What keeps you going in this hobby?

I have a number of dolls and I keep them related to each other (they are either a family or very close friends) so I will feel bad if I were to sell any of them off, unless its a reshell. Also, I pick up hobbies and commission for miniature dressmaking or wig styling so I will feel the usefulness of keeping my dolls around whenever I feel bored of them.

 

I feel that way sometimes and I have sold a couple but it's not really the dolls themselves, so much as frustration that I don't have the money/time to do what I want with them. Almost all my dolls are ongoing projects in some way, but I think if I don't pressure myself to have them done by a set time limit it helps? Any little bit I can do or buy here and there that makes them seem more complete is worthwhile, I enjoy them even sitting around with no eyes in waiting for me to make wigs!

 

Not having the time and money, or the inspiration at that time, doesn't really bother me much. My dolls will be fine if I leave them alone for a few months, or even years. When I'm ready or have money and time again, they'll still be there. So I guess when I get frustrated with them or lose inspiration, I just leave them on the shelf for a while and come back to them at another time. I still enjoy looking at them and having them around, even if I'm not doing anything with them.

 

Oh, I have months or years where I'm not active with my dolls. But I know there will always come a point when inspiration strikes again. It's super cool to see how things develop over time, every time I feel the creative surge I am happier with my progress/quality . But I never worry about it when I don't interest myself in my dolls for a while, I know they'll come back.

 

I have a lot of hobbies, so I can just put one on hold while I try to finish others, or just play with other toys. I've never felt like I was fed up with any,
I've always loved toys, and art in general so it's never been extreme like that for me, where I feel like I should just sell everything. I just without
thinking too much about it, put some of those hobbies in pause while I work on others. Most of my hobbies are toy related though, so I do play with
some sort of "doll/action-figure" most of the time. Most also overlap when it comes to how they are customized. However, I am also into video games,
model kits, and am a classically trained artist (I love painting on good old cotton canvases), so when I feel like maybe I'm not feeling one hobby,
I just go work on another for a while. I naturally return to them again and pause them as well, without ever feeling like I should just completely quit any of them for good.
So I guess, my main point is; having a lot of "similar" hobbies helps not get bored with any in particular and keeps your creative juices going, then you can just return
to them without feeling like you need to sell everything right there and then. At least, that's what's helped me, I think. I did stop being active in the "BJD" hobby (forums)
for a "long while," but I never thought about selling my dolls because of that.

 

When I'm feeling uninspired in the BJD hobby I just let myself take a break from it, which helps me to not feel too pressured to always be working on my dolls and make them perfect. When I feel ready to come back to the hobby I am a lot more refreshed and motivated to work on things and I start to see my dolls in a new light.

 

When the wig sits juuust right...

Nawh, I kid. Something that keeps me going is every few months I have a dolly week where I go through and make sure everyone's looking good, do maintenance, and let them loaf around my office while I work a little bit on their outfits and things.

When I first started in this hobby it felt like a race to have All The Dolls, to be doing All The Things, and be throwing money every which way for clothes and things to try and 'size up' to my more established friends in the hobby. I burned out fast, had some bad experiences, and realized I wasn't approaching the hobby in the best way for me. I almost tumbled out of the hobby for it.

But! I learned a lot of valuable lessons and gained a lot of experience and skills in that time! Now I'm just happy to focus on my little resin squad when dolly week rolls around. It's like a mini vacation where I can recharge and enjoy the dolls that put up with my nonsense (and me theirs, pfft).

 

I think we all are used to see people that customize their dolls often, or that order new dolls, do doll related stuff constantly, etc. And that can be a bit of a "pressure" because we think "I have X dolls and I'm not working on them, why do I even have them?" well, in my opinion that kind of self pressure can ruin the experience. I only have one doll and she's just "sitting there" for more than a year. No new wigs, no new face-up or clothes... I just don't have the time, money or inspiration. But hey, it's ok because having a hobby or being into something doesn't mean you have to be innovating every day (that could be very tiring, especially for our wallets!).

 

When I was a newbie, I thought that everybody was constantly working with their dolls except for myself. And I felt that kind of pressure and it made me feel really bad, because I didn't have neither the time nor the money for my dolls. So I took a break and that way I was able to see the situation from another perspective. My dolls are there and they're not going anywhere, no matter if I pay attention to them or not. So if you don't feel like playing with them right now just relax and take your time. Inspiration is coming again sooner or later, you don't have to worry that much because if you do so you're not going to be able to enjoy the hobby.

 

I feel you there. There are days and months when I look at my dolls and wish I had the motivation to do more than just admire them...

I have a lot of unfinished doll projects, so when I take notice that they've been neglected, I usually take one and try to work on it more by trying to make clothes, adding to a face up, redrawing/updating their character design, buying one small thing for one of them each paycheck, and just trying different styles. When I go to the store, I check the toy section for all kinds of stuff for my dolls, and I'm always stalking faceup artists' pages, because everyone is so creative and talented that it's often the perfect fuel to my fire. Plus, it definitely helps when I see the people who continue to inspire me moving forward, posting progress. You can even stalk your sculpts' tags on various media platforms, (insta, Tumblr, Flickr, etc) for inspiration as well. I just try to stay as submerged in the hobby as possible.

Hope this helps, and I hope you find inspiration for your boy.

 

I got my dolls pretty much because of all the pics I saw on Instagram and Pinterest. I wanted to take those beautiful pics as well. So I got myself the most beautiful dolls there is and they usually just sit around being pretty until I come up with an idea of a pic. Then I choose the right doll for that pic, go take the pic and put the doll back with the others. I only have one doll that gets extra attention.

 

MY FRIIIIIENDS.
Seriously though. I had 1 friend going into this hobby. Had 1 doll for 2 years--never had real interest in getting a second because I felt so alone in it when she left to go to college. She ended up buying another doll her last year there, so I did too. I wasn't very active here, but was on a thread on another site. I met seriously one of my bestest friends there (@SporeXP ), Which lead to more friends and, well, here I am!

My friends in the hobby are nothing but encouraging and supportive! Granted, my dolls all have characters, backhistory and stories surrounding them that keeps me hooked, but if it wasn't for the group of friends I have now, my interest would have probably fizzled.

 

I feel Happy when I take good pictures. And Also I Can trying to make doll clothes for money.

 

All these dang talented artists keep releasing cute dolls and I just can't say no ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But really, I think it's important to have other hobbies so when you burn yourself out of one you can retreat into another one for a while. I go through phases where I'm really into my bjds, then I'm more into my fashion dolls, then I'm not into dolls entirely and I'm playing games or reading books instead. It happens, don't let it get to you.

 

I just came back from a long break in the hobby. Being a mom, it was always hard for me to find time to do my doll hobby in the first place. So I never thought I would "get bored" of them. A bit of naivety on my part. Every so often when I had the spare time, instead of pulling out my sewing machine and making them new outfits, I just stared at them. I felt so unmotivated and uninspired. The next free time, I'd be raring to go. It's kinda par for the course.

When I got pregnant with our second child I was already in a slump and decided to box up everyone with a box and anyone without one went up on a high shelf to keep away from baby hands. I had also just started really getting into makeup and I was having a lot of creative fun with it. Every so often I'd look at the dolls on the shelf and feel guilty that they weren't really being loved like they had been. But I still didn't have the drive to really do anything and with a new baby attached to my hip, I didn't have that many opportunities either. Then as my son got older, about 8 or 9 months old, he noticed the dolls when his very tall father held him and hedh babble to them. It was so cute and I started to feel that pull again.

Last year I got back in the hobby since I went on hiatus at the end of 2013. I didn't sell any dolls, and I bought my first doll since getting back in the hobby. Since then I haven't been able to put them down without getting an itch to do something with them.

If you're feeling bored, it's ok to take a break and do something else for a while. Then you can go back whenever you feel ready to. Nothing says you have to always be "on" in the hobby. TgatTh way too much pressure for anyone.

 

Developing my characters and storylines keep me going. I even have an instagram where i post weekly photo stories of my dolls that my followers look forward to. I also enjoy showing off what new skills ive learned to people who support the hobby (since at home the appreciation of the hobby is lacking) i learned how to do faceups and make wigs and props, im also learning to make clothing, i guess if youre bored, try milking it for what its worth? Try the wig making, and sewing and such, if you succeed then youve found a new skill and if not, at least you were distracted for a while, right?

 

I've been here since 2004... I don't really know what keeps me going! Everything, maybe?

I love the dolls foremostly! They are just so wonderful and beautiful, and I love being able to make them look however I wish.

I like the various bjd sites, going to meetups and cons, and making friends or chatting with friends about bjds. I love seeing what others do with their dolls, and the tremendous creativity among doll owners.

I guess I just like what I like and don't tend to change a lot...

 

I've kept this hobby for longer than almost any other hobby I've ever had, and I think it's due to the creativity and fluidity of it. While I have had BJDs for over ten years, I've only had Amir for that entire time--the rest are mostly temporary for me. I keep things interesting by having a few for awhile, working on them, role playing their characters, then when I start getting bored, I tend to sell them and start over with new dolls and characters. I get bored easily with routine and I need constant change in my life, so I stay excited for the hobby by changing the collection often. The role playing part helps too--some of my characters have storylines that have been going regularly for over five years!

 

Humm, I have to think about this...I guess it’s the creativity and customizing aspect. Before joining the hobby I didn’t like dolls and had no interest in them. But since bjds are so unique they sparked my interest and I have been enjoying learning new techniques like wig making, shoe making, and sewing clothes. I have given up my other hobbies for bjds due to finances. Over the years I’ve thought about quitting, but a new doll comes out and I’m inspired all over. I am slowing down in collecting and starting up my dollhouse hobby again -but using those skills to make props for my bjds. Less spending, more creating!