...What Now??

For the most part no, it's not been an issue. Most of mine are story characters, and getting them is very exciting as it allows me to have a 3D representation of the character to interact with. Getting them put together with the right faceup, eyes, wig etc is really fun -- it's bringing that character to life. I feel especially motivated to write about characters who have doll bodies.

I struggled with a few dolls, but got all but one worked out in the end. Some dolls just take a longer than others to figure out. Considering the number of dolls I've bought, I have a pretty high bonding success rate. I've never regretted any of my dolls -- even the few problem children I go into buying with the attitude that things will work out, and even if they don't, it's not the end of the world. The longer I've been in the hobby the more I know what I like and what works for me, so it's actually become easier.

 

Personally, I didn't bond with my girl at all when I first got her. She didn't have her eyes in because my eye-putty was somewhere else inaccessable, she didn't have any clothes except a very quick outfit I made on the spot, and she didn't have a faceup. I can't really bond with a doll until I feel it is "complete", which is having proper wig and eyes, at least one decent outfit (whether that's made or bought, doesn't matter.) and having a faceup... When she was incomplete like that I did absolutely nothing with her. She sat in her box, maybe coming out once or twice to model for a drawing or just so I could admire the fact that I had a BJD. Even now, my girl has everything but a faceup... I can take pictures of her, but I'm hesitant to until she gets a faceup.
Now, when a doll is complete, then I mostly just sew for it... If I have spare wigs I love to play around with those. And then just taking pictures in interesting poses and settings. I admit, I don't play with her every single day, and I'm not always actively using her. Sometimes I'll take her out and dress her up just to sit her on my desk and look at her ;P
I also try to space out my time between dolls... as in complete one before starting to save for the next.

 

no, it makes good sense. I as well don't have one yet, and i do worry about that too, since my friend when she bought her second doll didn't connect with it either. but, she gave it some time, made sure she really felt that way, and when she was sure it wasn't the doll for her she put it up for sale, b/c there's always someone else in the world willing to love the doll you can't connect with. so don't fret too much - there are always option.

 

Haha, I didn't reeeeally connect with my doll at first. Mostly because of her faceup. I had rushed it and I didn't really want to look at her much.
A couple nights ago though, I had redone her faceup and now i'm carting her around everywhere with me. ^^ She is soooo irrisistably cute!
I've been photoshooting her like crazy.

 

Thanks for putting up the thread dearjuliet! =)

I've also had the "What now" thoughts even though my dolls haven't arrived yet. Seeing everybody talk about their experiences has kind of comforted that weird anxiety.

 

There's no what now for me, since my dolls represent characters I've created that are very special to me, there's still too much to do even after they arrive. Getting the proper clothes, props, etc. But if I ever manage to complete them, I'd just sit back and admire the hard work. Just looking at my dolls is enough to make me happy.

 

I think if you invest as much emotion into getting a doll as most people seem to do, it usually connects fairly easily and you'll find yourself doing stuff with it all the time.

 

I wanna get Clover a bat mobile...
(I lavish her with so many oddities because the others are very easy to shop for so can get near anything they like)
Clover has drawbacks, so gets cars, missiles, pirate ships, etc
and I make weird photostories and they're a lot of fun

 

I'm thinking rob a bank is high on the list of priorities...!!

 

I'm in the same predicament as you! Haven't gotten one yet, but definitely considering life AFTER getting them since I've figured out my doll family already. [it took me two years, but still. xD]

I actually love the idea of them just keeping me company and me taking them around with me to meet people and take cute pictures. I consider them my little minions!

 

My babies mostly sit there in my room, but every time I walk into my room, they make me smile and I spend a little time looking at them. Getting the doll isn't the end of the experience - only yesterday I took one of my boys apart and gave him a full body blushing and bath.

That, and I'm always making them clothes, or shopping for eyes/wigs/props. I take photos of them when I feel like it, take them down and pose them...

If you love your doll, your doll will bring you joy. But you've also got to look for ways to bring that joy out of your doll as well. For me, it's the creative side of the hobby, for others, it might not be. It's all about finding your own balance.

 

Once a get my new doll I have to find the perfect initial place for them to pose where I can look at them alot. Next I start to play their wardrobe, try on outfits I already have to see if they fit the newcomers personality, and debate about eye and hair colors and styles. Sometimes the anticipation of receiving the new doll is so great that is sort of anticlimatic once you get her/him.

 

I would have to agree with a number of the folks who posted previously. When choosing a new doll, whether she is new from a company or from the marketplace, I actually feel I have a connection even before the actual purchase. I create the character in my mind and find the doll to fulfill that creation. I have yet to find a doll that I cant actually connect with because they are already part of the family before they even arrive. I guess this is one of the reasons I am probably a bit out in left field when purchasing a doll from the marketplace. I actually like to address the doll itself, to let her know what her adventures with our family will be. Then, if the doll or the current owner doesnt feel comfortable with the transaction, they can change their mind on the move. I hope that makes sense!

 

I wondered this when I first started thinking about getting my doll, but even though I do not have the doll yet, I really dont think that it is possible for me not to bond with her in some way, I mean she isn't even here yet but I love her so much.

 

I'm getting my first doll any day now and I've personally never worried about it. I really like the other hobbies thats revolve around owning a BJD aswell such a sewing,photography and so on. I really like making craft projects so for me I'd always have something I could do with my doll

 

When I got my June I Was super excited I paid for her as soon as I could and counted down the days of her arrival when she came I opened her with care and daintily picked up little items of clothes then gently unwrapped her...and I had no reaction to her...just blank. I thought I'd be all excited and would pose her and take her places and do her faceup(I thought I'd pick up faceups like it was nothing) but instead k felt nothing towards her. After getting over the shock I bought her some clothes and sent her away for a body blush, tattoo and faceup and now she's my little girl. I've tried to sell her a few times, but in the end she knows she's not going anywhere.

Julius gets the most attention. Hrs not complete by any means but he's my favorite. I stalked dollshe daily for updates on my order, i stalked the tracking info and when he arrived and opened him he was shear perfection. I played with him and his poses offer so much personality and his quality is amazing, I've never once looked at him and thought of selling him.

So when you ask what now? Well now you play with them, you display them, take them places and photograph them the possibilities are endless. Buy them clothes and wigs ect

 

Every doll I've picked out has done fine. The only one who hasn't is Taffy because he's a contest prize head. I've switched his eye color, he had several wigs, several outfits (home made) with different looks, but he isn't as strong as the others. My sister and I won Taffy and his brother Jareth so we don't want to get rid of them but they're 70s and just huge.

I don't spoil Taffy like I spoil my Littles or my mini Xavier, my most spoiled resin, but I don't hold it against him any way. And I'm not knee jerk about not bonding with a doll and having to immediately sell it. He doesn't take up that much room, smaller dolls sit on his lap, so I hope he'll eventually find his purpose. I haven't spent any money on him in awhile, kind of a not throwing good money after bad thing, because I don't feel that there's a way to shop out of a bonding problem. Spending time with the doll is usually the best fix.

 

I know when I had my first doll come to me in the mail I was overly excited about his arrival. I took my time opening the package, and I made sure I did everything with the utmost care. However, after he was all dressed and set up, I kind of asked myself; now what do I do.

I hadn't really had any idea as what I possibly could do. I did take some pictures but taking pictures of only one doll does have it's limits. That's when you want to broaden your collection. Or, perhaps invest in buying your doll some more clothes, accessories, and items that can be used in the photo's you take of your dolls.

So despite feeling as if my doll had no purpose in the beginning I slowly developed more of a reason to love and have him.

 

I think that finding the perfect doll is only half the fun- the other half is getting to find the perfect wig, eyes, clothes, doing all the sewing, face-ups and prop making for that doll, and then taking a bunch of awesome pics and spamming them all over the interwebs! I love all that stuff just as much as I love doll shopping- I've involved my dolls in such a complicated little world- it's so much fun! The only time I've felt sort of "what now?" is when I've bought a doll that I didn't really plan for. That usually sends me into a tailspin because I hate having unplanned dolls hanging around taking up space from the ones I really want!

 

Well when I got my first doll I felt that "what now" thing along with "This was a mistake."
I plain up didnt like my first doll. EVERYTHING looked wrong about his face so he sat in a box for a year before I sold his heads on with the intent of getting the first doll I fell in love with, a Delf IF head and then trading out the boy body for a girl one.
Long story short my Delf IF is now a happy BOY and I have not had a "what now" feeling about him, or my peakswood at all.

Some times all you need is a change if you really feel you dont know what to do afterwards. Donivan didnt even have a character for a month and a half yet I still loved him and ran around taking photos and making clothes and laughing when his elastics would cause him to hit my friends and such. XD
BJDs are never "complete" in a sense you can just get them more and more items and clothes and still get excited! C=