Category: Musings

How to meet BJD people in the hobby.

How to Meet People in the BJD Hobby

Posted on by Nikki

Since my husband and I have (yet again) moved to a new area, I thought this might be a good time to create a series that looks at how to meet people in the BJD hobby, attending meetups, types of meetups, and how to plan successful get-togethers.

The last time we moved (2.5 years ago), we were moving away from all of our friends and his entire family in Chicago to be near my family in Minnesota. We knew a few people, but none who shared our enthusiasm for our various hobbies.

I had previously been introduced to the MN BJD community through a variety of sources (online forums/Facebook, conventions, etc.) so it was pretty easy to reinsert myself into the online community and get to know people that way. But because most meetups were over an hour away, it was harder to get together in person.

This time, however, we didn’t know anybody! (To be perfectly honest, we have lived in Florida for about 4 months, and we still don’t know a whole lot of people… but I digress. 😉 )

So how did I meet people who share my love of BJDs over the years? I looked online, attended meetups, and found other collectors at conventions.

Online

When we initially learned we were moving to Florida, my first search was for Florida BJD groups on Facebook. There was 1 in the Orlando area where we were moving to, and a few others spread throughout the state. I got lucky!

I was able to join a location-specific BJD group and interact through Facebook before meeting anyone in person.

If there weren’t any location-specific groups, my next attempt would have been to scour both the Den of Angels meetup section as well as other Facebook groups (BJD Addicts, Still plays with dolls: A BJD group, Fairyland BJD Loves All, etc.) to see if there were any users in my area and/or if there had been any meetups near my new location recently.

Sometimes, in more remote places, making friends online is the easiest way to share your interests with others. If you don’t live in a populated area and are unable to travel, this may be the best option.

However, if you’re able to travel a bit and/or live in a city, chances are good there are others near you who share your passion.

Meetups

After finding a fairly active group of people online, I was able to attend a meetup organized by another member. While it can be nerve-wracking, it’s definitely worth it! To be honest, I was more nervous about attending my first meetup in a new state than I was when starting a new job! Not sure you can face it alone? Bring a friend! My husband would have gone if I had asked him to.

Most of the time, meetups are held in a public location. The first meetup I attended here in Florida was at an IHOP. The first one I attended in the Chicago area (in 2006!) was at Mitsuwa, a Japanese marketplace.

Meetups can be anywhere, though – inside, outside, private residence, or public place. Not sure you’re comfortable going to a private residence or an outdoor meet? It’s OK to suggest a location or request an indoor public place for the next meetup.

I’ll go over some potential meetup locations in another post. 🙂

Conventions

When I originally started getting interested in BJDs, before I had found an online community, I was able to connect with other collectors at anime conventions.

It has been my experience that BJD collectors have a wide variety of interests, and chances are good you will see a BJD at any number of conventions (just go check out Artist Alley – BJDs can be frequently seen guarding goods at the tables). It is also likely there will be unofficial meetups you can attend while there, but if not (or you can’t find them), don’t worry! Most collectors are happy to talk about their dolls – especially if there is a secondary fandom crossover!

Final Thoughts

I have honestly found that meeting people online first is the easiest way to get to know others in the area who share your enthusiasm. From there, it’s a lot easier to meet folks in person. With Facebook groups and other localized forums, it’s not too hard to find people in your area.

So don’t be shy! Get out there and introduce yourself! 🙂

10 Ways to Make Money

Posted on by Nikki

Are you a fan of BJDs but stuck admiring from afar?

If you have time to invest, I’ve come up with 10 ways to make money to help you afford the BJD hobby. I’m not saying they’re all fun, some can be downright boring, but money is money. 🙂

1. Get a Part-Time Job

Part time jobs can be no fun, but they can most certainly provide steady employment that adds up over time. If you are in school, part-time hours are perfect for after school and weekends. If you work full-time, adding a part-time job is a great way to make supplemental income.

2. Babysit / Dog Sit / Dog Walk

With summer here, parents are looking for daytime help to watch kids and/or pets. If you’re free during the day, or willing to give up evenings and weekends, parents are willing to pay.

Responsible babysitters are in high demand, and parents are struggling to find trusted sitters for their kids. And if you have any special certifications (CPR, First-Aid, etc.), they’re generally willing to pay a little bit more.

Summer is also a time when a lot of people take vacations, which means pets are generally left behind. Some would rather pay to have their fur-babies walked, fed, and played with at home than pay for kennel boarding.

3. Yard Work

Speaking of summer vacations – that’s also a great time to offer yard work services!

There are plenty of people who would rather pay someone else to do yard work for them than give up a full day doing it themselves.

4. Sell Unused Items

We all have ‘things’ we haven’t used in the past year. And if we haven’t used them in the past year, it could be time to let them go, don’t you think?

Facebook garage sale pages, Craigslist, pawn shops, consignment shops, garage sales – these are all fantastic ways to get rid of items while turning them into a bit of cash.

5. Start an Online Business

Do you have a special talent?

If you make physical goods (jewelry, soap, candles, plushies, etc.), Etsy, Amazon, and eBay are great places to sell items you’ve made.

If you would rather offer a service like web-site design (hey! I do that, too!), character illustrations, face-up commissions, etc., Facebook groups and DoA‘s marketplace (for doll-related services) are fantastic places to offer your services.

6. Donate Plasma

Get paid to donate your plasma!

Some facilities will pay up to $260 per month for you to donate your plasma on a weekly basis. There are, of course, guidelines that you have to meet in regards to age, weight, and ID, and please be responsible!

You can find locations near you to donate.

7. Face-Painting or Bake Sale

Craft shows are in full-swing as summer gets going. And most craft shows are happy to have family-friendly activities for kids to help keep them entertained at a relatively low cost.

Summer festivals are also great places to potentially offer these services. Just be sure to contact them first!

There may be a small fee to set up a booth, so keep that in mind when reaching out to shows and festivals in your area.

8. Enter Local Contests

Check out your local community events – chances are there is some sort of event with a cash prize. It could be a recipe competition, dog costume competition, art, poetry, government slogans, and more. Local fairs and festivals are great places to start looking.

9. Collect Deposits

Does your country or state have deposit fees on glass or tin cans?

Return these items for the refund and watch your savings grow! 5 cents doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but it can add up quick. Check with your neighbors and/or pick up litter around town… Many people can’t be bothered to take their recycling in – profit from their laziness!

10. Gifts

Do you ever receive money as gifts?If so, set it aside for your next dolly purchase.

Do you have a family OK with the idea of gifting money instead of items? Let them know what you are saving up for! Some family members are more than happy to contribute to something they know you will love rather than play a guessing game of what you might like.

You could even go so far as to set up a Paypal donation page so family and friends can contribute directly to your bank account.

Do you have any additional ways to make money to afford dolls or doll-related items? Let me know – I’d love to hear them!

Quiet Enjoyment or Loud & Proud?

Posted on by Nikki

When I first started in the BJD hobby, I was so excited; so obsessed! I spoke up and out, and I talked about these “omg super amaze-balls dolls!” whenever and wherever I could… to whomever would listen.

Meetups were arranged and attended – more frequently than not (much to my then-boyfriend/now-husband’s dismay). Dolls were brought to work (a coworker was even converted!), the fabric store, and even grocery shopping.

Photos were taken everywhere – outside our apartment, next to a pretty flower outside of work, under the shade of a tree in a shopping center, museums, aquariums, the zoo, stores… you name it, I probably took pictures there.

To be honest, I started the hobby very much in the “Loud & Proud” category.

Looking back on it, I made some amazing friends, and wouldn’t change my hobby’s start for anything. BJDs opened a door to a fun-loving, accepting, diverse community.

But lately I have been moving more and more into the “Quiet Enjoyment” category.

I still talk about dolls with my friends, but my dolls are no longer my profile photos/avatars, I don’t take them out with me just because, and I’m not one to pull them out in public places for photo ops. I DO, however, still enjoy talking about them, sewing for them, and taking quick Instagram snaps here & there.

Having been in the hobby for over 10 years, I am now quite content to collect them for my own enjoyment without forcing my collection on others. I will always love meeting new people in the hobby, but it’s not a ‘must do’ for me anymore.

What about you? Do you tend to quietly enjoy your dolls without telling many people you collect them? Or are you “loud and proud” – sharing your hobby with anyone and everyone who will listen?

Dolly Drama…? Chicago & Vinyl

Posted on by Nikki

When I attended the meet up in Minnesota earlier this month, it came to my attention that the Chicago group has a reputation for being “Anti-DD” and “Anti-Vinyl”. This makes me so sad..

While there may not be a large collector-base in the Chicago area of vinyl BJD, there is definitely an appreciation for them. Or rather, I’m not aware of a large collector-base in the Chicago area for vinyl BJD, but apparently that could just be because they feel like they are not welcome…?

That just makes me so sad!

Personally? I love the look of DD! And my first girl was a vinyl Obitsu 60cm Gretel, so I also have affection for the Obitsus. Unfortunately, what I don’t love about them is how easily they stain, which leads to my extreme dislike for how difficult they are to clean.

Those 2 things, though, don’t mean I don’t like them. It just means I’m not crazy about owning them! I love looking at others’ collections, and love oogling the pretties! I really wish I could be happy owning vinyl dolls.. especially since I think they are so adorable!

I mean, seriously, how adorable was Lily??


This was the 2nd version of my Obitsu Gretel, Lily. She was painted by an amazing artist who no longer does face-up commissions. She is one that I do miss… she was adorable!

The first version of Lily had my very first face-up ever! She was the doll that got me into customizing. And she was the one who taught me just how quickly vinyl can stain…

There’s a reason she had a purple “mask”… 😉 When I first attempted her faceup, I used chalk pastels as directed. However, I did not understand the need for proper sealant. Unfortunately, this left very large, extremely uneven eyebrows stained on her forehead. So I did the next best thing – I covered it up with purple paint.. Clever, right? That actually became fairly ingrained in her character. Totally by accident, but still loved her!

At one point, Lily also had the Obitsu 60cm body. This body almost instantly had staining. I was so used to cleaning resin, that I just could not fathom why in the world it was so hard to remove stains from vinyl. Once I read up more about vinyl and proper care, I realized I would either a) need to just be OK with stains, b) figure out how to do the oxy-clean & sunlight cleaning method, and/or c) stick with resins.

I have chosen to stick with resin dolls for the time being. That’s not to say it will be forever… But for right now it’s just one more way I can (attempt to) control the size of my collection.

All of that being said, it seriously makes me so sad that there are folks out there who do not feel comfortable sharing their dolls with the Chicago community. I have always known the entire group to be extremely accepting and friendly towards all collectors, and I really hope the vinyl BJD collectors give them another chance.

So if you are a vinyl BJD collector in the Chicago area – please come to meets! We love all the dollies and want everyone to feel welcome!

BJD Naming Woes

Posted on by Nikki

Have you ever gotten a doll that you absolutely fell in love with, but simply cannot figure out a name?

That happens to me more often than I would like to admit. I have dolls that have been nameless for 6 months or more! >.< And while I could just keep the sculpt name, that just doesn’t feel right to me.

Since my dolls are not characters based off of a pre-existing story, I usually end up trying to name them as they arrive.

Currently, I have one new arrival and another on the way that will need names soon.. Below are just a few things I look at, or think about, when I’m trying to decide on a name.

Usually what I try to do is think about how their character feels to me –

  • If the doll is a girl: is she a girly-girl? Tomboy? Does she like modern clothes? Fluffy dresses? or is she comfortable in anything?

  • If the doll is a boy: is he a macho-man? Metro? Flamboyant? Just like to dress in comfy clothes? Dressy clothes? or again – comfortable in anything?

Answering some of those questions helps me when I’m trying to think of names.

The other thing I do, sometimes, is think about what I’m interested in, either in general as a long standing interest or a new-found favorite. For example, I love playing my violin and music has always been a huge part of my life. I have a newer doll (not yet here on the website) that is named Gretta; short for Allegretta which is a play on the music term Allegretto. In all honesty, I have one of my girls (Chiyo) who is named after Chiyo in Azumanga Daioh because she has brown pig-tails, and at the time I had just finished watching Azumanga Daioh (again).

If you are looking for an anime-ish name – what are your favorite animes? That may help give some ideas for names.

And don’t be afraid to combine parts of names and/or make up new ones!

Once I have a few name ideas (if I still can’t decide), I like to check out their meanings on baby name websites to see if the meaning of a name may match the personality of the doll.

How do you decide on a name? Any tips & tricks for others? Feel free to leave a comment!

Here’s hoping these 2 new girls don’t take me 6 months to name! 😉

Let the brainstorming begin!

~ Tiarah =^.^=