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

Hmm I would probably be still collecting anime figures. Maybe so many nendoroids I would run out of space lol. I also would probably have gotten more into trying to paint garage lots or other models.

 

I would be wishing I was. This hobby is my all time dream hobby. I have been obsessed with dolls since I was a small child. And loved BJDs since I was 12.

 

Is it sad that I dont know? LOL

 

I’d probably just save more money? Maybe be more into buying clothes for myself?
Though I’ve had times where I’ve collected other things I’ve eventually sold off & given them all up. BJD is the only long-running collection I’ve ever had and I’ve realized that I’m really not much of a collector type person at heart. BJD seem to be the exception, so it’s hard to say if I never started on them or gave them up if I’d take up something else or what that would be, I wonder…

 

I would have saved money. I don't have another collecting hobby, my expenses are fairly stables, and I don't see myself making sacrifices whenever it comes to my other activities. Now that life has almost returned to normal, I think it's more likely that I will severely slow down my BJD acquisitions rather than sacrificing my pre-pandemic activities in favor of expanding my collection.

 

Depends what we count as “in” the hobby.
Before I bought a bjd, I watched a lot of Andreja’s videos. As a result, I was obsessed with doing my own face ups despite not having my own doll. So naturally, instead of buying monster highs or any infinitely more reasonable solution, I decided to take up doll making. I figured out that if I wrapped, stretched, and sewed a piece of craft foam, I could have a “face” to draw on that was 3D. I would then sew a body, make yarn hair and do my own “face ups”. The foam was porous enough I didn’t need sealant or anything, so it was cheap as far as dolls go. So I guess still doing that while avidly stalking? I actually still have all of mine, minus the ones I made to be gifted to friends. A couple never got bodies, but do have hair and they’re very lightweight, so I have them hanging off my ceiling fan chains. And I have never done a real face up, even after buying a blank doll.
My not-in-the-hobby adventures also continued in attempting to make my own dolls out of homemade clay. Not “ball-jointed” at all, strung with jewelry elastic, the eyes were beads sculpted stuck in the head, there was no headcap, the elastic was tied at the top of the head through two channels from the neck, and the only posing ability came directly from the amount of lumps holding the unsanded limbs in place, but it was fun while it lasted. I tried only fabric doll making, but ended up dropping out after making a still-faceless 1/3ish size doll from a library book. (Fun, but too much fabric and i didn’t know what to do with her after making the base). So if we count being aware of it but not actually owning a doll, I’ve already done that.

If I had never found the hobby, I would likely have sewn more for myself, gotten more into doll making, and probably looped around and accidentally made a BJD anyway. I have some American Girl dolls and given enough time and boredom, I would have realized that ball shaped joints are flexible, elastic can hold it all together, and a face can be painted on. But only fabric’s difficult to do that sort of thing, so I would have eventually migrated to clay. Probably not the resin casting part though. And I would have sewn more for my AG dolls, maybe Barbie as well.

 

I’d probably have collected more Japanese UFO catcher and gashapon figurines (I still collect them, just not that much lol). I also probably would’ve gotten way more into collecting “naive” styled handmade ceramic figurines and pottery from artists online (my current faves are @fubsies and @smallwildshop). I also would’ve collected more unique handmade plush from artists (my current fave is @mountroyalmint).

So basically, I would’ve found other artist-made things to collect.

 

That is such a difficult question to answer. Dolls are a huge part of my life and always have been. I also write for comics and sew and crochet, but I learned to sew and crochet because of dolls. Dolls have truly motivated me to learn so many different skills. Without them I may have more money, but I might also have less skills.

 

Without dolls I think I would likely have painted a lot more. Before getting in this hobby, my main hobbies were reading and painting. I've never stoped reading, but I paint nearly never now. Max is one painting a year? I would have more savings too, haha!

 

I would probably be doing exactly the same things but in a far more disjointed and piecemeal way. This amazing hobby has been absolute perfection for me because it brought together all my interests and vast creative impulses into a single hobby with a cohesion I never dreamed could be possible. Artwork…check! Collecting…check! Fashion design and costuming…check! Home decor and diorama building…check! Story writing and character development…check! And as for the financial angle, equal monies would have just been spent on other things, probably with far less to show for it.

 

If my money doesn’t go to my dolls, it goes to my car. My ride would be even sweeter than it is now if I didn’t have this hobby….might even have two cars

 

I would be so boooooorrred.
BJDs take up a lot of my free time.

I'd like to say I'd have more money...but I've always been a shopaholic so I don't believe that's true. I was spending enough money to buy dolls on random stuff before I bought dolls, that's how I could afford to buy them in the first place! Stop buying other random crap! At least now I can point to my BJDs and say this is where my money goes lol because I have no idea where it went before this!

I'd probably have gotten back into action figures sooner, and would be attempting to customize them into my OCs. And I'd be failing yet again, because the whole reason I moved to dolls was because they fit my characters when action figures would not...and here I am, dabbling in figures again, and still there is no way to make Alex into a 1/6 or 1/12 with what's out there. So that's frustrating.

Also, some of my very best friends in the world were met right here on DOA...so I never would have met them. That's depressing.

Possibly the only thing better than what I have now that I might have sans BJDs, is art. without the giant time-suck that is BJDs I might have done more on my previous comic. Or, I might have done exactly the same, or even less without my dolls to inspire me. WHO KNOWS??!
I sure as hell wouldn't have my current comic at all because John's creation was partially me doodling and partially me buying stuff for his BJD...without his doll version he wouldn't exist as he does now, possibly not at all.

 

When I got into the hobby I rolled all of my other crafts and hobbies into it as most if not all where compatible with it. I more than likely would have more money in my savings, and would be out of my student loan debt quicker. I would still be doing all of my other arts and crafts and have more room on my shelves. OH! And I would not have discovered/ interacted with all of the wonderful people I have in the hobby.

 

No! No! No! No!! I would still be looking for bjds!!
These particular dolls facilitate so many of my other hobbies, sewing, painting, building, making things, jewelry making, collecting tiny perfect things. I’m sure if there was no such thing as bjds, I would still be doing those things and still collecting dolls. But, I’m sure I would not be happy about it.

 

i would be way more involved in general anime fandom and i would still be writing way more fanfiction, i think. would probably get more work done on my novel, too. and i'd probably spend most of my free time reading. ^__^;; but!!! i don't regret this at all. i love how this hobby marries all these different artistic impulses i've always had, re: jewelry, clay, character design, etc. i've always wanted to make SO MANY THINGS, and this hobby is a place where i actually have a reason to do that instead of just making a bunch of stuff for no reason and getting mad because i'm not perfect at it the first try.

 

Hmmm I dunno...I always have collected something. Maybe I would have watched more anime or been on social media more? I don't know.

 

Maybe I would be in a cruise by now, traveling around the Caribbean or Europe.
I would be collecting other things tho, maybe anime figurines.

 

I would still be sewing for someone or something daily, lol.

 

I'd probably save a lot of money, and probably spend more money on video games and books. I used to read a lot, but I sort of lost the habit when I started getting into dolls.

 

I probably would have spent a lot more time on digital art and painting, I used to paint all the time now I just mainly focus on sculpting. And my art area would probably be a lot cleaner, resin and clay dust get everywhere and it's a pain to clean it all up.