How Exploring Identity and Creativity Lead to a Mission for Community Empowerment

When taking a moment for introspection leads to meaning and purpose.

This was definitely the case for Dan, a creative mind based in Naarm/Melbourne, whose journey of self-discovery manifested his pursuit for community empowerment, particularly within the LGBTQAI+ and Asian Australian spheres.

Through each issue of his independent zine that spotlights predominantly Asian Australian artists, HOISZN, blends artistry with advocacy whilst telling stories that resonate.

In our conversation below, Dan tells us about his journey from learning about himself, to publishing a magazine that we have no doubt will leave people thinking.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi my name is Dan, I'm a Naarm/Melbourne-based creative who loves to explore my identity and connection to my communities.

I think a lot of my identity exploration started with being part of the LGBTQAI+ community and learning to accept myself and my sexuality, which eventually led me to explore how my ethnicity influences who I am.

I'm also the founder of HOISZN, the art and design zine predominantly featuring Asian Australian artists and creatives.

 

HOISZN 002 The Lucky Issue.

 

Tell us about HOISZN and what inspired you to create the magazine.

My background is in graphic design, I'm a 9–5 graphic designer in a corporate setting and HOISZN is a project that I work on outside of work.

When I just finished my studies and was working full time, I found that in my spare time, I was designing lots of little experiments and reading art and design magazines. Publication design wasn't always my strength but that's all the more reason to work on it, and the topic at the forefront of my mind was a magazine to celebrate my creative Asian Australian friends who never fail to inspire me.

I also recently completed a research-based design project about the identities of the Asian diaspora in graphic design and found that even within our community, we have issues to address such as the double marginalisation that South Asian and mixed-race people often face here in Australia.

With all of that knowledge in mind, I derived the name of the zine from my artist name 'Hoisin Boy', and I set out to establish our community's visual identity in stone.

 

What is your process for selecting content and deciding who to interview or work with for your magazine?

I try not to reject applicants because I want HOISZN to represent as many people as possible. It's about showcasing our community, which includes all mediums and skill levels.

When I receive applications, I look through each one and I try to curate a diverse panel of interviewees who can bring different perspectives to the conversation, some more established artists and some up-and-coming ones.

 

Article from HOISZN 002 featuring Annabel Le.

 

How do you engage and interact with your readers

Most of our engagement happens through Instagram. We post all of the artwork from each issue in our main feed which is a great way for those artists to be exposed to new audiences and for our audience to get a steady feed of diverse local artwork delivered on their feed. Instagram stories are where we post smaller updates and previews of work-in-progress and occasionally ask questions to our audience.

 

What opportunities has HOISZN opened you up to so far?

The biggest opportunity that HOISZN has opened me up to is the connections I've made with the community, networking and getting to know who else is in this scene. It has also allowed me to dream big and work with partnerships and local sponsors such as Teef Club and Scoopy Milkbar who help to make HOISZN bigger and better than I could alone.

 

How do you balance full-time work and running HOISZN?

It's not always easy, but most of the time when I work on HOISZN stuff, I get into a state of flow. I get so immersed in what I do and I feel so passionately about it that I tend not to notice the time going by. I would love to work fewer days a week at my full-time job to spend more time working on HOISZN but that's not the stage that I'm currently at, perhaps one day!

 

Aside from balancing full-time work, what do you find the most challenging aspect of running HOISZN?

The most challenging part has become the business management side. I'm a graphic designer with a Year 12 VCE knowledge of Business Management Units 3 & 4. I haven't studied business, marketing or economics beyond that, so I've had to learn a lot of that on the job.

The design production side is my bread and butter but making business decisions around pricing, scaling up, and logistics can be quite tricky and that's where I spend a lot of my time carefully analysing. Thankfully, I have knowledgeable people in my network who run their own market stalls and e-commerce websites who I can chat with and together we lift each other up.

 

What has been the most contenting part of running HOISZN so far?

Being told how much someone loves HOISZN or thinks it's a great idea. As an artist, sometimes you need to make art that serves you and worry less about what other people think about it but this isn't the case for HOISZN. I do this for the community so it's important to me that the community likes what we're doing, sees value in it and appreciates its existence.

 

What is one question people tend to ask you a lot as a magazine publisher and what do you tell them?

As a pretty small/new magazine, people often still ask me what the zine is about, the cadence of publishing, and the type of content that I publish.

HOISZN is a year old but still in its establishing phase, and still planting its roots. Of course, all of the answers are available on our socials and on our website HOISZN.com but it never hurts to ask. I find that people engage with the magazine more after they've heard me talk about it directly as opposed to reading about it online.

 

Many of our followers are looking forward to HOISZN 003 - The Cutest Issue! Can you tell us what you’ve been looking forward to the most about this issue and what can readers expect?

I'm super excited to share this issue because it represents a large faction of our creative community. The cute, cozy and kawaii creatives, who can be a tight-knit and supportive community, are really spotlighted in this issue. We're exploring the appeal of and influence behind kawaii aesthetics, especially in an Australian context where the appreciation for cute aesthetics can often be dismissed as childish or immature due to the cultural differences between Australian and Asian cultures.

 

Finally the most important question, could you please introduce us to your cats and tell us a bit about their personalities?

I live with two cats: my black and white cat, Kaya, and my housemate's ragdoll cat, Moose.

Kaya on a couch.

 

Kaya was here first, so she tends to run the place, whereas Moose, who joined us at our apartment later on, has taken on a more submissive role.

Moose self-grooming in the sunlight.

 

Despite their power dynamic, I love that they still have a trade deal between them where they agree to share dinner by eating half of their bowl and then switching bowls. They're both super cuddly and sleepy, even more so as the Melbourne winter starts to settle in. They love following me around and leeching some of my body heat to keep themselves warm.

 

Key Takeaways

• Dan's work with HOISZN reflects a commitment to empowering the Asian Australian creative community. By providing a platform for artists to showcase their work, he fosters a sense of belonging and visibility within a supportive network.
• His personal journey of self-discovery, particularly within the LGBTQAI+ and Asian Australian communities, is central to his creative vision. Through HOISZN, Dan not only celebrates diverse identities but also encourages others to explore and embrace their own.
• HOISZN serves as a vehicle for advocacy, amplifying voices that might otherwise be marginalised. Dan's focus on highlighting Asian Australian artists not only celebrates their talent but also challenges stereotypes and promotes cultural understanding.
• Dan's background in graphic design and passion for publication design shine through in HOISZN. The zine not only showcases artistic talent but also pushes boundaries by exploring a range of themes.
• Dan's connection to his community is palpable, both in his personal journey and in the way he engages with readers and contributors. This personal touch adds depth and authenticity to HOISZN's mission of community empowerment and creative exploration.

 

Check out HOISZN's third issue, 'The Cutest Issue' here.