I want to buy a doll, but...

I don't really do much with my dolls. It helps if you know how to sew or make props to keep yourself occupied. Attending anime conventions is also a good way to meet other BJD owners!

 

I don't think there's anything to feel guilty about. It really is OK to buy a doll that will 'just' be a display item. Do you get enjoyment from looking at your Puki? If you do, then it's money well spent. Not everyone takes photos, crafts, makes stories, and so forth. Some people buy dolls to put in a cabinet and look at. That's 100% legit. The doll doesn't care if it sits on a shelf all day long. It is a doll, after all

 

My dolls where always just little friends that sat around. I did try face ups, but I prefer painting a 2d canvas, and I used to take photos, but the past 9 years I've been too tired and busy to do much. I'm actually selling my older dolls now, but even with many years of them just siting they gave me a lot of joy. You don't need to do what everyone else dose, and I've known a few doll owners that really only buy them to put in a display cabinet. Every doll owner is different, don't feel guilty for enjoying them in your own way! : )

I plan on getting into photography for them again once I get my new dolls, but even if I wasn't, I love having dolls around. I'll mostly just have them sitting by me while I paint and work, but they make me happy, so it's not something I feel guilty for. If something makes you smile it's worth every penny!

 

If you enjoy seeing them sitting there on the end of the shelf, then go for it! Everyone collects in their own way. One thing you could try, if you want to be more interactive, is to get them a few props or bits of furniture, so you can change up what they're doing.

 

Well, 4 years ago I bought Lorina, and at that moment, I thought it would be my last doll. Last year, I bought Lieselotte, then I thought it must be my last one since I could not be interested in any doll for a long time...But this year, I got my new doll - Soo, and I decided to buy two sisters for her in next year - Ginger and Lamb. So you never know if you will still like other dolls until you meet them. I mean, although you leave them alone, you feel you almost lost the hobby of dolls, you may return back in some days.

 

It's possible a larger doll such as an SD might be more played with. Hard to know till you give it a try! I find tiny ones tend to be over looked by me.

 

It's 100% okay to not do a lot with your dolls. For myself, I often find that I just don't have the time. Everyday real life/family responsibilities always come before hobbies for me, and then when I do have free time, dolls are not my only interest so they have to take their turn in the rotation. I will go thru periods where I want to do other things with my free time and don't do anything with the dolls for months, and then I'll have times where I feel super inspired to work on doll projects and want to use all my free time on them. The dolls are here for my enjoyment, so I enjoy them when I feel like it. Pressuring myself to do things with them if I'm not feeling it would just make them a pain in my ass. They don't know the difference between sitting on a shelf and being played with. It's nice to know they're there when I want them... they can wait when I don't.

 

For me, how I enjoy my dolls tends to differ. Some I handle almost daily and others sit on the shelf for months or longer, because they're just beautiful. From time to time I feel a bit guilty about the amount of attention some get over all the others, but when I consider selling them, I can't bring myself because I do love those dolls just as much as the ones that get handled all the time. It's just a different kind of enjoyment, but that doesn't make it any less real or just. If you love that doll, just get her

 

My doll sits on my desk where I do all my artwork, she really helps me keep being motivated. I've made a few outfits for her but I have a similar issue where it is hard to get supplies for face ups and wig making. I feel like if you really want the doll you should get her, even if you don't play with her much it's not a bad thing.

 

Go for it! If you get her with a face up, it may be easier to have fun with her from the start, I know it takes me a while to bond with a doll until they get a face up. My dolls also spend a lot of time just sitting around looking pretty, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that! They're 3D art after all

 

The great thing about dolls is that they are pieces of resin--they're not pets or children, and it's perfectly acceptable to keep them as an art display. You don't have to play with them or constantly buy them new things. If you end up buying her and just keeping her on a shelf, that's fine!

If you want to do something with her, there are plenty of things you can do that cost very little or are even free. If you're into character development and stories, you could write a novel about her, roleplay her, make photostories, create a gaming character based on her. If you just enjoy the visual aspects, you could take photos of her and share them in the gallery, or on Instagram, FaceBook groups, Tumblr or Flickr. If you're into crafty stuff but feel faceups are too advanced or expensive, you could learn to make clothes or jewelry for her, or create tiny props and dioramas.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the hobby, there isn't one single 'right' way.

 

We have a local BJD group that runs meets every couple of months so my girls always get to go out :3

 

I don't do anything with my dolls really - although the sewing project on DoA motivates me to at least blow the dust off one of them! I had nearly 30 dolls a year or so ago - sold them all except for 2 - now guess what I'm looking at buying LOL - just written a wishlist totalling a ludicrous amount - if only I'd bought them before the exchange rate crashed after the EU referendum in June - it's put about £100 on the price of a bigger doll So yeah.... I'm no help at all

 

Oh, I'm so glad you bought her - hope she arrives safely. One thing you could do with her is write a story about her. It doesn't have to be too in-depth, just a little background. I am not much of a writer but I did create a family tree for my dolls, explaining their relations to the others. Somehow this seemed to help me bond with them! The main thing though is to just enjoy her!

One other thing I was going to say is that you should look at Nubanded on etsy - they have adorable clothes for tinies and are very affordable. They also have some MSD clothes. They are located in Thailand so not too far from you.

 

90% of the time right now, my dolls just sit and look pretty. Honestly, I'm okay with that; I get plenty of enjoyment just looking at them.

 

I was in fashion doll and porcelain doll collecting for years, and you simply cannot "play" with the collectors' editions. Some of mine are displayed in their boxes.

When I got into BJDs I've been making lots of clothing for them, but mostly they are still just displayed for my private pleasure. I don't have a good place to take photographs, and at 66 I would be ridiculously out of place at a doll meet, even if I had time for them, which I don't.

 

Mine currently reside in a cleaned up part of my long dresser and I've got two I'm paying for to come in ><
It can seem like they sit there doing nothing sometimes. However just like many said above, there's some fun things you can do even if there's no community close by you to do meetups.
I personally love making clothes for my dolls and eventually I do want to do a really big photoshoot with the whole group. Some people also like to draw their dolls as something fun to do with the character.
Conventions and (if you have one around you) some Japanese theme festivals are always fun to bring dolls and even try to find local doll hobbyists
Try some different things, I think there are a few things that would be fun to do on slow times ^^

 

This made me lol so hard, more than I thought it would. But it did get me thinking about sentient beings and what dolls would do if they could come alive.

 

That's odd, isn't Junkyspot located in the US? I wonder why they wouldn't accept your state, did you email them about the problem?

I've had some problems with catalog and online companies not shipping certain items, and also eBay sellers who refuse to ship to my state.

Of course, I'm in Hawaii, and a lot of people seem to think it's the same as sending stuff to a foreign country, it's going to "cost an arm and a leg", and I'll make a big fuss about it, and leave them a bad review.

I think folks in Alaska have similar problems.... Lol, just because we aren't part of the "CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES".

 

I don't really do that much with my dolls. Unless I have a day where I get them new stuff or make them clothes (whenever I start making them). One day I'll do a photoshoot.. One day.

 

If it makes you feel better, my girl usually just sits on display. I do faceups, and sew, but I don't always have time to do things with her. It also doesn't help that she doesn't pose very well, so photoshoots aren't really that fun. I really just like having her around. She brings me a lot of joy and I love looking at her.

 

Everyone does things differently in the hobby. Also, you can shift in how you choose to interact with your dolls from timeframe to timeframe, going from interacting with them almost daily to hardly at all for weeks or months on end. Time and life are weird things, and they're always changing.

Me, for example: when I got my first MSD, I took her out to a local park for photos, and really hung out with her. But, for a period of years, she ended up staying in her box. I only recently took her back out in the last year or so and had her displayed, but currently have most of my doll stuff in general packed away while in the middle of a move. My one main completed guy is the only one who stays out in the open for the most part. And, like I said above: it changes daily, weekly, and even monthly for me.

Also, people do go through phases of interest as well, where one type of doll appeals to you for a time, but then you get drawn more towards another after a point. Of course, some also stay interested and committed to one. Like life, our interests fluctuate, and you have no reason to feel guilty about not paying as much attention to your Puki as you like, or eying that other girl that has peaked your interest. Just let your mind and intuition lead you in the direction you feel is best, and don't feel bad about the decisions you end up making along the way.

BTW, I wish you the best of luck!

 

Once I get my dolls completed they go in the curio cabinet to be enjoyed. Once in a while I'll take one out to photograph but that's pretty much it.

 

I'm in pretty much the exact same boat right now.

I never really did anything with my boy; other than the occasional photoshoot. But, coming back to him, and the hobby, after 3yrs has renewed all the old ideas I had in the early days. But, with the extra vitality that renewal brings. In the early days, I simply considered cosplay for him. Now, I'm actively thinking of how to achieve those finer details (the props, the little touches to the costume that make it as close as I can get to the real deal, etc.). I'm also thinking of painting backdrops for cosplay photos, to utilise my skills with a brush and make it a little more exciting behind the doll than a blank wall (or the mess of my room).

I'm also considering a second doll, five years after bringing home my first. Not just so I can attend meets, when they come about in the UK, but also to give my current boy a companion. He looks so lonely at times; and, with a second doll, I can do cosplay duos that allow for an adult & a child. Leon Kennedy & Sherry Birkin, Enjolras & Gavroche, Valjean & Cosette, Logan & Laura. Or a Hobbit, or dwarf, and a Man, or Elf.

I can't wait; it's like I'm starting anew, but I still have my original doll.

 

I think it's perfectly fine if your dolls are just display only. I tend to do stuff with my dolls when they arrive, like customizing and photo-taking and all but once their styling is almost done, they mostly become display-only. Once in a while, I take them out to take photos, or if I have a new concept or style in mind for them, but most of the time, they are just sitting in the cabinet. Not everyone does things like sewing outfits or story writing or drawing and stuff. Some are just contented to just... collect. So I think it's up to you as the owner to decide what to do with them (unless it's "abusing" them then that's a different matter LOL ).

 

I like to re-dress my dolls and move them around. I have non-bjd dolls in a doll's house I created so that's pretty straight forward. But I am wondering a little if my minifee will feel join them.

 

I'm actually on the same position as you right now. Well I haven't bought a doll because I always have the wrong impression with the hobby, I taught you need to be super creative and you always need to do something with your doll. However now I have the urge to do my very own face up which is super scary. And also wanting to learn how to saw. I enjoyed painting since I'm young. But now I'm excited to have a doll to finally do something with my spare time. Or just put the on display and be happy. Everyone is correct enjoy your doll the way it makes you happy and not how others enjoy theirs. Take care

 

I don't do anything with my dolls. They just sit on my bed/shelf and look nice and keep me company. They're a comfort item for me, so even if I don't do a lot with them, just having them around is all I need.

 

I'm the same way. I live in a small town surrounded by more small towns. There's not much in the way of supplies. I don't do much with my doll, she's mostly just for me to look at

 

My dolls sit in their boxes most of the time and I would consider purchasing another doll if I really loved it. I like taking one doll out at a time, and don't have room to display them all. It's all about how each person enjoys the hobby

 

My dolls spend their time sitting on my dresser where I can see and enjoy them. I like to take one of the tiny ones upstairs to spend the day with me, but that is about it. When the weather gets nice, I plan on doing more photo shoots outside with the bigger ones. My dolls are mostly there for me to look at, work on occasionally, and enjoy. Find whatever makes you happy in this hobby, as that's what really counts.

 

Yeah, I say I've got all these plans with my boys now, but they're more than likely just going to sit on a shelf for the most part, where I can see them every day. I might change their clothes or poses once a week, or once a month, maybe even just once in a blue moon. But, they're essentially there to be enjoyed however we see fit. Not all of us are handy with a camera, or needle and thread, or paintbrush.

And, yes, I have gone and ordered my second doll now. I ordered him - a MK Cris - on Thursday, actually, and the status has already gone from 'awaiting fulfilment' to 'pending'. May be another month or two before he's here, but I'm excited! Next up is the sewing machine, a small one to do small pieces on (I can probably borrow my grandma's for bigger pieces or tougher materials, to save money).

But, I bet by the end of the year, I won't have stuck to all these grand schemes and ideas I've got once more! Check back in with us, in December.

 

I suppose it's a similar thing for people that buy cool figures but never take them out of the box. If that is how the owner enjoys them, then that's how they enjoy them.
I plan on doing similarly when I get my doll. I'll make him some clothes and maybe wigs and get some extra eyes, but aside from that, he's just going to be displayed, probably in his own special spot lol. Some people just don't want to do a lot of the extra stuff or do meetups and that's nothing to be ashamed of or feel bad about.

 

Yeah, if it helps, you can just treat them as cool art pieces. Granted, they're a bit more expensive than a poster, but even if you just leave your new doll on a shelf to look at and never touch, that's fine.

I have all sorts of plans for when I finally settle on who to buy first, but more than likely, she's going to get dressed and posed a few times and then sit in a display case. I doubt I'll ever go to a meetup, and none of my friends are into anything like this, but I'm more than okay just having something pretty to look at. And maybe brag about online every so often.

 

I'm honestly pretty frightened about this. I've not got any dolls yet but I've been interested for, I think, a good couple of years now. I've always been interested in photography but not to the extent that I've actually persued it beyond the obligatory 'pretty nature' shot and things like that. So, yeah...Just thought I'd express my similar fears