How Small Creative Businesses Survive and Matter During Global Crisis
A personal statement.
There are moments in history where it feels like the world is on fire and things are irrevocably changing. In case you've had the luxury of avoiding any and all news over the past year, we are now living through one of those moments my friends. There is monumental upheaval on a global scale, and deeply frightening things unfolding state by state here at home. The question facing all of us, including small businesses, isn’t just How do we survive this? It’s Who are we willing to be while we do?
For creative businesses, and horror brands in particular, this question isn’t some abstract floating around a troubled brain pan. Creative work reflects the world it’s made in and horror has always been a prime example of that. It absorbs anxiety, reacts to uncertainty, and gives form to fears people may not yet have words for. When the world feels like it does right now, what we choose to create, sell, promote, or refuse to participate in matters more than usual.
This is not a post about panic or posturing and it is absolutely not about performative activism or branding trauma. This is about learning from history, and about naming what I stand for as a creator and small business owner. Much like in another part of the world in the 1930’s and 40’s, ordinary people and small institutions are once again being pushed to decide what they will support, what they will refuse, and what kind of future they are willing to be complicit in building.
We’ve All Heard What Happens When We Don’t Learn History
When people think about resistance in Nazi Germany, they often imagine sweeping heroics or dramatic rebellion. In reality, much of what historians recognize as resistance was much quieter, and smaller.
Groups like White Rose, composed largely of students from the University of Munich, did not control any power or command a multitude of followers. Starting in 1942, they distributed leaflets that called for active opposition to the Nazis. They made thousands of copies via a hand operated duplicating machine and distributed them to multiple cities throughout Germany. Their efforts eventually got the attention of Winston Churchill, who after receiving a smuggled copy of the group’s final leaflet, had millions of copies printed and dropped all over Germany by the RAF.
White Rose’s actions didn’t overthrow the regime, but they helped to preserve moral clarity even at the cost of their own safety. As a college professor myself, this story deeply resonates with me, and it shows the cumulative power of grass roots movements.
(Side note: My blurb here just skims the surface of their story so if you want to learn more, I recommend the nonfiction book A Noble Treason: The Story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Revolt Against Hitler by Richard Hanser, or the historical fiction novel The White Rose Resists by Andrea Barone.)
Other acts of resistance at that time were even less visible: refusing to inform on neighbors, quietly helping those being targeted, or choosing not to profit from systems built on exclusion or violence (FYI: these are all things that we need to be doing now - how history does rhyme). While these activities seemed so small they made big differences in many lives. What these stories show us is that small ordinary points inside everyday life like classrooms, social circles, and yes even small businesses can do very important things during very troubling times.
What This Has to Do With Me and With This Business
Small businesses do not operate at a distance from their communities, no matter whether those communities are in crisis or just living day to day. The local businesses are part of what makes those communities function. They help shape what feels normal, acceptable, and worthy of attention. Now if that small biz is working within the horror genre, that takes their personal responsibility to another level.
Horror was born out of social fear, cultural tension, and collective anxiety. From its earliest stories to modern nightmares, it’s always asked the same uncomfortable questions: Who has power? Who is harmed? Who complies? Who looks away? So the old rule that businesses should keep their values out of their work doesn’t make sense to me anymore, never really did. Not if I’m representing this genre and certainly not in this moment in time.
So this is me being clear about what I am choosing:
I am choosing to draw a line in the sand before lines get drawn for me. There are things that I will not create, not promote, not aestheticize, and not ignore, even if these choices cost me customers, opportunities, followers, or relationships. I care more about integrity than mass appeal.
I will be prioritizing the people inside and outside my local community, using profits towards causes that need support more than ever right now.
I will work hard to communicate carefully, speaking out when harm is being normalized or when news needs to be shared, as well as trying to offer helpful information for anyone that needs or wants it.
There is a lot of noise out there right now, both good and bad. It’s overwhelming and I do not want to add anything unnecessary, whether that’s misinformation or a bunch of sponsored ads for my products.
And finally, yes, I will still be making my spooky wares, keeping my online shop open, and attending events later this year. Sometimes the best we can do is to keep on keeping on in order to continue to provide some sense of normalcy and comfort when the world is on fire.
The Quiet Power of the Little Guy
The Smell of Fear Candle Co isn’t going to save the world but I think that small businesses can absolutely make an impact. Over time, people remember who stayed steady, who acted with care, and who refused to trade integrity for convenience.
I am choosing to continue this business in a way I can live with, not just profit from.
I hope you’ll all stay with me for the ride.
