Reborning Guilds

Sunday August 23, 2009

I receive lots of emails asking what guilds I belong to. Those asking are always surprised when I tell them that I do not belong to any guilds, but are immediately comforted when I explain the reasons why.

I have nothing against guilds and those who find them attractive, but guilds are not for me. I have been reborning for almost 8 years now and have been invited to join reborning guilds. I am naturally bubbly enthusiastic by these thoughtful invitations, but always end up declining after critically thinking through what I would be up against as a guild member. I am not willing to be bullied into to sharing techniques that may not work well for others. I am not willing to take responsibility for the actions of other guild members. I am not willing to alienate outside artists and collectors by being part of a group they may perceive as a clique.

I am not using the term clique facetiously; I am using it as in the dictionary definition: “clique: a small, exclusive group of people”.

The problem I have with being part of a clique is that historically, cliques evoke powerful emotions in people. Specifically, in women, cliques evoke feelings of envy, hatred, hurt, and despair. These emotions can cause women to lash out, and that is not something I care to experience. I was around when reborning guilds first surfaced in 2001 and witnessed the changes they caused within the doll community.

I have a high level of respect for differing viewpoints. As a person in business, I prefer to maintain a neutral status within the reborning community. During my 8 years of reborning, I have made friends with tons of doll collectors, doll artists, and of course customers. I would never want to alienate those I consider friends by becoming part of a clique. I do not want to give a false impression of being unapproachable. This is the same reason why I declined sorority and clique-type club invitations during my college years. The bottom line is: If you are cool with me, I am cool with you. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Xoxo,
BN