Where do you think you'd be if you weren't in the doll hobby?

When I discovered the doll community in 2017 I was very depressed and hadn't done anything creative for many years. I went to University for art and when I left in 2013 I didn't pick up a brush or pencil until giving repainting a try 4 years later. I don't want to think about where I'd be without it T_T probably still kinda sad and working some job I hate! Now I do dolls full time and I'm so grateful to the community I have!

 

Ah plush toys are awesome! I love Knitted Forest and Lullaby for fox! I agree with you, I'd probably have an absurd amount of plushies!

 

I am pretty sure I would still be customizing and crafting things for model horses and their riders. Ergo, I would still somehow do the same, just on a smaller scale.

Or maybe I would "invest" the money I do not have into Hot Toys, respectively into 1/4 action figures. As these also can be unclothed, I would craft stuff for them (and somehow I am sure they would own a horse...or two), I would still be somehow doing the same thing.

In short, I miss my horse badly. But longterm, it would have killed me...damn you asthma.

 

I'd probably be spending my money on KPOP stuff, or just be adding to my anime figure collection. I prefer dolls though!

 

I would definitely be spending my money on cosplay supplies. That's actually why I haven't been buying as many dolls or making things for them. Even though I originally bought a sewing machine to start making doll clothes, I've used it more for making costumes for me and my friends. So yeah no doubt, cosplay

 

My dolls take my time, space and money. In respect to all of these, I'd spend my time on drawing/sculpting.
My space... would be more minimalistic xD (dolls and their stuff takes more than 50% of *everything* I own... so yeah, aside form that, I am a minimalist).
My money would go to clothes, music CDs and Vinyls, and art supplies which - when compared to dolly stuff - are plain cheap xD

 

I use my doll collecting as a sortof drive. I'm in a situation now where my work wasn't my ideal choice, and it's also very, very emotionally taxing. So if I have dolls to look forward to, I can at least justify it instead of "I work to pay bills". It's also a hobby my best friend and I share, and it's helped me sortof reconnect with another close friend. So while none of that answers the exact question, I think i'm happier in general than I would be without them.

 

Videogames! haha

 

Better off financially probably! I don't regret most of my purchases but I do a few, so this year I will be more careful with what I buy. I would probably collect Grodnertal dolls I expect.

 

While there are some possibly better places I’d be without it, such as with a better savings account, and a step closer to getting my own home (lol)
It has also given me some knowledge, I used to avoid purchasing from overseas, now I have no fear of it. I am also in another doll hobby, reborn, and likely any money not spent here, would’ve gone there lmao my room also wouldn’t have mini boys and their clothes as well as a room box the size of small furniture lmao

In the end though, I’m thankful for this hobby. It has been creative expression I didn’t know I needed!

 

I'd be amassing incredible amounts of rilakkuma merch and even more kpop albums than i already have at the moment

 

I'm pretty sure if I wasn't in the BJD hobby, I'd still be immersed in the reborn doll hobby (I am a part of both, but have been more interested in BJDs lately). I've always been a doll addict, so that part of me will never die.

If I wasn't in any doll hobbies, I'd probably be more focused on my watercolor artwork and enhancing my skills there.

 

Interesting question, and it's not something I've thought about...

Saying that, I think I might have travelled more, with the money saved from not buying the dolls ($200-500 each, with more added on for accessories through the years). I might even have a better car or finances. I'd have other experiences, maybe a higher-spec laptop or drawing tablet. An upgraded phone or iPad, even. More K-Pop or Supernatural merch...

But, I wouldn't have the dolls that have become such a part of my day-to-day existence, even if I do little more than look at them most days. I've recently been thinking about rehoming the majority of my collection [if not the whole bunch] as I struggle to justify their presence in my room, but I look at a few and get a little "No, not me" vibe from them. And, I keep looking at new dolls from time to time, or sales/discontinuations, and wanting to add to my collection. Half my problem is that I have several impulse dolls, and they're the ones I'm struggling to bond with. The ones I deliberated over or had treasured characters in mind upon purchasing, I want to keep. The ones I haven't bonded with, and I bought on impulse, I struggle with. My collection is not right; but, that is a topic for another thread.

It doesn't pay to consider where I'd be without my dolls. Some of them have gotten me through rough patches. As I said above, I might have more experiences, which is the main point in living, but I wouldn't have my dolls. It's a strange one to wrap my head around. Particularly in the headspace I'm presently in, regarding dolls and life.

 

That’s a really tough question, I might be a lot more in to cosplay. I think I would still have learnt crochet.
If I wasn’t in the Bjd hobby I probably would have never tried using I’ve resin, I wouldn’t know how to style a wig. My life would be so different and I would have learnt very different skills

 

Wealthy.

 

I would probably be a makeup artist YouTube girl

 

Tbh I have no clue!
I have other hobbies but nowhere near as passionate as I am about dolls, I’ve been collecting dolls most of my life!
It’s what I love...I love collecting and all of the communities! I like drawing and reading, I just picked up painting and sewing! But again I’m nowhere near as invested in those as I am with my dolls!

 

LMAO!! I just giggled out loud bc this is so so true

 

Huh... well-travelled, but stuck in the same job most likely. More concert ticket stubs, souvenirs from cities visited, theatre programmes signed by actors, a passport filled with different marks from different visits. Maybe, even, a couple of languages other than my mother tongue through regular immersion.

I've long dreamed of visiting Paris [revisiting, actually], as well as Athens, Rome, and Dallas. South Korea has become a target destination recently. I wouldn't mind a chance to visit Japan, as well. China [my dad's been a couple times through work, and I'd love a chance to visit]. A return to a childhood holiday destination, to see how much it's altered since.

There are quite a few places I wish I could visit, and I do sometimes wonder if I'd have already ticked a couple off if I hadn't joined the BJD hobby.

 

I would probably have my bedroom full of more One Piece figures, plushies and other related items, more and different manga series, and more One Piece cosplays than I currently have.

But then again, I'd not have dolls that make me as creative as I've become since joining this hobby. I've learned to take better pics, sew small items, be super creative with what I have on hand, and write more in my notebook with my fountain pens, long distance driving alone, and more things (that I can't think of right now) because of this hobby. My creativity (outside of writing and cosplay) I owe to being in this hobby!

My Crew make me smile when I look at them, interact with them, or simply answer discussions about them, so for me, its worth the time, effort, money and travel time, among other things to be into BJDs.

Ryu