Welcome to Upstairs Community!

Right now, the Upstairs Community is on hold. This means that we won’t be sending out new stories and won’t be accepting new members. Thanks for understanding.

You’ve reached a community where creative professionals get their voices amplified. Yes, it’s all about guys and gals who make the world better by doing what they love most. Everything you discover carries the signature of creative people willing to speak the truth about their journeys.

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We’re 360 members and counting! From Romania to Australia, from China to France, from Indonesia to Germany, from Canada to The Netherlands, from Japan to the USA.

Community values

🧘 Slowing down—we genuinely believe in doing work at our pace as an alternative for obtaining better outcomes. We appreciate context.

📖 Being transparent—we are frank about our work and talk openly about the good and the bad. We all face both sides of the coin.

🤗 Welcoming everyone—we embrace any creative type, regardless of their race, culture, age, studies, preferences. We value diversity.

The community playground

This community is all about supporting creative people by offering a place to read and share inspiring stories, connect with fellows with similar struggles and interests, and learn how to take things to the next level.

Since we kicked off in 2020, our promise has changed and adapted to the needs of our members. We’ll continue to do so, but until then, here’s what you’ll find:

1. Stories signed by creatives

Every two weeks, on a Sunday, you’ll receive an authentic story written by a creative professional around the world. These narratives convey the inevitable ups and downs they faced along the way and show that you, too, can pull it off.

→ Read the stories

2. Members Spotlight

Every month, you have the opportunity to engage and connect with one member of this community. Get a feel about who’s behind the curtain by reading the story of a creative professional like you.

→ Meet other members

3. Curated resources for creatives

Learn how to build your own corner on the internet by reading content that comes from our first-hand experience. During the last ten years, we’ve listened to the challenges of creative professionals, worked to find sustainable solutions, and documented our findings.

→ Access the resources

Leave a mark in the community

We’re strong believers in the idea of building the community with you, not for you. This means that we’re seekers of dialogue and collaboration. There are three main ways to get your hands dirty and have an impact:

1.  Get showcased

Fill this to-the-point survey to be featured in the Members Spotlight next to other creative professionals out there.

2. Share your  narrative

Write down your story and speak the truth about your professional endeavors and other creative dilemmas. Learn how you can get it published.

3. Speak your mind

Get the chance to contribute and shape the evolution of this community. We always listen to our members and take their insights into consideration. If you have anything on your mind, share it with us.


Get a place in our Hall of Fame

At the end of 2021, we kicked-off a digital Hall of Fame of acknowledging and celebrating our members’ contributions in a way that’s aligned with our mission.

In the end, Upstairs Community looks and feels the way it does due to these generous creatives’ stories. Each of them created ripples of hope, courage, and kindness. Something that we could all use more of these days.

Upstairs Community’s Hall of Fame

Want to get a seat at the table? Discover what it takes to make it happen. Rest easy because you can do it. And hey, your narrative matters. Have no doubt.


Members expressing their love

“I really enjoy reading the perspectives of people from around the world, in cultures I don’t have access to in daily media and news. Seeing small pictures of life feels so much more relatable than big news stories and gives a taste of creative and professional life in different places.”

—Lara

“Whenever I read a new Upstairs story, I have the distinct feeling that there is someone out there who thinks and feels like me in some regards, which until then I thought to be just a peculiarity of mine. Sometimes I feel weak or not good enough for so many reasons. When I read that creatives like me face similar doubts or that their paths are not that different than mine, I don’t feel weak anymore, but inspired and…just normal.”

—Irina

“Reading tiny snippets of the stories shared in Upstairs community always gives me some sort of reassurance that maybe what I am feeling/doing is not wrong and makes me feel like I’m stepping in someone else’s world for a moment. I really love it. I hope you’ll keep going with this.”

—Georgiana

“I always enjoy reading about different people in the space from different walks of life and how things are going for them. Unlike most of the other communities I am a member of, this one includes members from all different lines of work while still coming across as relevant.”

—Alex

Join us, creative!

First, we encourage you to read our manifesto. It will help you get a feeling about our mantras and what you can expect from us.

Next, enter your email address in the dedicated box below. Once you do that, you will get an email that will guide you to the next steps. Have no fear, we designed a straightforward onboarding without making useless noise.

There are no cookie-cutter approaches, no empty dialogue, no paid sponsors, no third-party tracking, no blah-blah-blah. Only meaningful stories that have the power to inspire creative people like you.

Stay kind and safe,
— The Pixelgrade team

We’re creative souls, too!

We are Pixelgrade, product development, and design studio currently offering WordPress-related tools: premium and free WordPress themes, plugins, and services.

We are best known for our design-thinking approach, the transparency and building in-public mantras, our in-depth, bullsh*t free content published on the blog and ebooks, and for the friendly customer support we provide.

Our mission is to support people who want to make an impact in their communities. We genuinely believe a company’s goal exceeds its own financial interests—it should go beyond and open gateways for exploration, discovery, and growth. We don’t always know where some will lead us, but we’re up for the adventure.

The entire crew is involved in one way or another, but as a member of the Upstairs community, you’ll mostly come in contact with Oana, the gal in charge of nurturing it, and Andrei, the one who makes sure our work reach you in due time.

See you on the other side,
—The Pixelgrade team