is an adult.

 

I wasn't afraid to buy my first doll, which was in fact a gift, but I left the hobby and didn't do anything doll related for about 7 years, so I was and am a bit nervous coming back to the community. I'm always afraid of upsetting people or getting into any drama, that scares me more than buying or spending money.

 

I was afraid of the costs and skills involved, and afraid of the community, to an extent. When I first caught even a glimpse of the community, I was still a really young teenager, and even a hint of drama scared me. That, and not being able to find clothes. That still scares me, to be honest. Finding clothes in the right size is a nightmare : p

 

I wasn’t afraid to start, but I was hesitant due to the price and since I already have so many. I rarely drop a hobby though. I want to learn how to make clothes and face ups, but am afraid I won’t like the end results and know a lot of time and effort will be needed to become good.

 

I was certainly a little intimidated. It's not the cheapest hobby to start (though scuba diving was still worse, don't get me started on that) and there was a bit of research to do before I jumped into it. The different terms, sizing, vendors, sculpts, etc were all a little overwhelming in the beginning. In the end I decided to just focus on what I know and like and go from there.

 

I'm seeing a theme here wherein nearly everyone (I might have skipped a few pages haha) was concerned about the cost. I, too, was worried... but moreso about the community than anything else. My initial peek into the hobby was back when it first started to really hit in the US, and the people I encountered who had them weren't terribly, uh... nice. They were very similar to, and possibly even an offshoot of, the Lolita crowd and were very catty and egotistical and it just was overall so unpleasant that I dropped the interest shortly thereafter because tiny middle schooler me couldn't handle that.

Wound up jumping in over a decade later just because my roomie wanted one and didn't want to be alone. The IRL community still makes me anxious because I don't mesh well with anyone apparently, but I'm fond of my dolls and enjoy them privately.

 

Absolutely. It took me years to finally get my first bjd. I'm really glad I took my time to research though and find companies I liked before I dove in.

 

I wasnt afraid to start the hobby. as a person who likes anime and manga, i already had the "oh that person likes anime... how childish" type of people and having pretty much no one else in my entire territory (like a province or state) that also liked them, i always knew that i like what i like... and its better than me spending my money on drugs or alcohol and its the same as anyone elses hobby too.

i did get some comments and looks when i would bring one in public for photos, but also again, i brushed them off.

I started my hobby about 15 years ago and even though, i do take some breaks from doing anything with them, i really love them.

 

Like a lot of others have mentioned, your family members opinions shouldn't be your make or break. That was one thing I was afraid of when I first saw the hobby, "What are my parents going to think?"

Thankfully I pushed all the negatives to the side, and explained what is was to my Mother and Father. To this day, my Mom still doesn't understand the appeal, and the price is a no-go when talking to my mother. My dad on the other hand completely respects the art and love I have for these BJDs and talking about the price, sculpt, company, character idea, or anything else is always fun with my father.

I find it funny that for most people its the other way around, (Mom more interested, Dad saying no), but it just goes to show how everyone you meet is going to react differently.

 

I was mostly afraid to start because of the price and the fragility of these dolls

 

I had a good friend at the time who kind of helped give me confidence to put aside the fear of trying to justify the hobby to my family, and take the plunge! It's been a good many years since. I think what frightens me is how quickly dolls multiply sometimes : X