Values, definitions, and more
Values: You’ll find that a lot of these tend to overlap. These are the pillars that I find myself coming back to when doing this work.
Inclusion 🏳️⚧️✊🏽🏳️🌈
On my online platforms, I use the word “inclusion” often. It’s been defined above, but personally, inclusion has been a big part of my life. It has shifted my life in mountainous ways, both for good and for bad. A lack of inclusion has threatened my well-being and safety, especially as a child, and my lived experience with inclusion has opened up doors to communities and work I could only ever dream of doing.
I’ve been working consistently since 2013 towards becoming the friend - and now the adult - I wish I had as a child. Someone who makes others feel less alone, someone who holds theirself accountable to learn more about anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-capitalism… the list goes on.
I am dedicated to continuing my growth to serve the communities I’m a part of: the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and BIPoC. I am additionally holding myself accountable to practicing allyship in support of the marginalized communities I’m not a part of and/or have a distant relationship with: the Indigenous community, the Black community, those with disabilities, those who experience fatphobia, and more.
Integrity 👍🏽
“Doing right comes first before being right.”
In both my personal and professional life, integrity is a firm pillar. Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing - and not for compensation or recognition - is something I often feel inclined to do. This is how I navigate my business practices as well.
When talking to prospective clients, I prioritize them finding a good fit over me working with them. Making sure that they find a good match honours their needs as well as what I can honestly and authentically offer them.
In terms of equity, pricing may shift based on systemic privileges: a small business will not have the same budget as a big corporation; marginalized communities may not have the same opportunities as those with more power and privilege. This is all considered in my work, and working out of integrity with my values is prioritized.
Compassion 🖤
It was difficult to choose between empathy and compassion for this one, so here’s a breakdown (something that I learned more about too!):
Empathy definition: empathy is our feeling of awareness toward other people's emotions and an attempt to understand how they feel.
Compassion definition: compassion is an emotional response to empathy or sympathy and creates a desire to help.
If you poke around or work in the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI/DEI) space, you may know about equality vs. equity vs. justice. And no problem if you don’t - take a look at this infographic.
I’d like to view myself as an empathic person, and in that, doing what I can in my own power to help others, while also considering my own boundaries, needs, and systemic privileges. If I can make pricing more accessible for a person of colour, a trans person, or a small business - I will!
Definitions: Any terms you are wondering about can be found below. If you have any questions, please reach out to me!
What is a Brave Space?
“Safe Space” is a bit of a scary and trendy buzzword used in today’s (the 2020s) culture. At its simplest form, it tries to say that “everyone is safe in this space,” but what does that actually mean? Can we actually create a “Safe Space” for oppressed groups, when the systems we live in create and grow harmful behaviour that many of us, if not all, have learned?
Brave Spaces or “safer” spaces are to acknowledge the oppressive systems we live in, which are often - if not always - rooted in racism, ableism, colonialism, homophobia… the list goes on. In the Western world, the oppressive systems we live in create harm behaviours and policies towards marginalized peoples (e.g. the Disabled Community, Black Community, Indigenous Community, Transgender Community…).
Because of this, creating a container, a system of our own, where we have set a precedence that anti-oppression will be a priority, is important to me. As of summer 2023, 95% of the projects Calvin Campos Media is on have set the precedence of a Brave(r) Space. I would love for that number to be 100% one day, but with the reality of capitalism and having to keep the lights on in my apartment, sometimes certain jobs need to be taken on out of necessity (e.g. instances where I am second shooting. If I am producing said project, I will inform marginalized folks I bring on of the lack of Brave Space). The goal is to continue making these Brave Spaces on set, so that folks do not have to question if reporting racism, being misgendered, or their disability being belittled will be an issue.
Of course, I will also say that I am not perfect. But as stated in my value of “Inclusion,” I am actively working on unlearning my own harmful behaviours while growing up in this system. I am open to constructive criticism, and take my allyship journey seriously. Mistakes will happen in these Brave Spaces, but committing and being open to change is key.
Other organizations are also committed to creating a Brave Space. I personally enjoy some of the ways Bow Valley Immigration Partnership has talked about Brave Spaces on their site.
If you ever have feedback for me, please consider contacting me. I have been in situations where either myself or a teammate have experienced retribution for speaking out about these issues, and I really do hope that we can work together to create a stronger community. Doing right comes first before being right. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my defintion of a Brave Space, and I hope to hear from you soon.