When you love them all, but need to let go...

When stuff like this happens, especially when the dolls all spark joy, I find it's time to assess the space I have them in and see if there is a way to increase the amount of space in some way, possibly by getting rid of old stuff from hobbies I no longer enjoy, or invest in new ways of organizing.

One thing I did when I came back to after almost leaving the hobby was invest in a wall shelf, and that has been great in keeping a spot solely for dolls while also expanding on what I can keep in my space, since the dolls aren't all over the room. I find that when I have a lot of clutter in spots I'm trying to use, or especially when there's no organization or structure for the stuff I have, it really brings down my mood. I have had to reorganize my furniture and organization for the entire room sometimes to get my brain to stop feeling suffocated. It's a lot of shuffling things around and finding ways to maximize the amount of space, and making it feel open while keeping storage space plentiful.

One thing that might help a lot is to get the dolls for selling out of the way. Getting those dolls in a separate space, whether that be in boxes under the bed or clearing off the top of a shelf to put them in one spot, might help give you a sense of control over the situation. And if you're able to organize things in a more ordered way, or reorganize the room itself, you might find you can keep more than 2-4 dolls and still feel satisfied with your space.

 

I'm in the same boat, too. But, I also consider myself to have "bad tastes" in dolls, so I might be stuck with all of them.

I agree with most people when they say limiting themselves to only having "x" number of dolls diminished their enjoyment of the hobby. So, let's not place a number, yet. Plus, the number might pressure you to get rid of something without thinking about it.

I recently got rid of two floating heads that I really liked and most of a doll that I told myself "It'll probably grow on me". One of the floating heads was "I didn't want to get a doll body that was too heavy for me and I don't want him on a stand, either".
My largest doll is a BURDEN. YES, I want to sell it, but my excuse is "I'm new to all this and I obtained him possibly 6-8 years too soon in my life.", so he gets a pass.
I have another doll that took me almost 2 seasons to figure out that she doesn't look the same in person, as she does in photos to me. Even with my own photos, she looks exactly like the promo photos. I wasn't planning to photograph much, so that's when I made the decision that she had move on, even though I like the sculpt.

But, most of my problem might be not being able to move forward with most of them? They still need face ups and bodies. Or a couple needs to be re-done?

By the way, did you just obtain your grail? If so, just sit for a while and have some enjoyment. Once you feel content, it might open your eyes to your likes and dislikes and which ones need to be re-homed. You don't need to work with most of your dolls ALL of the time. Some people can and others only enjoy focusing on one at a time. Everyone has a pace and style that works with enjoying them. Some just like viewing, or sewing, or taking photos, etc. A few people take time for themselves, take time away from the hobby. Remember, unless you're moving soon, you have time to work things out and figure out why you do or don't care for certain sculpts.

 

I have to admit my doll collection is huge (and I collect more than BJD)... and what I've found to be the most useful is cycling through what dolls I put on display. Then it's not too overwhelming and cluttered. And when I feel it's time to switch things up I bring out my other dolls, and it's a bit like getting a new doll (just one that I haven't seen for a bit). Just offering up an alternative solution just in case it helps!

 

When it comes to my BJDs, my rule is - if I can't display it and enjoy it at least in that way, I really should not buy it. Having sold a fair number of off topic dolls, I'll share that one needs to be careful not to underestimate the connection/bond that one can develop. I still regret selling one particular doll *disheartened shrug* and that is not a feeling I recommend, lol. Boxing them up so you can't SEE them may help you clarify your choices, as @cosmicakes also recommends. Perhaps find a large box to put the extra dolls in and cover it with some pretty fabric so you can use it as a table or something - get creative. But yeah, don't have the ones you choose to sell "still lying about the room" that's not a good idea for your future purchaser, or the doll.

 

I agree with most fellow hobbyists here in that it is better to consider a purchase carefully in every aspect you can think of before buying it and regretting it or having second thoughts. The second-hand market can be quick if you happen to be selling a few selected dolls that everyone likes, but not for the rest of the dolls, and you will always end up losing a lot of money.

As for myself, I do not do much else with my dolls but look at them and change their clothes from time to time, so space is the most limiting factor to my resin family, and I share that display space with my husband and the rest of our hobbies.

That said, if you truly love all your dolls the same and want to keep them, I think you do what @Azael recommended, you could set up display turns with them. You could have a few on display and some others in boxes for a certain amount of time, focusing on the ones on display to spark your creativity. Then, after a few months or whenever you feel like it, you trade ones for the others.

 

I understand how you feel and have been at this kind of doll dilemma many times. I would just say that don't rush into it - you'll know which dolls you'll want to keep and which ones you are fine passing on in time, but those thoughts usually need to sit with you a little bit. It's of course annoying to have to take your time when you'd really like to downsize soon, but it's worth to wait until you're sure to avoid regrets and ending up hunting for the same dolls again in the future (don't ask me how I know )

I've always found it easiest to make that kind of a decision after being away from the dolls for some time. Sometimes being out of the house or taking a small trip helps, or even just packing the dolls away for a bit so they're not in your line of sight constantly - whatever helps you clear your head is a good thing to try in this situation I think, and I'm sure you'll find a solution soon enough

 

I agree with what others have said – if you can perhaps find a way to put the dolls for sale and the ones you're having trouble finding inspiration for out of sight, it might help not having the visual overwhelming queue of dolls that aren't "finished" and not knowing where to start.
I do this myself – dolls listed for sale are boxed up and placed in a cupboard, as well as any large/long-term projects I don't the the time or energy to work on in the near future.
If some of your dolls are able to share a body, that could be another way to reduce the amount of space needed without selling a whole doll.

Another thing to be mindful of is "sunk cost fallacy": the more time, money and effort you put into something, the more obligated you feel to make it work to justify your efforts and spending, even if you're not enjoying it any more.
I've gone through this myself and learned the hard (expensive) way that sometimes no matter how detailed your plans are, a doll refuses to be what you want it to be – it refuses to be that character, or every time you dress it in outfits you bought or made, it somehow looks "off". Sadly, sometimes the perfect vision you have in your mind just doesn't translate to reality and you have to know when it's time to stop.

Here are some questions I ask myself when I'm debating whether or not to move a doll along:

• Are the ideas I had for this doll still inspiring me, or do they feel like obligations? Will the doll still be interesting to me if the concept I had doesn't work out?
• Do I enjoy handling the doll – posing, styling, photographing, crafting for etc. ? Do I enjoy actually engaging with the doll as a physical object instead of just coming up with ideas for it?
• Is there something about this doll that's frustrating, inconvenient or displeasing (e.g. hard to shop for, posing, aesthetics)? Do I like it enough to overcome these factors?
• Did I get this doll with a specific idea in mind, or did I just get it to try it out, or own something exclusive? Did I have "oooh, shiny!" feelings that have now worn off?
• If I think about all my dolls, does this doll get their time in the spotlight, even if it isn't all the time, or have they become a "background extra"?
• How does this doll fit with my other dolls? Do they have at least one other doll to interact with, or do they look odd and out of place with the others?
• If someone hypothetically offered me money or a wishlist item for the doll right now, would I hesitate on letting it go?
• How much time, money and effort am I willing to spend to see my idea completed? How likely am I to do a reasonable amount of work on the idea in the next 12 months?

Best of luck with your decisions!

 

I thought I'd focus on this dilemma you have about deciding who to keep and cull.

Perhaps something you can do right now, is to find a place to store all your dolls away -- all of them, put them into their boxes or stashed somewhere, so that you room is decluttered and tidy, and you're not feeling mentally overwhelmed by the constant sight of "dolls lying around". And then, take 1 or 2 dolls out, find a place to display them that doesn't create fresh clutter, and then keep them out for a little while. Play with them, dress them, take photos, craft for them, etc etc -- basically, do the things you've always wanted to do with your BJDs. See what you feel about these couple of dolls after say, a week of just having them out around you! And then put them away, take out another 1-2 dolls, and do the same thing, and reflect on you feel at the end. If you're feeling up to it, have more dolls on display (3-4?) and see how you feel having those out.

It's basically what everyone else has suggested, but done with intentionality - to both do the things you wanted to do with BJDs (but got sidetracked from because there are now too many), and decide which dolls can really go the distance and which you can let go of. And also to figure out how much physical AND mental space you have for them - because everyone has a different ideal collection size, mental bandwidth, and tolerance for clutter. (Eg. I currently have 10 BJDs at home, and that's my preferred collection size - I actually don't feel like buying any more dolls at all.)

Journalling (or at least writing thoughts down) about this isn't a bad idea. I do this myself on my BJD blog.

If you do all this, and discover that you still don't want to let go of any dolls... then you know for sure what you feel, because you've given every doll a "fair go". Now you can proceed to figuring out how to display or rotate them without causing further clutter and overwhelm.

Good luck with managing your doll collection! I hope you can move forward with enjoying them again.

 

As for letting go of the dolls your decide to sell: I suggest taking some nice photos of them, so you have something to remember them by. Then, as others have said, put them away in a box and don't look at them. Perhaps you can go ahead and package them for shipping, so you don't have to look at them again when they do sell.
It might help to do this in a somewhat ritualistic manner, like a "goodbye" ceremony. You could even say out loud "goodbye, best of luck in your new home, I know you will be loved there", of that doesn't feel too silly. Or you could write goodbye letters to them, and stick them in the box (also a nice surprise for the new owner). It might feel odd to do such things, but if it helps emotionally, why not?

Edit: also, if you don't need the money badly, you might consider giving some dolls to friends, that way you can still "visit" them from time to time.

 

I have felt this so many times, and I'm kind of there right now.

I think first of all, if you're feeling an attachment and unsure about letting go, it's not time to let go, or you may regret it and end up rebuying the sculpt later. If storing them away doesn't make them go out of sight, out of mind...same.

So, some options of what you might try, and things I've done.

-Redecorate and organize! My doll room was a jumbled, cluttered mess, dolls on top of dolls. I got several wall shelves to display them nicely, plastic tubs to store their clothes and accessories, and a couple of those very simple, cheap cube shelving units from Target that you can put little totes in as drawers. Those are great for displaying smaller dolls, or using the totes to store small boxes, accessories, and other things. I also got a storage bench--to look at it, it justlooks like a regular, functional bench, but the top lifts up and I can fit around 5 1/3 scale dolls not in boxes in there and still have space at the end left over for some tinies or accessories. It's storage space hidden in plain sight! Works great for storing sales items, too, to keep them out of sight and not cluttering the room. Just having it neat and organized made me feel so much less overwhelmed!

-If that's not an option, can you put the dolls in their boxes in a closet or under your bed? If so, try that and keep a couple out on display or where you can see them easily, and rotate which ones get to be out.

-Sell the bodies, keep the heads, unless the bodies are unique or special in some way. Having nearly 30 big dolls was way way too much for me, but there were characters and heads I know I'd regret letting go, especially since many of the heads were discontinued, limited or from defunct companies. The bodies didn't matter as much. So I got a Christmas ornament storage box (tea cup or mug storage works too!) to put the heads in, and it takes up less space than a doll box. I keep my main characters fully shelled, and my side characters as heads I can pop on a body for pics or if I just want to hang out with that doll for a bit.

-If your dolls are shells of characters you write (creative writing, novel, roleplay, etc), think about which stories interest you most and you want to continue expanding. Think about which characters are most important in that story, and which are more fringe characters who probably don't need to be shelled. This doesn't really apply if your dolls are just pretty dolls and not full characters you bond with.

-If all else fails, and you have a friend or family member who doesn't live with you that you trust fully, let them take the dolls for a month or more. See how you feel having them "gone".

 

These were going to be my suggestions, and are things I am considering having to do with my own collection. I will run out of space soon, and probably the most realistic solution to this if I want to keep collecting without selling any is to have them share bodies, and rotate the heads. Heads are much, much easier to store. Downside is I wouldn't be able to take group photos. But it's better than feeling overwhelmed by too many dolls and not enough space to put them. Difficult decisions!