Miranda Aguilar is a Creative Producer at CuriousWorks, running programs like Everything is Writing, Future Culture, Testing Grounds, Fetch Quest, and more. Here, they share the importance of establishing a shared code of conduct together with collaborators before starting a project.

You’re entering a long-term project with a group of people. Maybe you’re making a new work together, maybe you’re facilitating a workshop with a group of people, maybe you’re forming an artist collective. Y’all should make a social contract together!

A social contract is basically an agreement about how you will all work together and treat each other. Calling it a ‘social contract’ might make it sound very formal, but it really can be as informal or formal as you like – it’s about agreeing in a way that works for you all. 

What do you need so you’re able to bring your full self into this space? 

Because it’s your agreed social contract, you can really add whatever you like. Here are some ideas for your group to think about:

• Be kind/ don’t be rude/ don’t be a dick. You can also add specifics - we don’t tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, body-shaming, etc.
• Privacy. We won’t share or gossip about anything that’s shared in this space when we meet. Especially useful for art-making groups where people often share vulnerable stories.
• We care more about the whole person than the work. We don’t support burnout and hustle culture here. It’s also good to include ways to support people during or after the workshop; things like, if you need a mental health break, you can leave at any time, no questions asked; or, we will always ensure there are breaks during our meetings.
• We will respect each other’s time. If you’re working together and you’re friends, it can be easy to get distracted. Having something like this in your social contract is a nice reminder that hey, it’s nothing personal, we just gotta reschedule our socialising so it doesn’t get in the way of the work.
• Have fun. Play! Experiment! Fail together, fail better and have fun while doing it. Why make something if you’re not having fun while doing it?

These are just a couple of examples, but there are tons of things you can add. Make it a living document that can change when you all agree it needs amendments. Keep it somewhere easy for folks to refer to - I like to always have it up during in-person workshops, or I always share it at the beginning of online meetings. 

The important thing about your social contract is that you make it together as a group. It’s not a reflection of my values or your values - it’s our shared values, and how we want to work and treat each other. 

If it feels awkward or too formal to make it, especially if you’re working with friends, I encourage you to think of it as a way to make sure you’re preserving the relationships outside of the project. It’s not worth sacrificing a friendship over a group project, right? 

Image Credit: Elias Nohra. Photo of participants in an Everything is Writing: We're Still Here workshop.