You've got ALL the dolls you want-- What Next???

Personally I dont think ill be able to stop or get all the dolls I ever wanted. I see new dolls all the time which just makes the list longer, then there's the dolls you just missed out on which are rare/ltd and hard to come by. The creativity dosn't seem to end either and the advances in technolongy (I want the dancing dollfie on you tube playing the guitar!). Im looking forward to seeing what the future holds for bjd's and I do want a large family or a village no a city of bjd's!!

I hope it does last like the enthusiasm and grows like I hope the friendships on here do 2. Yup im a loony :P

 

Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do. I wonder how many dolls I will own. My collection is far from being finished though, I have been in the hobby since July '07 and I will have 14 complete dolls in a couple weeks. I think that by the time I get completely done with my dolls (including character & grail dolls) I will still have a high interest in this hobby and will probably find other dolls that I want. My interest in doll sculpts might change so maybe more dolls will be added to the wish-list to keep me going. If all else fails, I'd just buy all the dolls that I only want for the sake of wanting.

I definitely will never give this hobby up, I think that there will be something that keeps me involved in it.

 

There are always new dolls- no matter how much you love the ones you have! ;D

 

Personally, the way I conduct the BJD hobby for myself... it's never ending I "recycle" my collection a lot, as in selling dolls to buy different sculpts... I really enjoy the dolls I have, whilst I have them but then I sell them on and let someone else love them whilst I go on to try something new I agree this wouldn't work for everyone, but I find it keeps it interesting

 

I find myself coming up with new characters when a particularly beautiful sculpt appears. So that could continue ad infinitum, although hopefully I'd reach a point where enough is enough. At that point I'll focus my efforts on clothes and props and learning how to photograph properly! It seems like there is always another facet of this hobby to explore...

 

I still buy dolls occasionally, although my wishlist is shrinking rapidly. If/when the day comes that I have all the dolls I want, there's still sewing and photography to be mastered. I could go on indefinitely, playing one way or another.

 

With all the new shiny things that keep coming out -- and rarer or hard to find items on the wishlist -- I can't imagine ever being in this position. Admittedly, I'd love to be -- except what would have to come next would be another house to keep them all in.

If I was ever in this position, though, and it included enough space for everything and everyone, I'd likely focus on expanding their wardrobes and/or building some sets/getting furnishings. In this hypothetical universe, I'd be hilariously well-off, and could just build them a wing on my brand new custom-built house, though. Doing this is in the 'lottery plans'. (Of course, I never buy tickets, so... )

 

One of the things I love about this hobby is that just when I find myself getting to the point where I think I'm happy with what I've got and won't want any more........ a company goes and releases something I really want I'm sure that eventually I'll drift out of the hobby, but at the moment I can't see that happening and I definitely can't see me never looking at a doll again and thinking 'oooh, want!' Was that a double negative? However, if that did happen I would most likely just keep all the dolls I have and move on to another hobby, while still continuing to go to meets etc in the BJD hobby. The social aspect is one of my favourite parts of this hobby, and even if my doll family is filled I think I'd still be wanting to socialise with other doll owners

 

My collection is pretty much "done," and has been for some time. I started collecting in 2005, and due to space and time constraints, I told myself that I wouldn't go over a certain number. Now I'm there, and since I don't want to sell any of my current dolls, I guess that means I'm finished. I still like looking at new sculpts, but I'm happy with what I have, and admiring other people's collections is much easier on the wallet As for what I do now, I do exactly what I did before I stopped buying new dolls--change their wigs/eyes/outfits, make clothes, and admire them. To tell the truth, it's nice not to worry about snatching up a limited edition, or winning a lottery, or jumping on a new sculpt before it sells out.

 

If I had all the dolls I wanted I would stop buying. I only buy dolls to shell characters. In this scenario I am assuming I have them just the way I want them, perfect wigs and eyes and face ups. I would continue buying accessories for them of course, clothes, shoes, jewelry so I can dress them and interact with them. I will continue using them as my little writing muses. If I move on to new stories I guess I could see winding up needing to shell new characters in the future. I am actually getting close to reaching my completed dolly family. But finishing the dolls themselves is another matter, I always seem stuck on finding perfect wigs.

 

This is such an interesting question. I found myself a little dismayed because I found myself being a little materialistic and with BIG eyes on every new thing that comes out. I sometimes have thought about this hobby that if you stop buying dolls or things for your dolls then you come to a stalemate. You can only do so many photoshoots I suppose. Last night I came to the realization that i have spent $4000 on dolls THIS year. Holy cow. It's only May.

So I feel that reigning it in and being moderate will make me happier in the long term, not shelling out tons of cash. I'm not rich in the slightest and I used up all of of my money that I made selling things to get these dolls, so I am kinda out of funds anyway haha...

I think I will start my own "company" in the spirit of Marti. I have wanted to do this for the last 3 years since I discovered BJDs and maybe 10 years because I just wanted to be a doll sculptor. I think we will see how successful I ever become but it is my dream.

 

Due to my hubby planning to retire early next year things in my hobby will be changing. Due to tightening the budget my allowance will be cut down and so spending money for at least dolls will pretty much come to a halt or a slow trickle. So I plan to concentrate on sewing, my photo stories and of course taking at least one doll when we travel. So the hobby will be still there for me, and I am adapting to the change. I have shelled most of my characters and soon will have the final 3 with only one needing a body. Once she is done, we are pretty much going to adapt to just being happy with who is here and what they need done.

 

I don't know that hobbies ever really "end" unless you lose interest or have to sell your collection or something like that. I have most of the dolls I like but I'm sure I will continue to add to and delete from my collection over the next few years. I will also change up my dolls' appearances when I want too and continue to take photos and post here and all that good stuff.

 

As I get closer and closer to my goal..and my list gets shorter and shorter, I ponder this question alot. I think that there will ever be the opportunity of new clothing and wigs and accessories for my chosen few...and I would never leave the hobby - I love my Dolly Crew people far too much!

 

hmm thats a great question but i dont think i will leave the hobby, iam a person who loves to collect dolls, i really love toys ( i guess i got that from my grandmother) i still have some when i was very little, so only if i reallllllllly lost interest in them, but i dont think so, i still like my old barbies, and theres always new sculpts or old that iam falling in love, even tho i get my grail dolls, iam still on the lookout yeah iam weird, its just iam never satisfied i always want more but thats the way iam, i cant help it, for me my dolls are like a collection but i just like to stare at them...... me and my grandmother always talk about dolls and birds i really look into the future with an army of dolls, just like my grandma.
-eloisa

 

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My wishlist just keeps getting larger and larger the longer I am in the hobby. I am also a lot more committed, time and money wise, now that when I started a few years ago. I don't envisage there ever being a day where I have all the dolls I want or all the clothes, accessories etc I want. There seems to be new companies and new innovative dolls coming out nearly ever week, and overall I think the quality is constantly improving, so there will always be more dolls I want. I've also found that the longer I am in the hobby the more discerning I am in regards to quality - so the things I want are of a higher standard and therefore take longer to save for/acquire (e.g. limiteds). I don't really use my dolls to shell pre-existing characters - I just give them names and personalities as they come in.

I've tried to limit myself to only a certain number and that hasn't worked. I have also had times where I've tried to sell of several dolls and go back to fewer but I always end up getting more again!

Overall I think the hobby is changing in that there is so much choice now, so many companies and new ones coming along all the time. The older companies are really being innovative and doing interesting new things, pushing the boundaries and I hope this continues. Then we also have the "boutique" doll makers who are just individuals or very small groups releasing limited heads and/or dolls. There is a lot going on and no lack of awesome dolls to want! Just a lack of money and space!!

 

To be philosophical about it, I guess it depends on whether collecting dolls is the end goal, or whether dolls are only a medium to work other hobbies into (like sewing, photography, modding/aesthetics, etc...) If collecting is the end goal, and I've collected absolutely everything I wanted... I've reached my goal and there's nothing left to do, right? But if I buy dolls with the aim of doing other things with them, then it's not over until that other hobby is over as well.

With all the new companies and new dolls being released -- almost daily it seems! -- I think it's easy to forget that this is not just merely about getting dolls (and their stuff) and checking off the wishlist. I'm the first to own up that I forget that every time I come to DoA!


More personally...

Right now I'm at a place where even though I still have dolls on the wishlist that I'd like to get, I'm satisfied with the resin I have. But I have a long way to go with my photography and storytelling, which I actually want to get better at, and I would like to spend more time photographing my BJDs. So I think that while I may be done with the collecting aspect of the hobby, I'll still be doing things with my dolls and enjoying them.

 

My buying dolls is soon coming to an end as well. I'm in the final editing stages of my collection right now, just tweaking a bit here and there with one or two final sculpts in the works. I never planned on a huge collection, just enough to keep me happy and creative long into the future. I've always collected as though I was building my basics towards a finite end. I love looking at new sculpts and imagining what I'd do with them, of course, but I firmly know what I'm after so it's just a little harmless exercise in fun. I'll never fall out of the hobby...it's destined to be a lifelong joy. I've just never found anything else to match the creative bang for my artistic buck! There will always be plenty to do and enjoy with my beloved crew.