Were You Afraid to Start The Hobby?

I was definitely afraid to start the hobby! mostly because of the sheer cost of everything and worrying that I would never be able to actually afford to do it, and how my family would react to me spending money on such things. But I am very glad that I worked up the courage to go through with it~

 

Absolutely. Partly because of the cost. I like to collect things, for example I currently have just over 50 Nendoroids, so this could be dangerous to my wallet.

The other part is you've spent a large amount of money and aren't entirely sure what you'll get for it or if you'll actually like it. All of the internet research in the world doesn't compare to actually holding it in your hands.

But I just gave a large pile of cash to Luts, and I'm really eager/anxious to see the result.

 

I think excitement overcame nervousness--or maybe it was nervous excitement! Yes, the cost is intimidating, and I had never owned a doll like this or of this size, but I was pretty confident I'd be happy with it. Years later, I still have the first doll I bought.

 

I am not afraid of starting this hobby,because I am always alone due to my bad health conditions,so the dolls are the only ones who always by my side,I love them

 

Yeah for sure I would say I was afraid, not about the money or anything, since saving money for something you are interested in should be rewarding. Mostly I would say its nerves about what people will think or say. I am still really new to this, so the only person who knows about my hobby right now is my husband, since we live together haha. But I am still not sure how to tell my friends. They're great people, and I honestly think they would be really cool about it, but I'm just not sure how to even approach the subject besides saying "I LIKE DOLLS!" lol. So I would say most of my nerves lie in telling people. If they think I'm a weirdo then so be it, I am a little weird lol.

 

I'm currently considering ordering my first doll very soon, and although I have been interested for years I still have my worries. The cost itself isn't a big problem considering I'm considering the cheaper/smaller end of the spectrum, but even so just a couple hundred is quite a bit to justify spending on what is essentially a fancy toy. A beautiful, customizable, valuable toy, but hey--I still do plan on playing with them. I also have the "fad" problem, however I know I eventually do return to every hobby I've had. Most are art-related hobbies (sewing, sculpting, needlefelting, fursuit making, leatherwork) and I'm hoping that I can use all of them along with this hobby. Its been nice to hear of others with similar worries who found that these dolls worked for them.

For those worrying about justifying cost as I did (not whether or not they can raise it), I tend to think about the person I know who spends hundreds on remote control cars. Or the many people that buy a new phone every year, or drop big bucks on a designer jacket or handbag. They may not always be considered responsible spenders (that's a whole different issue) but they aren't considered as strange. Personally, I'd rather spend more time improving my artistic skills and storytelling abilities than driving a little car around. The person I know would say the opposite, and there's nothing wrong with that. As long as you enjoy it and moderate spending for your abilities, it shouldn't matter what harmless hobby you have.

 

Not really. I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted a doll and once I decided that I had the funds and it would bring me joy, I jumped in and didn't look back.

 

I was afraid to start the hobby--and, as a result, I waited nine years before buying my first on-topic doll. I think I was right to wait in the sense that BJDs are expensive, and I couldn't buy one as a kid (without parents at least).

However, I think if I had started earlier I would have been less involved with other hobbies that, in the end, I ended up abandoning for BJDs (some Barbie collecting and some other dolls--I don't really regret the action figures and Pullips, though, and I've continued to mod/customize them).

 

My biggest fear was that I would somehow damage and ruin the doll - such as staining it if I used any incorrect face-up materials, or cracking the head by dropping it accidentally, or melting the resin somehow while trying to remove a face-up.

That said, it didn't stop me. I just made sure to fully research before trying anything. ...I was also lucky to fall for an unlimited doll with an extra head. It helped to calm my fears a bit, knowing I could re-buy the extra head separately if the worst happened (which it never did).

 

Not really, I did all my research and I am definitely the type of person who knows what they want. The price was really the only holding me back because I didn't know how I was going to make that amount of money.

 

I was certainly afraid that I might do irreparable damage to something. So far so good...

 

Yes definitely! I've jumped hobbies before so I've always been scared to invest money and time and effort and then lose interest. But if it's something you've thought about for a long time and it brings you joy...take the plunge. Everything in life will have a "What if...", but you have to learn which of your desires are really worth pursuing. I'm glad I took the plunge. I don't know if I'll be into the doll hobby forever, but I'm happy that I'm in it now!

 

Hm... not really. When I first discovered BJDs I was only 13 or 14. At that point I thought you'd have to be insane to spend $400+ on a doll I thought they looked beautiful but I didn't know much about them - all I found was the Volks USA site, which at the time had quite a few standard model SDs and MSDs. I didn't look into it anymore because of course I knew at that point my parents weren't going to get me such an expensive doll. I kinda just forgot about them for several years.
I honestly can't remember quite how I re-found them? It was in 2015 and I was 17. I have always been into various Asian dolls, starting with Takara Jenny, then Azone, so I'm thinking I came across BJDs again through social media, as I was following Azone, etc. people who also posted BJDs.
Late in 2015 my family had a big yard sale and I sold a lot of stuff (listen, I've always been a collector... ) and ended up making around $300. I realized I could probably afford an MSD for this money, so I did a bit of research. Probably not as much as I should have done, but I ended up getting my Bluefairy Tiny Fairy Emilie, whose body I replaced with the newer double jointed one, but I still have and love her!
Some things intimidated me, such as face-ups. I bought face-up materials and such but I did order my first doll with a default face-up in case. I also didn't find out about recasts until after I ordered my first doll, and got really worried I could've accidentally gotten one, but that was pretty silly because I ordered her through Luts. However at the time I didn't know what a popular and reliable company they were, haha. So I'd say there were some intimidating things about the hobby but in general, I wasn't really worried about joining the hobby, and I jumped in fairly quickly.

 

I think as I read with others, losing interest during the wait or even after the doll arrived after spending that much money.
I even thought that he'd arrive and I'd think hes not be as amazing as I thought he'd be which would make me question why I bought him.
Luckily none of that happened and I'm still crazy for the hobby and I loved him even more when he arrived because he was way better than my exceptions! Same goes for my off-topic BJD which sure I bought in person in the shop, but I was worried I'd bought her on a wimp and I'd lose interest in her straight away which again hasnt happened!

 

I don't think I was scared to get into the hobby. I think the excitement of the dolls kinda blinded me from any sort of insecurities I might have about it. My parents never approved, but that was something that never bothered me. You can't really explain to your parents why a doll has captured your attention, price or not.
I think my insecurities came after. I'm introverted and used to be very very shy. And I def don't like being the center of attention.
So to start to think that people would stare and judge me for having these dolls. There was a phase there.
And it still lingers from time to time. Not to say I'm ashamed of them. People can just be so cruel.
The thought of leaving the hobby? Now that has never crossed my mind til this day. And I've had my first doll for 8yrs now.
There's just something about the hobby I can't let go of. I've had plenty of lacking inspiration moments. I mean, A LOT.
I'm actually kinda going through one now. But I've never thought about leaving.
And am currently trying to be more active and inspire myself again. I think one of the great things about this hobby is that they're customizeable. If you lose inspiration. You could always try giving your doll a new look. It's crazy how that can spark something.
I think the only thing that matters, no matter what hobby you're in. Is that you love it.
And if you loose interest in it, That's okay too. No one said you had to like something forever.
As long as you love it be happy in the hobby.
And no one is going to shame you for leaving either.
Things change.

 

I'm new to this hobby, haven't placed my first order yet (And I am glad I didn't! I have have changed my mind a few times already on the doll I want first :'D) but I will be placing my order in April time once I have saved up. I'm excited to get my first doll and make stuff for her and paint her up how I envision her in my head!

 

I was definitely afraid to commit to the hobby for a number of reasons. My son has had MSDs and SDs for a number of years and I was always afraid to handle them in case I broke or scratched them. They are a lot tougher than I realized! Also, I was worried that after spending all that hard earned money, I would get bored quickly and feel that I had wasted my money. Thankfully this is not the case, I love having her around and can't wait to get my other two that are on order! I was also concerned that I would spend so much time with the doll, I wouldn't take the time to work on my other hobbies, but having the dolls has actually inspired me to work harder on my knitting, designing and creating patterns for them!

 

I think my savings are more afraid then me

 

I had kept putting off getting into BJDs due to my other expensive hobbies, but I ended up losing interest/being satisfied with what I collected so I decided to finally join in! So no, I wasn't too anxious but I was worried about allocating my hobby funds properly. I'm quite excited to start!

 

I wasn't afraid to start it because when I knew how much I want it, the small details ceased to matter. Also I thought of it as something similar to buying handheld video games that you don't really need but buy anyway. It's not that different. They're both 'toys' in a way if you think about it.
Furthermore I had money just waiting for me to spend it so I thought might as well gift myself something expensive but important to me at the same time. I thought of the pros and cons of a BJD for me, and the pros outweigh the cons more so in the end I bought it and I never regretted it!