Creating Is Resistance: Showing Up as an Artist in a Heavy Political Climate

By Sara Thompto

Owner/Founder

I Heart Indie Markets

Are you finding it harder to show up online right now? Does promoting your work feel strange or performative in the middle of everything happening in this political climate? Maybe you are posting less, engaging less, or second guessing every caption because it all feels a little hollow. If you are an artist or maker who wants to keep creating, keep bringing joy, and quietly resist the tone of the current leadership while still being honest about the world we are living in, this is for you.

It feels heavy out there right now. The news cycle is relentless, the tone of public life feels cruel, and so many people are just plain tired. In moments shaped by the turbulence of our current president and the ongoing polarization of the United States Congress, it can seem like the air itself is charged with anxiety. And when that happens, people do what humans have always done in hard times. They hunker down. They spend less. They conserve. They protect what little energy and money they have left.

If you are an artist or a maker, you probably feel this shift immediately. Sales slow. Engagement dips. Launches feel quieter. It is tempting to read that as failure or irrelevance. But it is neither.

Authoritarian energy thrives on exhaustion. It thrives on people feeling small, isolated, and joyless. That is why creating right now is not frivolous. It is resistance.

Art reminds people that they are still human. It gives shape to grief. It gives color to numbness. It makes room for laughter in a season that feels deliberately bleak. When politics attempt to narrow who belongs, art widens the circle. When systems attempt to silence, art speaks in texture, sound, and image. When everything feels transactional, art offers meaning.

Yes, people are spending less. That is real. In times of oppression and economic fear, survival instincts kick in. But connection is still currency. Hope is still valuable. Beauty is still necessary. Your work may not be purchased at the same rate, but it can still be felt, shared, and remembered.

Resisting the current seller climate does not mean pretending it is not happening. It means adapting with integrity. It means leading with value and heart instead of urgency and scarcity. It means trusting that showing up consistently with truth and creativity builds long term loyalty, even if short term revenue fluctuates.

Here are ten ways you can post on social media from your business that function as resistance while still reaching your audience:

1. Share the process, not just the product. Show the messy table, the half formed sketch, the glaze before firing. Process invites people in without asking them to buy. It reminds them that creation is alive and human.

   
   
   
   

2. Offer small moments of joy. Post a free wallpaper, a downloadable quote card, a short behind the scenes video that makes people smile. In dark times, tiny sparks of beauty matter.

   
   

3. Speak honestly about how you are navigating this season. Not in a way that centers despair, but in a way that normalizes it. Let your audience know they are not alone in feeling stretched thin.

   
   

4. Highlight community. Feature a customer story, collaborate with another maker, or shout out a local business. Mutual support counters isolation and builds collective resilience.

   
   

5. Create art that responds gently but clearly to what is happening. Whether it is a phrase about belonging, a piece about autonomy, or imagery that celebrates diversity, let your values show. People are drawn to businesses that stand for something.

   
   

6. Teach something small and useful. Share a quick tip, a mini tutorial, or a materials recommendation. Education builds trust and gives value without requiring a purchase.

   
   

7. Revisit older work with new meaning. Pull a past piece from your archive and talk about how it resonates differently now. This shows growth and depth while keeping content sustainable.

   
   

8. Ask reflective questions. Invite your audience to share what is bringing them comfort lately or what creativity looks like in their lives right now. Conversation builds connection more than constant selling.

   
   

9. Be transparent about pricing and sustainability. Explain why your work costs what it does, how you source materials, or how you pay yourself fairly. Transparency is a quiet form of resistance to exploitative systems.

   
   

10. Share stories of impact beyond sales. Maybe your work helped someone through a hard time or created a moment of celebration. Remind people that art’s value is not just financial. It is emotional and communal.

    
    

You are not just selling objects. You are tending culture. And culture shapes what becomes possible. In a climate designed to drain us, choosing to create is an act of defiance. Keep making. Keep sharing. Joy is not naive. It is powerful.