As we move toward our second anniversary of the launch of Addwomxn, we’re taking time to reflect on what we’ve learned in this incredible two-year journey – from our foundational roots to where we are now. 

In the beginning, we spent a great deal of time on our name, Addwomxn. At its core is the very intentional “x” … sometimes misunderstood, often mispronounced. (The “x” is silent in pronunciation, meaning “womxn” is simply pronounced, “women.”). Today, that still feels like a good decision as it’s a visual representation of the intersectionality of a vast number of identities that include gender, sex and race. After all, when you see the “x” in our logo and our trademarked format, it lends itself to ambiguous pronunciation and causes the reader to pause. Intentionally. It is the ultimate conversation starter to share Addwomxn’s purpose and then, perhaps even more importantly, listen to the response. 

And the responses have been vast. Mostly positive. Some questioning. Some doubters. And because of how deeply we explored the meaning at the onset, our roots have held firm. We stand proud by our values and purpose as a transformative creative agency intent on advancing diversity, and we continue to move forward and bloom. 

Over the past two years, we’ve built an incredibly talented group of women who are the best-of-the best in their respective creative fields (designers, illustrators, photographers, writers, strategists, and more). All of our Addwomxn have had experiences in our industry of not being seen, heard or valued. Especially our BIPOC women. This is not acceptable and we seek to change that narrative on a daily basis. 

Together we’ve intentionally shaped and continue to shape this new Addwomxn concept. At the heart of our conversations and decisions are our core values: Community. Creativity. Curiosity. These values have shaped the culture of our organization and continue to shape our future by attracting the right people to us – those who share our beliefs and values. 

Community defines who we are. We are creating a culture of inclusivity through true diversity, a trusting environment, and individual accountability. 

Creativity is what drives us. We are imagining a future of possibility. Strategic insights, transformational ideas and design excellence all shine through our value of creativity. 

Curiosity is how we work. We are inspiring a mindset of discovery. Cultural understanding, continuous learning and openhearted collaboration is how we put all these beautiful pieces together. 

And wow … we’ve had ups and downs and hard conversations. We’ve made mistakes, learned from them, learned from each other, and have continued to move forward. We’ve laughed, cried, had some tense moments, and had some incredible moments of levity. Most importantly, WE SEE EACH OTHER. We are committed to each other. And we are committed to this mission of doing excellent creative work for our clients while fostering a safe, inclusive, and community-oriented environment. 

Some might say this is “extra” for a collaborative that comes together to provide services. Why spend all this time in group conversations about culture and how we work? For what we’re creating, it’s essential. When I shared this article with our Addwomxn community from January of 2023, it felt incredibly validating. Avi Dan of Forbes magazine declared “the traditional agency model is challenged” and described the future agency as “ad hoc teams of creative and differently skilled people coming together on projects” but with the caveat of “high-level creative direction, and culture.” 

In September of 2023, we celebrate two years of being in business working with a culture-first collaborative model. It hasn’t always been easy because the model doesn’t widely exist. We are CREATING it with a deep knowing that this is the future. Thank you to the amazing Addwomxn who add value to my life everyday through this work!

Addwomxn is a transformative full-service creative agency intent on advancing diversity. Because diverse thinking delivers the best ideas. We provide marketing and design services through a collaboration of the best of the best women creatives and strategists to create award-winning brands. If you want in as a collaborator or a client, reach out to renita@addwomxn.com.