What would make you quit this hobby?

Not liking them anymore or even understanding why I still have them. I don't see that happening anytime soon, 'twas love at first holding.
But I refuse to hold onto anything that not longer interests me. I've been pretty ruthless in the past with dumping stuff that doesn't hold my attention before.

 

Probably just losing interest in general.. or if I really need the money someday. Only if I absolutely had to, though.

I don't have the patience for this hobby but I'm not letting that deter me from enjoying it.

I'm really just trying to keep myself from wanting too many too fast because I know that might ruin it for me.

 

I'd quit if I didn't love these characters any longer. I don't exactly have the greatest interest in dolls in general so I'd have nothing holding me to this hobby if I eventually stopped loving these characters (which is never happening and I know it). XD

 

As far as hobbies go, I can be quite fickle. I go through phases where I'm super-active and loving it all, and then my interest seems to taper off and I get burnt out, and soon enough, it seems I want nothing more to do with it.

I should add, though, that this is all tied in to my depression. I get into really low phases sometimes, and this can be long-lasting. When that happens, this is when I feel like cocooning and closing myself off from everything, and wanting to sell everything and anything hobby related.

I feel that I'm dangerously close to quitting the BJD hobby; it's been about two or three years for me, and that's a pretty average run for me as in my other hobbies. I hope I don't get to the point where I want to list all my dolls up for sale, but I am currently feeling some money issues, and having extra funds around would be nice. I just fear if I sell the dolls, then I'd regret it later.

 

I don't 'quit' hobbies. I get less active. Since I own these dolls, I'd still have them - I might sell a few if I really needed money, or you know, when I'm so feeble I'm in a nursing home I'll have to decide on which 4 I'll keep etc.
I still have supplies from my ceramics hobby days - just had to throw out some of the stains because of age.... oh, & am right now looking at a troll doll from 1968...

 

Im tempted to quit as is because this hobby is just too expensive and heart breaking for me. Does that mean I would sell my boy? Never. But I just wont have any part of the rest of the hobby. Seeing them release a tan skinned chiron after I had stopped saving for him hurt my soul.

 

I don't really see myself loosing interest any time soon, but I think the other thing that I think would make me quit is if I was ever in such a financial situation that I had to sell my dolls. Even if I didn't sell all of them, I don't think I would replace the ones I had sold.

I think it would take a really huge blow-up for me to leave because of the people in the hobby... and if anything I'd probably only leave that channel, not the hobby itself.

Even if I stopped coming here... I have many friends who are collectors, and I'm active in more than just this community. It would be difficult to cut myself out completely.

Maybe what you need is not to quit or back off from the hobby... but to get into a different aspect or to seek out a different group of hobbyists.

 

I dont see myself ever really "quitting" the hobby but i see a few things that might slow it down. Life happens, and if i get into medical school my dolls might not get too much attention but id still love them and keep them. I can also see something big like losing a home or car causing me to sell some if i were in a desperate money situation. as far as by choice the only thing i can see would be new crazy taxes that might slow down the rate at which i import dolls, and if companies went downhill/had bad experiences i might stop buying new dolls, but i think id still love the ones already home.

 

Other than the obvious of losing interest, I'd probably quit the hobby if something really bad happened to me in it. E.g. I remember reading a post about how this girl's doll flew out of the car window on the motorway and was destroyed I don't think I could get over something like that..

 

I can ignore things like drama and infighting, I tend to stay away from those sorts of people. But I would probably quit if it wasn't as fun and exciting anymore or if had less time to spend on it.

 

I think it would take some kind of tragedy (like Heaven forbid, I lose everything in a fire) to make me leave this hobby. I don't think I could rebuild my collection from scratch with my finances. It's really not about the money (or none of us would really have started this in the first place!), but the time I've spent - collecting rare parts for hybrids, or the hundreds of hours spent painting all my dolls and making their clothing. I think I would just have to close that chapter in my life, and reinvent myself.

 

Best of luck with the medical school admissions process, ArouraAnn! As a second year med student myself, I can at least reassure you that I can still manage the time and finances to keep my dolly hobby going fairly strong. If my memory serves, there are a few DoA members who are full MDs too, so the hobby certainly does not have to fall completely to the wayside with the beginning of a medical career.

 

Probably losing my muse. A huge part of me getting into BJDs in the first place is the photography side of things, as well as getting a chance to visually develop a group of OCs i've been writing about for a few years now.

But even if I started losing interest in the hobby, as in further collecting or doing mods and stuff, I doubt I'd get rid of any dolls unless I absolutely had to.

 

Oh wow! Its good to know that you are going strong in your studies and still have time for dollies Ive heard so many horror stories about how competitive med school is and I kind of envision myself having absolutely no life during that time, but you have given me hope! I guess theres really not too much to worry about as far as making me quit the hobby then, looks like my dollies are here to stay

 

Being unemployed and homeless might deter me from continuing with this hobby!!

 

While it's true that it will still be a tough balancing act between studying, more studying, and that other thing called "normal life," the plus side of med school is that it loses most of that dog-eat-dog competitive aspect of pre-med academics, and the atmosphere becomes much more supportive and collaborative among fellow classmates. If you decide to come to the USC Keck School of Medicine, come find me, haha! In addition to mutual BJD enthusiasm, I have boatloads of study notes (both mine and those passed down from previous years) I can offer you. XD

And so as not to stray from the topic -- I really can't think of much that would make me quit this hobby. It's already been 3 or 4 years with no sign of dampening interest, and while I enjoy participating in DoA and the other sharing/social aspects of the BJD hobby, any drama that might occur would not have enough influence on me to affect my overall enjoyment of it. At worst, a natural disaster like a fire, earthquake, etc. that might destroy my entire collection would probably cause me to selectively rebuild my group, with some members being irreplaceable and others shifted to different sculpts to suit the new aesthetic direction of my tastes. But rebuild it I would, slowly but surely.

 

The cold hand of death?

I have had spells of being very inactive, because sometimes life happens, but that's true of everything. Now that I've gotten into the hobby, though, I don't see myself quitting it for any reason. I have an emotional attachment to my dolls, and to building little worlds for them, and even when I can't get online to discuss things, or can't get out to local meets, or can't set my money aside for the next purchase, having my dolls just as they are cheers me up sometimes when I'm in my own depressive lows. Maybe not enough to pull me out of a slump, no-- it's very hard to do that sometimes-- but it is a physical reminder that there is something I am invested and interested in, and when I get depressed, it's hard to remind myself that I care about things. Having a physical object with a price tag and a 'home' with furniture and accessories, unlike a memory, is something I can hold in my hand, and even if I can't enjoy it when I'm really low, I can tell myself I have the capacity to enjoy it again later.

 

I guess you could say I "quit" the hobby and came back to it? I didn't really quit though because I kept up with looking at DoA every now and then. Also my friends have always had their dolls, but financial situations caused me to pause when it came to devoting time to looking at expensive dolls that would take me forever to save up for. I do plan on purchasing my dream doll sometime this year/early next year and I think it was be my only doll. I know everyone says that but I really just don't have the time/money to juggle the doll hobby, work, and school.

 

I'm like Teleri. I don't usually quit hobbies, but there are periods where I'm less active. Doesn't bother me. As long as these dolls still bring a smile to my face when I walk past them (and they always do), I don't see myself leaving anytime soon.