Creative writing and copy.
Poem Series
Solitude and Yearning
Untitled #1
When the hum of the heat surrounds my vision
The way the smoke fills my mind erasing the thought of you, I remember clearly how much I don’t know about your image anymore.
Your voice already elusive when I recall songs played by you, and eyes that I colour with dread never the right tone of you,
That is when I remember how you haunt me in the light of the sun and appear through the shades of the tree
As I have almost forgotten your figure yet here your ghost clings to me
Untitled #2
I too, wish for the touch of skin at the crack of dawn
When the car lights carry a body’s shadow over my window and when fingertips caress my body in the shower,
it isn’t as if I need it.
For when I crave my own self in a space I control, a fetal position of my own embrace
And maybe that is the problem of isolation. Where one cannot have both the comfort of another and solitude
Untitled #3
You have taken the air out of my lungs and released the pressure through my veins.
For that, I have no choice but to punish you as my self was not yours to keep
From the sunrise to the next, you harbour within the walls of my existence
But I want to be the one to live in between your eyelids so that you only see me when you’re asleep
Your dreams that are not of reality, but of me
as you pay the price for the crime you have committed of taking away my peace.
a stalker, a creep, thirsty for your affection, dishevelling my independence
You are an insufferable pounding in my head but I want you to remain
Now that you have become a comfortable existence
When the hum of the heat surrounds my vision
The way the smoke fills my mind erasing the thought of you, I remember clearly how much I don’t know about your image anymore.
Your voice already elusive when I recall songs played by you, and eyes that I colour with dread never the right tone of you,
That is when I remember how you haunt me in the light of the sun and appear through the shades of the tree
As I have almost forgotten your figure yet here your ghost clings to me
Untitled #2
I too, wish for the touch of skin at the crack of dawn
When the car lights carry a body’s shadow over my window and when fingertips caress my body in the shower,
it isn’t as if I need it.
For when I crave my own self in a space I control, a fetal position of my own embrace
And maybe that is the problem of isolation. Where one cannot have both the comfort of another and solitude
Untitled #3
You have taken the air out of my lungs and released the pressure through my veins.
For that, I have no choice but to punish you as my self was not yours to keep
From the sunrise to the next, you harbour within the walls of my existence
But I want to be the one to live in between your eyelids so that you only see me when you’re asleep
Your dreams that are not of reality, but of me
as you pay the price for the crime you have committed of taking away my peace.
a stalker, a creep, thirsty for your affection, dishevelling my independence
You are an insufferable pounding in my head but I want you to remain
Now that you have become a comfortable existence
Jems For All Social Media Content & Copy 2023
For this campaign, the team decided to create a playful and cheeky gift guide. The goal was to embrace the trend of "memefying" gifting, similar to what many self-care brands were doing at the time. The tagline needed to tie back to the company’s core product—condoms—while maintaining a lighthearted and engaging tone.
We aimed to embody the condom lifestyle by illustrating how our consumers might integrate the product into their holiday self-care routines. Our tagline, “For Those Who Like It With Less Fuss,” highlights the importance of safer sex while emphasizing the ease and convenience of using sexual contraceptives. By presenting condoms as a seamless part of a modern self-care regimen, the campaign positions our brand as one that prioritizes simplicity and mindfulness.
Additionally, including products from other brands in this guide fosters a sense of community among consumers. This approach appeals to customers who may already engage with these brands, demonstrating that our product aligns with similar values and lifestyles. By doing so, we reinforce the idea that our brand is not only practical but also part of a broader cultural conversation.
We aimed to embody the condom lifestyle by illustrating how our consumers might integrate the product into their holiday self-care routines. Our tagline, “For Those Who Like It With Less Fuss,” highlights the importance of safer sex while emphasizing the ease and convenience of using sexual contraceptives. By presenting condoms as a seamless part of a modern self-care regimen, the campaign positions our brand as one that prioritizes simplicity and mindfulness.
Additionally, including products from other brands in this guide fosters a sense of community among consumers. This approach appeals to customers who may already engage with these brands, demonstrating that our product aligns with similar values and lifestyles. By doing so, we reinforce the idea that our brand is not only practical but also part of a broader cultural conversation.
Written Article Sample for Museum of Toronto (Formerly Myseum) 2021
https://www.museumoftoronto.com/collection/micro-histories-richard-fung-and-the-gay-asians-of-toronto/
Disclaimer: “both GAT and Orientations use a lesbian and gay framework. Since then, sexual and gender identities and the politics around them have shifted and continue to morph as new possibilities become available. Today’s non-heterosexuals are as likely to refer to themselves as queer, non-binary, trans, bisexual and two-spirit”. Richard Fung, 2018
About the Gay Asians of Toronto (GAT) and the Fight for Inclusion
Founded by Richard Fung, Gay Asians of Toronto (GAT) was one of the city’s earliest organizations to represent the queer Asian community. The history of GAT plays an important part in understanding queer history in Toronto.
Inspired by the Third World Conference of Lesbians and Gays, organized by the coalition of Black Gays in Washington D.C. (1979), Fung saw the need for representation of the queer Asian community in Toronto and founded the organization. In 1982, GAT led the Toronto Pride Parade in Grange Park which is located near the city’s West Chinatown despite opposition from City Hall. This choice to start the parade close to Chinatown West was to demonstrate their resolve as a marginalized group where there was immense disapproval from many in the Asian community. GAT strived for inclusivity, creating a network for their members to feel belonging and a place to support one another.
With overlapping social struggles of race, expression of identity and acceptance, GAT brought attention to the many issues queer Asian Canadians face regarding intersectionality. The organization has collaborated with many different queer community groups in the city such as Zami, the first queer Canadian group for Black and West Indian folk, Khush, a collective of queer South-Asian men and women and what is to be known as Asian Community AIDS Services who are still active today. These organizations all revolve around the same mission of representing queer Asian Canadians.
Founded by Richard Fung, Gay Asians of Toronto (GAT) was one of the city’s earliest organizations to represent the queer Asian community. The history of GAT plays an important part in understanding queer history in Toronto.
Inspired by the Third World Conference of Lesbians and Gays, organized by the coalition of Black Gays in Washington D.C. (1979), Fung saw the need for representation of the queer Asian community in Toronto and founded the organization. In 1982, GAT led the Toronto Pride Parade in Grange Park which is located near the city’s West Chinatown despite opposition from City Hall. This choice to start the parade close to Chinatown West was to demonstrate their resolve as a marginalized group where there was immense disapproval from many in the Asian community. GAT strived for inclusivity, creating a network for their members to feel belonging and a place to support one another.
With overlapping social struggles of race, expression of identity and acceptance, GAT brought attention to the many issues queer Asian Canadians face regarding intersectionality. The organization has collaborated with many different queer community groups in the city such as Zami, the first queer Canadian group for Black and West Indian folk, Khush, a collective of queer South-Asian men and women and what is to be known as Asian Community AIDS Services who are still active today. These organizations all revolve around the same mission of representing queer Asian Canadians.
“As gays, we have to fight for our rights in the straight society, but Asian gays, like black gays, Jewish gays, sexual minorities, and the handicapped among us and every other minority within the minority have other battles to face as well.”Alani Li, GAT member.
About Richard FungRichard Fung, the founder of GAT, is an artist and professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) for Integrated Media and Arts. His professional work includes an extensive and acclaimed list of films showcasing the intersection between identity and culture. Since GAT continued to become increasingly active during the 1980s to the early 2000s, as an artist, he explored these themes of culture and identity through documentary. Being born in Trinidad with a Catholic upbringing, the merge of many factors of his identity have been the subject of his films. The range of topics he has touched upon in his work have involved colonialism, immigration, racism, homophobia, justice in Israel/Palestine, men in porn and more.
“The social and racial hierarchies my mother had been brought up with were already crumbling, in a formal sense, by the time I came of age. These hierarchies of race and class, though not so fixed or monolithic, persist today. The tape looks at the two of us; it’s about place, people’s place in society.” Richard Fung, In My Mother’s Place (1990)
With his debut independent film Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians (1986), Fung captures the different lives of 14 queer Asian individuals experiencing racism, sex and the troubles of expressing their cultural identity. The film travels through a series of interviews with those belonging to different Asian backgrounds and a glimpse into their daily living experiences being queer
Richard Fung’s Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians (1986) Source: Richard Fung
“Fung made Orientations as a pioneer project to counter the complete absence of video or film documentary on gay and lesbian Asians. As such, he describes it as an “educational tool,” and its straightforward style foregrounds the sensitive, articulate people whose interviews make up the bulk of the video. Fung admirably avoids whitewashing his subjects and presents them with contradictions intact to avoid stereotyping the minority he wishes to liberate.” (Cinema Canada,1985)
Richard Fung’s Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians (1986) Source: Richard Fung
In another acclaimed film depicting Fung’s relationship with health, Sea In The Blood (2000) becomes a personal documentary following his living experience navigating through his late sister’s fatal illness and partner’s first symptoms of AIDS. The tension of kinship and self identity are themes that become explored throughout the film. The dichotomy between these two themes demonstrate the heavy pressure the queer Asian community is under when it comes to traditional values. The film takes viewers through the implications of the AIDS epidemic and acceptance of an ailing family member.
“In the 1970s, lesbian and gay activists mostly saw themselves outside, often in opposition to, the state. But with the success of gay rights and the urgencies of the AIDS crisis, much LGBT organizing and infrastructure have since become tied to government funding and foundations. Today, anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia education, peer counselling and even community development have largely shifted to AIDS service organizations (ASOs)”. Richard Fung, 2018