When you don't feel the need to buy more - When the bjd hobby just stagnates ? What have you done ?

I have had times like that and honestly I'd just let it be what it is. Breaks are good. You are happy with who you have and how they look and that is good. The hobby isn't about buying more and more in my opinion. It's about creating the doll and/or character you want to have. And maybe one day you'll fall for a new doll again but for now I would just enjoy the calmth.

 

I don’t personally see a break in acquisition as a sign of stagnation at all. Many hobbies but especially this one have many facets to them and it’s in my opinion healthier if you spend more time enjoying what you’ve got at the moment as opposed to continuing to buy for the sake of buying.
I rarely buy dolls, but I’ve spent a lot of time doing faceups/blushing, sewing, and generally enjoying my dolls. That said, I’m not immune to the made a purchase high, it’s just more often i’ll be looking into materials or shoes.
Recently listened to a podcast where the host discussed the excitement high of new hobbies in which we feel the need to consume everything, from forum posts and videos to actually buying the products related to the hobby and how it will inevitably fade in some form. Up to you if it becomes a long term slow burn or if it was a flash in the pan.

 

I have only just started collecting BJDs but with my other collection of model horses I just came to a point where I had most of the ones I wanted so started to do more photo shoots with them and just enjoy them. I think with the dolls there is far more to do for example I have made a doll room, other people do dress making / knitting / crochet for the dolls. I am trying to do better photo shoots with them. Its nice to have the thrill of a new doll from time to time though

 

I've taken breaks every now and then. At this point, I get more of a thrill browsing for dolls than planning to buy. My dolls are also my models, as I adore sewing and crafting props. DoA is another outlet of mine, especially the BJD games, project journal and profiles pages.

 

I'm at a point where I generally don't feel the need to buy more dolls because I'm mostly happy with my collection, but the hobby hasn't stagnated for me because I do occasionally buy accessories and I am constantly making them new things (mostly clothes). That's how I keep the hobby alive for myself almost 10 years in, by continuing to craft all the time. If I didn't like sewing I think I'd focus more on photography or set building as those are aspects of the hobby that also really interest me. Of course, there's nothing wrong with the hobby beginning to be a more passive activity for you if you like to simply keep your completed dolls around and admire them. I certainly like looking at mine day to day.

I feel that I've never really taken a break because I am always thinking about my dolls but I'm not always active with them and I do take breaks from the active part of the hobby to focus on my other interests, like painting. I think as long as you aren't forcing yourself to be active with your dolls if it's not interesting to you there's not really much you can do wrong.

 

For me, I put them in something lovely, pose them somewhere on a shelf and just enjoy them when I walk or sit nearby. Acquisitions is only part of the hobby. The other part is simply enjoying the pieces of art that you’ve gotten to bring into your home. Sometimes there’s a new face up or a new outfit or a new wig or even a new head but the majority of it is just enjoying them. At least for me.

 

Then it’s time to get every doll perfect and work on their characters and stories!

Personally, I hate the collecting part. It’s so annoying and stressful to me to have a list of dolls I want but can’t afford or can’t find for sale. It’s even more stressful to have blank dolls who need wigs, eyes, shoes, clothes and on and on. Getting them home and complete is the best because then the fun starts!

I start going through every single doll and their stuff and deciding what could be better about them. Really perfecting them. Like maybe I stuck a pair of okay eyes in them just to be complete, but now that I’m not saving for new resin, I could afford something much better. Maybe they need that one outfit that just really makes them the character I want to portray. Check all of that to see what would make them perfect.

Once that’s done, I just develop the character and story more. Unfortunately, developing the story more often means new characters and here we go again....lol

 

I feel I am getting close to saying, No more needed. I look forward to moving around my room, changing clothes, getting face ups done and getting back to reason I really joined this hobby almost thirteen years ago. Doing stories. I have two groups who will be my story tellers and one group who just very special dolls in my heart. They will be photographed, just as travelers or as my special loves. I look forward to the shopping stopping and so will my bank account.

 

Agreed with several people above, buying is only one aspect of the hobby to me. Making clothes, wigs, accessories, planning new looks, making props or even furniture. Hunting the perfect items that are available to buy. Working on characters, stories, roleplaying. Taking photos and editing them. Cleaning the dolls, restringing, blushing bodies, hands, feet, improving their poseability in various ways. Posing single or multiple dolls, setting up scenes or doll rooms for photos and for my own pleasure, because I get to view it for as long as I want. There's just so much to do and I love how this hobby gather several other hobbies.

 

I haven't quite hit that point yet, but whenever I do find myself a little less interested in buying/collecting/etc. I tend to teach myself a new doll-related skill. First it was wig-making, then tailoring, then eye-making, then modifying. Now I'm actually trying my hand at sculpting my own dolls.

And there's a lot to love about the doll hobby besides collecting things, even if you aren't interested in crafting! But I would say don't force yourself to do anything- if she just stands there looking pretty for a while and you still love her, I guess I don't see a problem if you don't want to collect anymore. I wish I could stop buying, lol

 

Agreed with the above. Buying constantly isn't really... I hesitate to say that buying dolls in general has nothing to do with the hobby, because the hobby is doing stuff with dolls, but the process of going out and buying things is not an integral part of the hobby. The hobby is everything else we do with our dolls. Some people might buy tons of stuff, because they have many ideas. Other people might buy one doll, and one outfit for that doll, and be content photographing that one doll. Being happy with what you have isn't stagnation, it's an indicator that you are done or mostly done collecting new dolls, and can focus all your efforts on other aspects of the hobby

 

I think it was really well said above. Buying dolls (or anything) isn't the major bulk of the hobby. Buying dolls is just the beginning, the entry-point. There are a lot of deep-dives you can do in this hobby that will take up your passion and refocus it. Some people refocus their passion on doll photography, or sculpting, or making props and clothes. Some people shell their characters and treat their dolls like muses and inspirations for drawings, paintings, stories. Once you stop buying, it doesn't mean your time in the hobby has ended, it means your focus is shifting.

 

What other aspects of the hobby do you enjoy, aside from the collecting part? I think it’s only natural that interests in the various aspects of any hobby wax and wane over time. I’ve found that my interests can be cyclical in my other doll hobby (Blythe), whereby sometimes I’m more interested in stock dolls, then at others it’s the custom dolls or the vintage ones and then at other times I’m really enjoying sewing or knitting for them...at the least, you can enjoy the extra money you’d usually spend on your dolls and spend it on yourself instead

 

I agree with @CloakedSchemer , I also hate the buying phase! I'm so happy to have the buying part mostly over with. It doesn't make me feel like my hobby is stagnating, it makes me feel like I finally have what I need to DO my hobby. For me, designing and sewing clothes for my dolls, making wigs, styling them, taking photos, etc is my hobby. The buying dolls part was just a (often stressful and tedious) thing I had to get out of the way in order to have dolls to do those things with.
I've also found new areas of doll crafting to try as time has gone on; I'm currently learning to make my own resin eyes and planning on trying shoes, and furniture is something I'd like to try building. The possibilities for things to create are pretty much endless, and getting really good at any of it takes so much time and practice that I'll never run out of things to do with the dolls I have.

 

I'm stuck in the buying phase right now I hope I can reach a point where I feel satisfied with all the things that my dolls have but I'm somewhat of a shopaholic so ... no clue when I'm going to get there. (also why is it so hard to find furniture for them!) But I think if I stopped collecting/buying stuff, I would take more time to take my doll's pretty pictures and still look at other people's doll pictures

 

Have you ever felt the bjd hobby has just kinda came to a stand still / stagnated ? What keeps you going / interested ?
I've never felt this way because I never really purchased in order to fill or complete a wish list; I didn't have one when I first began purchasing BJD (2003-2004). I do have a wish list that grew over the years, but that's just like if I had a ton of money and no other hobbies, then I might look into buying some of the dolls on there. However, most of the dolls (if not all) on my wish list are super old, super unpopular, discontinued dolls or custom ones that don't exist. So, I highly doubt I would ever get to own many, if any at all (even if I had the funds for them). I did learn about BJD fifteen or-so-years ago, and stopped purchasing new dolls in 2010, so for me purchasing has been at a "standstill" for a long time now. I never planned on owning more than ten complete dolls however, and I have six of them now (and eight floating heads). I always planned on modifying, repainting, and customizing them for as long as I had them with me, and I still do that from time to time. I am older (and lazier now), so the enthusiasm is not as high as when I was 23-24-years-old, but I am still planning on customizing my dolls for as long as I live. I don't plan on purchasing any more dolls or items for them however; I am pretty uninterested with the stuff that is available. I sometimes lose interest in learning about what is going on in the BJD "community" as well, but thanks to that I lost owning a duplicate sculpt of one of the dolls I already own and have modified, so I try to visit as regularly as possible for that reason alone (so I don't regret it later).



What have you done to rekindle your love in the hobby?
I first learned about BJD when I saw a close friend's customized Volks 27cm Dollfie dolls, so I searched for them and stumbled across Jun Tachibana. I always wanted to customize my own dolls, but was too scared to ruin them. I thought if a blank set was already available, I would be less worried about ruining it. That's how it started, and I still love the customizing aspect of the hobby. So, for me it was never about reaching a goal amount of dolls or accessories, but about being able to paint, modify and customize my dolls as much as possible or until I was satisfied. I still do that, even if not as often as in the beginning, and I'm far from satisfied yet. There is still a lot I want to do with the dolls I already own, so I don't lose interest in them, I am just not interested in adding anymore dolls (I still keep a sliver of hope that I'll find the perfect body for one of my floating heads, and one for my favorite doll, but...).
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Actually, since I already own more dolls than fit into my tiny appartment (seems like it's bigger on the inside, or so, otherwise I can't explain how I manage to accommodate all those dolls, especially the big ones) I don't view that fading need to buy more as a bad thing. I also got more than enough half-finished or not-at-all-finished or barely-touched-but-want-changed dolls sitting around that I'll still be able to drop a ton of money into the doll hobby in face-ups and clothes commissions alone.

I guess it's just that, at some point, the focus shifts from "gotta get more dolls!" to "gotta get those dolls finished!" ... Yes, okay, there are some doll parts I still have to buy (like, for example, that body for Caterpillar) but that's basically just "bits and pieces" compared to the number of dolls I already own. Plus, I'm putting that kind of stuff into the category of "getting those dolls finished!"

 

I think I am mostly at this point. But it is absolutely nothing bad for me. As I love crafting, I have tons of ideas what I want to do with my crew. There are always things I want to improve. Mostly face-ups. They have gotten better over the years, but I am still not 100 % happy.

Then there is the aspect of "everyday" outfits. Here I can imagine buying exiting stuff, if it fits the corresponding character, of course. E.g. I cannot imagine Hawkeye so much in a business suit as his everyday outfit (only if necessary), whereas this might be just normal for Tony.

As BJDs are mostly a hobby where you can do every other crafty hobby if you want to, it never ends and never gets boring.

 

Haven't reached that point yet.

There are always outfits to sew for my gang (and the correct accessories to hunt down for them) so it's probably ever ending.

I'm probably around saturation point for actual BJDs (especially in terms of available space), but stuff for them will be ongoing as far as I can tell, especially stuff I have to sew because it isn't available to buy.

Teddy