One of the (many) joys of being queer is that we should never feel the need to literally ‘play it straight,’ especially in regard to culture. A perfect exponent of that is DOABLE GUYS, a homoerotic art collective showcasing and promoting different styles of art from around the world. Through their books, figure drawing sessions, and other pop-up events, they strive to welcome and create a supportive community and believe in artists following their passion and exploring their creativity. 

In a statement, Jason Haaf told, Queerguru “Earlier this year I was working at the Strand bookstore and my book, Harsh Cravings, was stacked on the LGBTQ table. It was a Sunday and there was one copy left. By the time I left for the night, I noticed that it was gone. I posted a story on Instagram that we ran out of copies, but we’d restock soon. I received a message from Scooter LaForge and he said he bought the last one.

I was flattered that Scooter, a fixture in the art and fashion world, thought to even purchase it. He told me that he was enjoying it and related to much of the material. A few days and messages later, I got a bit of gumption and asked if he’d want to work together. He was open to the idea and we agreed to talk more. I’ve collaborated with artists in the past and I told him that this time, I’m looking for something different. Something more involved. I told him that I don’t want my work to just sit on top of another’s. I want it to go inside. I want a melding, a third eye, a true collaboration where lines are blurred. I questioned if the intensity of that idea would turn him off, but it didn’t, and we made a plan to meet.

There was no preconceived notion of Wasteland, that title, made famous by T.S. Eliot did not yet exist for our project. We began with watercolor paper, ink, and a bamboo pen. I rifled through old journal entries dating back to 2021 and I found passages that still resonated with me. When I transcribed them onto the watercolor paper, I channeled the emotions I felt at the time those words were written. When I handed off the pages to Scooter, the aim was to discover a response.  Nothing planned, nothing predetermined. And when he returned the pages, surrounded by his art, it didn’t change the meaning of my words; instead, it added a light and an energy to them, another pulse. Sometimes, I would give a response back, adding paint and pastels to his creation.  And sometimes, I would write more words, over his art. This was the kind of collaboration I was looking for.

Months later, I began sorting about 80 art pieces together. What I found is that Wasteland became a place, a being, a location. While indefinitely Queer in nature, it is a place we all go to. What is it to want to get out of our surroundings? What is it to create something new? What is this urge to say, this isn’t enough and I want more? How do we get there? And what if we stayed? In order to create, we need the guidance and the relatability of others. It is where we can unapologetically go inside of our own heads and ultimately travel to someplace new with the help of another.”

Scooter LaFarge added  “This collaboration started with a jolt of instinct. I was roaming the Strand, hungry for something real—maybe a queer love story, maybe just a voice that felt alive. Then I saw the cover of Jason’s book. It hit me. I opened it, read a few lines, and felt that electric pull you only get when something speaks straight to you. The raw, diary-like honesty hooked me fast.

When I finished the book, I messaged Jason just to say how deeply it landed. I didn’t know who he was, didn’t know his reputation—none of that mattered. I was responding to the object, the words, the feeling in my chest.

He wrote back and asked if I’d paint from his writing. The question felt so right that I said yes instantly. We met in a café, and from the first conversation, something charged passed between us—creative, emotional, hard to name. 

The work poured out of me. No forcing, no second-guessing. Just pure response. It felt like opening a vein in the best way.

This project is unlike anything I’ve ever done, and I’m proud of what came out of us. The book feels alive, touched by a real kind of magic—the kind that only shows up when two people meet at exactly the right moment and say yes.”