Like the creative community as a whole,
Diversity is one of our huge strengths, but this huge array of idiosyncrasies can also lead to communication issues and disagreements. For more details please see our Diversity Statement. To that end, we have a few ground rules that we ask the members of “The Co” to adhere to. This Code of Conduct (“Code”) applies equally to our Co-founders, Core Leaders, Collaborators, Community Members, Interns, and Assistants who are seeking what our mission offers. This Code applies to our conduct within collaborations, client work, community work, event presence, social interaction, and in any other way we are representing “The Co.”
This isn’t an exhaustive list of do’s and don'ts. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it’s intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us, ignite our creativity, and the community collaborations in which we participate.
This Code applies to all spaces managed by “The Co.” This includes but is not limited to platforms like Slack, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Dribble, Trello, Squarespace, Zoom, Hootsuite, Canva, Google, Asana, and MailChimp (our “Platforms”). This also includes mailing lists, events, and any other forums created by “The Co” which the community uses to support our mission. In addition, violations of this Code outside these spaces may affect a person's ability to participate within them.
If you believe someone is violating this Code, we ask that you report it by emailing Connect@InCreative.Co. For more details please see our Conduct Reporting Guidelines.
We act in the general interest as a collaborative community to uphold the mission, reputation, and good standing of “The Co”
We consistently connect with fellow members and truly get to know them. The more members we connect with - the more powerful our journey with “The Co” will be! We engage by joining events, interacting in groups, introducing ourselves, helping fellow members with their tasks, sharing our knowledge, suggesting an online get-together on a topic we are passionate about.
We proactively encourage and support fellow members. We give shout-outs to those we have worked with or provided services for in the #thank-you Slack channel.
We are a company and community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
We take the necessary steps to ensure that our collaborative efforts and contributions of content are made and shared according to accessibility standards.
We work together in creative company to inspire each other and to share our most creative selves with the world. Competition compromises creativity so we don’t compare ourselves to others and stay focused on our unique offerings. In “The Co,” we lift each other up rather than putting each other down. We act as a collective that shares the stage and we praise each other’s arts. Teamwork makes the creative dream work.
If we have collaborated on a project and wish to share the results on our social pages, portfolios, or elsewhere, we are sure to give the individuals on our teams credit by including their name, pronouns, website link, proper tags, and any other unique identifiers.
We realize our work will be used by other people, and we in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision we take will affect clients, collaborators, and the greater community, and we should take those consequences into account when making decisions. We are aware that we are a worldwide community, so we might not be communicating in someone else's native language.
Also, we are considerate of other member’s time. We are proactive and communicative about changes in plans as they pertain to deadlines, meetings, and events. We express gratitude to other members and follow through with attending a member-hosted event that we have RSVP’d to.
We give and we give and we trust that if we surround ourselves with givers, we can give without expectation. We recognize that it may not come back directly in the same way we gave or from the same person we gave to, but that our lives will reward us since “The Co” is made up of others who embrace the giving mentality.
With this, we maintain a high giving vs. asking ratio (while setting healthy boundaries) and emphasizing true connection with fellow members. We value that everyone has a different expertise and that they each enjoy giving in different ways. We decide how we can have the biggest impact. We give in a way that energizes us rather than depletes us!
We do not assume or expect members to provide services for free (unless a specific offer on this has been made).
We keep up with and stay ahead of our technology’s evolution by working together to both educate and learn because educators who are lifelong learners are more successful.
We value members with diverse creative expressions and welcome various levels of expertise. We remember that everyone starts somewhere, we do not become experts overnight. Our careers and lives are also a work in progress and there is always room for improvement.
We realize that not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. We know that it’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Us members of “The Co” are respectful when dealing with other members as well as with people outside of “The Co.”
When working on a project or event, we show respect to those directing us. When being managed, we do not direct our managers, leaders, or clients in which projects or tasks to prioritize, how to execute their duties, or demand responses to communications. We exercise patience and understand that all requests must go through the established management structure set out by the project’s Service Agreement.
In order to be respectful of “The Co” and to present the community in the best possible light, we understand that we are discouraged from posting criticisms, insults, or misinformation about “The Co” members, clients, and the ways in which we do business.
We are a group of professionals, and we must conduct ourselves professionally. Since what is considered offensive is often subjective, we err on the side of using extreme caution. We are kind to others and we do not insult or put down other members. We understand that harassment and other exclusionary behavior is not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
If we do not know someone’s pronouns, instead of assuming, we ask what pronouns a person prefers and use those pronouns when discussing that person. If we feel called to it, we will add our pronouns to the profiles we use to interact with “The Co.” For more information about why we use pronouns, see here.
We know that disagreements, both social and technical, happen in all spaces and those that happen within “The Co” are no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. We remember that we are each very different. The strength of “The Co” comes from its varied community, people from a wide range of skills and backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong or mistaken. We focus on the subject of disagreement, rather than on the person whom we have disagreed with and we don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, we focus on helping to resolve issues, admit when we have made mistakes, and learn from them.
When we signed up to be active members of the In Creative Community, we agreed to this Code and the Membership Terms & Conditions. We honor this commitment to our community and to ourselves by understanding that what we put in is what we will get out. If we are active participants in creative company, we will benefit more than if we choose not to engage.
We think the community of In Creative Company (“The Co”) is awesome. If you're familiar with “The Co,” you'll probably notice that the Code matches what we already do. Think of this as documentation: we're taking implicit expectations about behavior and making them explicit.
We're doing this because “The Co” is growing faster than any of us could have anticipated. This is on balance a very positive thing, but as we've grown past the point where it's possible to know the whole community we think it's very important to be clear about our values.
We know that “The Co” is open, friendly, and welcoming. We want to make sure everyone else knows it too.
For the most part, we don't think it means large changes. We think that the text does a really good job describing the way “The Co” already conducts itself. We expect that most people will simply continue to behave in the awesome way they have.
However, we do expect that people will abide by the spirit and words of the Code when chatting and collaborating in the "official" spaces of “The Co.” This Code has been adopted by the In Creative Co-founders ("Co-founders") and by the In Creative Core leads (“Core”).
In practice, this means collaborations and communication within platforms including but not limited to Slack, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Dribble, Trello, Squarespace, Zoom, Hootsuite, Canva, Google, Asana, and MailChimp. Also, violations of this Code outside these spaces may affect a person's ability to participate within them.
Sadly, not everyone knows this.
However, even if everyone was kind, everyone was compassionate, and everyone was familiar with general codes of conduct, it would still be incumbent upon our company and community to publish our own. Maintaining a code of conduct forces us to consider and articulate what kind of company and community we want to be, and serves as a constant reminder to put our best foot forward. But most importantly, it serves as a signpost to people looking to join “The Co” that we feel these values are important.
You do - in your space. If you'd like to hang out in our spaces (as clarified above), we have some simple guidelines to follow in our Code. If you want to, for example, form a group where “The Co” is discussed using language inappropriate for general channels then nobody's stopping you. We respect your right to establish whatever codes of conduct you want in the spaces that belong to you. Please honor this Code in our spaces.
Editor’s note …
This document is based on Django Project’s Code of Conduct, courtesy of the Speak Up! project, but has been adjusted by “The Co” to reflect the nature of our company and community. It is our expectation that this will be a living document and change as we grow to understand how to meet this challenge and best serve our company, our community, and our ideals
Contact “The Co” …
If you have questions, please see the FAQ above. If that doesn't answer your questions, feel free to contact us at Connect@InCreative.Co
