Dollieh Sanctuary

This week's Dollieh Question from our list. (viewtopic.php?f=41&t=6677)

24. What (good) side effects has owning dolls had on you?

I seem to care less what a stranger thinks of me. Going to doll meets and having people ask about our dolls helped. Most people that saw the dolls liked them. If they didn't I wasn't about to change my hobby to satisfy a complete stranger's opinion of me. Chances of me meeting them again and remembering them were slim, and changes of them remembering me as the girl with the dolls were even slimmer.

Well, I guess I got a friend out of it. There was a girl in the same town as me that collected the 70+cm BJDs while I collect the 1/4 scales. We started hanging out to see the dolls and started actually just hanging out. I go to her parties now.
I'm not a very social person and don't really work on maintaining friendships very well, admittedly.. so the fact we still hang out on occasion four years after meeting is pretty monumental for me.

My dolls taught me in an instant what my mother failed to make me do for decades: Keeping my workspace tidy. My desk used to be one hot mess before my dolls started arriving - now with needing space to keep at least one within arm's reach when I'm sewing for them the place is a lot more organized.

Stress relief. My university program is incredibly intense, so you can't help but feel down and sometimes feel that the upcoming test/exam/midterm is just impossible. When I'm that stressed I can't go to any of my other hobbies (e.g. flute, clay works) because the stress just seems to inhibit my ability to do much.

Looking at the dolls and doing little things like dusting them out, changing their outfits, brushing their wig, etc... Is an easy way for me to relieve some stress.

I think honestly...It's taught me how to be more creative in other ways then writing or drawing. I can now bring my characters to life and create the clothes I want for them..It also has in a way made me closer to my mother as now we talk about sewing and stuff, doll plans I show her the dolls I admire...

It's also really helped me through this whole shitstorm that started back in January when my uncle died and then my friend's mother. Life's been really screwed up since and my dolls are one thing that's never changing, never making me feel bad. They can't say things to upset me, they can't mock me about singing, or say I'm not smart because I don't immerse myself in the negativity in the world like my father does. They just...Are there. They're a constant inspiration for writing, drawing, sewing, photography.

Hell...Y'know what I really wanted for my birthday instead of my sewing machine? My RS boy that's coming in and I got him...And even though I don't have him yet he's the best thing that's happened to me since this whole thing began. They've really kept me from losing my freaking mind over all this crap going on. (And trust me my friend's family is so intertwined with ours that they think it's perfectly acceptable to rant and rave on my mother and cause drama between us too just because THEY can't get their act together) I think if I didn't have my dolls I would've been a really sad person...I wouldn't be happy doing what I like. I got told a lot in the beginning I'm too old, I'm worried about you, your fourteen and still playing with dolls and now it's just become another thing. I go to my dolls when I'm stressed, dolls can't talk so they can't spill your secrets, doll's don't mind if your a little rough with them when trying on new clothes after a bad day and don't mind being twisted into dozens of different poses whilst put in nothing but a sock or nothing at all to see how a pose looks.

So yeah...I think they helped me de-stress mostly.

They make me go out and interact with people outside of work

I'm a bit of a introvert and have trouble interacting with other people on account of the way I was brought up and I didn't really care for the in-crowd when i was in school. My other hobbies (reading, videogames) don't really need that much interaction since I hardly discuss books. I didn't particularity attend anime events or care about light displays or taking photos until after I got the dolls

Since I already interact with the local doll people online, i end up joining in on meets and some times coordinate/co-coordinate meets and help with minor doll events setup. And interestingly enough some folks share bits of my other hobbies like certain book series or anime, so it is not just about dolls that we talk about during our meetups



And the 2nd thing would be the sewing part of the hobby, didn't like it in school didn't expect the dolls to latch on stuff like anime, videogames and comics for the sake of getting clothes. I could have commissioned someone to do an outfit, but after I attempted the piece that looks decent it gave me a sense of achievement to encouragement to try more. I didn't expect that I would continue to sew more and enjoy the sewing process as well