What if you lost interest in your dolls or the hobby???

You shouldn't keep the dolls even if they're apart of a story if you don't like them. Get dolls that make you truly happy if your unhappy with members of your crew then sell 'em and use the money to get ones you know will make you happy. Or give different face ups, clothes.

 

Depression for me makes me buy more dolls, which is bad, money-wise and time and space-wise.

I don't get overwhelmed by how many dolls I have, but I do need to stop adding to the numbers and just play with what I have (this goes for clothes and wigs, too).

I don't feel like leaving the hobby because it is definitely a source of joy and interest for me. I really do love the dolls and their items, and love to go to meetups and love to take photos of them.

The only time I feel like pulling back a little is when I really think I need to do something more to keep me from buying too many dolls. But I never go away, really. And I don't feel like culling the herd at this time. I know I can always do that if I need to, though.

 

Since you have always liked dolls, I bet even if you feel disinterested for a time it will cycle through and you will find your interest rekindled later. I've gone through phases of not collecting or doing anything with my dolls for a couple years at a time, and then being interested again.

I think if you get rid of the ones you're unhappy with like Arashi Uchiha said, it will probably help! Then you can look forward to replacing them with dolls which fit into your storyline better. Certainly there's no reason to keep them if you're not happy with them!

 

Leaving the hobby? Never! Leaving the community and hiding under a rock? Sometimes~
I do occasionally feel overwhelmed with all my dolls, and when I'm feeling like that I put a few that are really bothering me away in a padded duffle bag. That way, I don't have to see them, I don't have to think about them, and in a few months I take them out and see how I feel about them. I concur that if you're not happy with some of your dolls consider moving them on and replacing them with dolls that you would be happier with. Or give them a complete make-over, new faceup, new wig, new eyes, new clothes! I like to work on one doll at a time, until they're 'finished' and I'm really happy with how they look, and then I go and work on the next one.
The nice thing about dolls is that if you feel like you need to have a break from it all, you can put them away for a while and when you come back, they're ready and waiting for you.

 

I might buy a car soon. If I do, I might take a long break from the hobby (as at least quit buying so much) until my finances recovered.I don't think I'd sell all of the them though. I might take a break from the forum because I find out about so many "must have" dolls.

 

i love my dolls so much so i think its hard for me to leave this hobby XD but if some life circumstances came along, i might consider having a break from the hobby, not leaving though =)

 

Do you have anyone else you are sharing this hobby with? I don't have a local group because I'm always moving, but from what I hear, people enjoy meetups and conventions. I go to cons every year, and nothing revs up my enthusiasm for a hobby like sharing it with 50,000 other people at once.

Why didn't you make the photostory? Too much else going on? No ideas for stories? Ten dolls sounds like too many for a single photostory anyway. Why not focus on two or three and see what you can do with them? Is it a lack of confidence? Everyone here started somewhere; no one gets awesome overnight at modding or taking photos.

I just "finished" a long phase where I didn't do anything with mine. What got me started in the hobby again was finding a doll completely different from all the ones I had before in addition to finally starting the mods I have always wanted to do. If you're artsy, find a blank head or an inexpensive body and paint, sand, tattoo, or scar the life out of it. Sew some new clothes or give your wigs haircuts. I never left the hobby; I just gave it some time to ferment.

I'm a writer too, and what you describe sounds, in a sense, like writer's block. You need to do something new to get out of your slump. Otherwise, take the rest of these people's advice and get rid of the ones you don't care for to make room for something you do like. Plenty of people swap dolls, and I can only assume it's because they've lost interest in their dolls.

*Don't let my post count fool you. I lurk here, but I've been in the hobby for years.*

 

I go through periods where I don't spend much time with my dolls. I keep them in storage all the time, and since they are almost all 70cm dolls, bringing them out can be a bit of an event. Personally, I try not to stress too much about 'wasting' them by not enjoying them 24/7. In most of my other hobbies, it's just accepted that only a portion of time will be dedicated to them, so it doesn't feel too bad for me to only bring my BJDs out occasionally.

I definitely understand feeling overwhelmed by having a large collection. I get around that by storing my dolls, and only bringing them out in small groups. Often I enjoy bringing one out at a time (for individual photo stories), or in groups of related dolls (friends, enemies, families, etc). Spending time focusing on individual dolls or interactions between dolls stops me from burning out over the 20+ characters I have now.

I do consider 'leaving' the hobby in the sense of no longer actively buying new dolls, though. Right now, I'm hoping that Soom will hold off having another Rosette Free Choice Event until next year, so I can let this year pass without any new purchases joining my collection. I think sometimes the consumerism of this hobby (dolls! Heads! Wigs! Eyes! Clothes! Shoes!) can be a bit much, and it's rejuvinating to stay in the hobby but not bring any new dolls (or items) home.

 

I've definitely felt like this! Not like I want to quit the hobby, but at least cut back on how many I have and focus on my favorites more.

I think of it as grooming the (doll) family tree. To keep a tree looking nice and appealing, you care for it, attend to it, trim the branches that stick out and make it lose its shape, and you help it grow in the right places to fill in holes. But you don't have to spend hours a day on it, just check in and make sure you're keeping it looking good every so often. And if that tree seems to be more of a burden than enjoyment, then you chop it down and get rid of it. Same with the dolls. To keep interest, I'll sell the ones that just don't fit or make me less interested, work on or improve the ones I like, add characters if needed, and do enough with them to hold my interest. If all of that failed, and they stressed me out more than I had fun, I'd sell them all.

Aaaaaand....I just compared my dolls to a tree.....yes, I did. I have been in the lawn care business too long....lol

 

Okay, I can be either a bad or good example for this xD A few weeks ago I started visiting dollymarket again to check up on the pullip threads, after that I felt like coming here again. Before I did this it was, I think, a year and a half that I hadn't really paid any attention to any of my dolls. I occasionally pet them or grab them for a quick hug, but really bonding was out of the question. When I got my RS mei I thought I would be getting back into the hobby a bit more but I didn't have money to buy her a wig, eyes or clothes so I neglected her a little. I do know that I will ALWAYS be interested in dolls and if there is a period of time in wich i neglect them, i know there will come a time i will pick up the hobby again, it comes and goes. (also, i was/am depressed, im slowly getting back to being happy and with that came the interest for my dollies. I also got rats in the meantime that took away my attention for a bit)

 

I've felt like I've had to take a break from this hobby since I've been in it due to life situations, and unexpected curveballs with my own free time. Not to mention finaces here and there have stopped me from getting certian characters together where I'm happy with them. But none of that has actually made me want to tottally quit the hobby. For the first two years I was into dolls, it really just seemed like one big expierement, where I bought and sold quite a bit of them, and struggled to find the size I preffered. Now I'm getting to the point where I know instantly when a doll hits home if it will stay or not, and am even getting to a spot where I can buy one and be happy with it instead of selling it. xD

So at this point, even though I've not been very active, I am finally starting to reach a point where I am becomming content with my crew, and ready to start trying my hand at a photostory. Sadly, I noticed that there has been a bit of a slump in the photostory section. I'd like to see more people doing them! So I hope the one I do eventully write will be amusing to others.

But my energy for the bjd hobby does come and go in waves. When I get tired of one hobby, I have a few others that I like to move on to, and the rotation can be quite refreshing at times. I'd say that you are being a bit hard on yourself, or could be putting too much thought into it. But it's possible to simply grow out of an interest as well. And in that case, when a break doesn't help, it may be time to move on. But I think it's best to just take things in stride, and not pressure yourself into stressing about it. And as far as focusing equally on them goes, just take that in stride too, and do the small things, like tie up any loose ends with the characters slowly, and just take it a little at a time. Rome wasn't built in a day you know!

 

I have actually just come back to the hobby after leaving it for nearly 3 years ><"

No matter how hard I tried to bond with my doll, I struggled. She spent most of her time in her box and eventually I just stopped playing with her. I randomly stumbled upon some pictures of BJDs recently which reminded me I actually owned one so I decided to give the hobby another chance. At the time I was in uni and my doll was at home; I knew I didn't like my doll's face so I was searching for a potential replacement. Then when I came home for the Easter holidays I decided to get my doll out to sell her head so I could get some money to buy the future one. For some reason her face is now cuter than I remembered years ago!! So yeah...now I don't know if I want to change her face now x'D

In my opinion you might need to take a break from some of your dolls. Put the dolls away you don't really play with. One day you'll find/remember them again and either will love them or still think "meh". If it's still meh then it's probably best to sell them.

At the end of the day, BJDs are just a hobby. A hobby is something you do for fun. If it's not fun anymore, take a break. If you still don't find it fun after a break then it's time to stop. Don't feel bad if you feel like you're not paying as much attention as you should, there shouldn't be a limit. Some people play with there dolls more/less than others...same with any other hobby. Do whatever makes you happy ^^

 

Good advice, December!

 

Well, I'm not doing much with my dolls. Basically, they just sit around gathering dust (not that I wouldn't dust them off or so) and only get taken out now and then (well, some of them) for a doll-meet here. I still enjoy them. I don't think I could bring myself to sell any of them, even though I'm "playing" with them only now and then (read: changing their clothes, having one of them "watch" TV with me, snap a pic now and then when I get a new doll or new clothes). I got some dolls here with half-finished face-ups I did myself (waiting for the weather to get warmer and drier so I can finish those) and sometimes, I'll knit them clothes or sew a new outfit together with my aunt. But that's about it.

Of course, on the other hand, my dolls aren't really my main hobby. My two main hobbies are writing and online-gaming. (And maybe live-roleplaying but that's had to take a back-seat to writing, too, recently ...) So, for me, it's quite normal not to be doing too much with my dolls. I'd say: Don't worry about not playing all that much with the dolls. Might be just a phase. If doing a photo story doesn't work for you (for whatever reason) - maybe try writing one instead, featuring your dolls' characters? And if you don't like a doll - sell it and use the money to get a doll you like. Or get more stuff for the dolls you keep. Or spend it on things for yourself.

 

My interest in my dolls comes and goes. I've had a rough year with a death in the family and other pressing issues so my doll projects have been on hold because I haven't felt like playing with them. I haven't left the hobby, which for me is usually very hands on; modding, painting, sewing, etc., but for the meantime, I am just waiting until I feel like working on them again. This has happened before and probably will happen again eventually. I've tweaked my collection, selling some, buying others, until I am very happy with the ones I have. If I am not happy with a doll, out it goes. I think they cost too much to keep any that I have grown tired of or aren't exactly what I want. I have a lot of dolls, but I don't seem to get overwhelmed because I rarely have all of them out at once. I rotate my collection like museums do, only having a few of them out at a time. Lately, it's been the dolls that are little kids. I've bought some new outfits for two of them and they look cute and cheerful sitting on a shelf by my bed. After I get tired of looking at these, I might put them away and get out a few of my small anthros, a couple of tiny dolls, or some of my big dolls. This keeps me interested during the times I don't feel like actively doing anything with them. Life is a long series of ups and downs. Good times will return and one day soon, I will feel like getting out my paints or the sewing machine and work on them again.

 

I don't play with all my dolls all the time with the exception of my T-line Wooyu who I always keep within an arm's reach (and another, non-resin off topic doll). I do give all of my dolls their share of attention however, I just have to rotate since I have several of them. My equally several floaters also rotate on my available bodies (due to fund and space restrictions). I don't really feel bad about it (with the exception of those couple ones that go unplayed with because of their terrible stringing and my current inability to improve it) and I still love each and every one of them dearly.

I often joke that I'm going to sell them all but my SSDF Avalanche and start anew, both because I'm overwhelmed by the size my collection has grown to as well as my want to get other dolls still, but then again in my years in the hobby I managed to obtain my grail triad of dolls as well as everyone else and although I could sell them to get new dolls in to play around with and customize them I know I would miss them in the end. So, I just hold on to them and wait, and then when that feeling goes away and I look back at them sitting there, waiting patiently to be played with I am reminded of how much I love them. uvu

 

I may not be the best person to help you, but I just put all but one of my dolls up for auction on ebay. I decided mine were spending too much time just sitting around. I just got a new doll, and while I was excited for her to come, once I got her I just kinda felt, well, just bleh. And it's not her fault - she's as cute as can be, and just happens to be the one I decided to keep. She's a YoSD, and I decided that she's a good size to have around and easy to buy things for and isn't so darn big that she takes up a ton of room. I'm hoping that maybe with just one doll to concentrate on it will not seem so overwhelming for me. I have always loved dolls of all kinds, and I think I'll always want to have a bjd, but I think I may really like having just one for awhile!

 

Just speaking from experience and giving my two cents ^^ I actually think it's really hard to completely quit the BJD hobby. We all fell in love with them, had to do a lot of research, saving, begging, waiting etc before we actually get our doll/s! It's really hard to quit on something you like especially when you spend so much time and effort on it hahaa!

 

I've thought about it often. I didn't touch my dolls or even look at them with interest for four years. I thought of selling it all and just never givig it a second thought, but I spent so much money on the hobby that it would have been a shame to get rid of it (for a steep loss as well). So I waited. I worked on treating my major depression. And (very) slowly but surely I'm easing back into the hobby.

 

I was really into BJDs around 2006-2009! I actually bought my first doll then (Luts SDF Ethan) as well as a Luts NaNuRi 2007 head which I always meant to put on a body but never really worked out. I loved, loved, loved my Ethan--and that was an accomplishment because I never played with dolls as a child--but after a while things became busier and I lost touch with him. When I realized they were both gathering dust in my closet and I couldn't foresee myself playing with with them again anytime soon, I decided to sell them both to better homes. That marked the end of my active engagement with BJDs for a while.

Now I'm easing my way back into the BJD world! I don't think I'm going to buy actual dolls for a while because I don't think I have the means to properly take care of them right now, but it's certainly fun looking around DoA! That said, I have made it a goal to obtain a (Minimi) Zuzu Persi and customize her to look like my cat who passed away last winter. I think it will help with some of the heartache, making a project to memorialize her in my own little way while indulging my rekindled interest in BJDs.