šŸŽØ Creative Activism

Organizing doesnā€™t have to be all meetings and spreadsheets. Art, creativity, and fun make the movement accessible, memorable, and sustainable. Plus, creative activism is how you reach people who wouldnā€™t come to a lecture.

šŸ‰ Why Creative Activism?

Reaches different people - Not everyone wants to attend a protest or read a policy brief. Art meets people where they are.

More memorable - People remember a beautiful zine or clever sticker longer than another email.

Builds community - Making stuff together is bonding. Crafting nights > another zoom meeting.

Sustainable - Creative work prevents burnout. Itā€™s organizing that doesnā€™t feel like work.

Accessible - You donā€™t need public speaking skills or academic knowledge to make a sticker.

šŸ““ Make a Zine

Whatā€™s a zine? A self-published mini-magazine. Usually photocopied or printed at home, folded, stapled. DIY ethos, accessible format, distribute anywhere.

How to Make One (Easy Mode)

Materials:

Basic 8-page zine fold:

  1. Take one sheet of paper
  2. Fold in half horizontally (hamburger style)
  3. Fold in half again vertically
  4. Fold in half one more time
  5. Unfold completely - you have 8 sections
  6. Fold back to hamburger, cut along the center fold from the folded edge to the middle
  7. Unfold, fold lengthwise (hotdog style), push ends together so the cut opens like a diamond
  8. Flatten into a little book - you have 8 pages!

Video tutorial: How to Make an 8-Page Zine

Content Ideas

Palestine 101 Zine - Basic facts, key dates, myth-busting, resources. Keep it visual, use infographics from Visualizing Palestine.

Know Your Rights Zine - Protest rights, what to do if arrested, digital security basics. Pocket-sized protection.

BDS Targets Zine - Companies to boycott, why, alternatives. Make it shareable.

Palestinian Voices Zine - Quotes, poetry, testimonies from Palestinians. Always credit sources.

Campus Organizing Zine - How to start a group, weekly actions, success stories. Recruiting tool.

Making it Pretty

Hand-drawn is valid - Imperfect is punk. Donā€™t overthink it.

Use stencils - Trace shapes, letters, borders.

Collage - Cut out printed images, text, arrange and glue.

Stamps - Make your own with erasers or potatoes.

Digital tools - Canva (free templates), Google Slides, GIMP, Photoshop if you have it.

Fonts - Hand lettering, or print and trace. Big bold headers, readable body text.

Distribute

āœ‰ļø Aesthetic Letter Writing

Make emailing MPs or writing to newspapers feel less like a chore. Host letter-writing parties with supplies, snacks, and good vibes.

The Setup

Materials:

Space: Someoneā€™s living room, campus lounge, cafĆ© thatā€™s cool with it, library study room.

The Vibe

Not a boring ā€œwrite your MPā€ night. Make it an event:

Invite: ā€œBring friends, weā€™ll provide materials, templates, addresses, and moral support.ā€

Make it Fun

Templates: Have pre-written templates people can customize, not just copy-paste.

Decorations: Watermelon theme, Palestinian flags, fairy lights, make it cute.

Share: Take photos of the pretty letters (block out addresses), post to inspire others.

Mail together: Walk to the mailbox as a group, make a thing of it.

What to Write

šŸ·ļø Stickers & Buttons

Stickers are propaganda you can stick anywhere. Buttons are wearable organizing tools. Both are cheap, fun to make, and incredibly effective.

Design Stickers

Keep it simple:

Ideas:

Tools:

Sizes:

Where to Stick Them

Legal-ish:

Get creative but donā€™t be destructive - Stick to surfaces that wonā€™t be damaged when removed. Avoid historical buildings, cars, private property where youā€™ll piss people off.

Make Buttons

Buy a button maker - $20-50 on Amazon, one-time investment, infinite buttons.

OR use Busy Beaver - busybeaver.net - Canadian button making service, order in bulk.

OR DIY safety pin buttons - Laminate your design, attach safety pin with tape/glue.

Button parties - Set up button-making station at events. People design their own, make in 2 minutes, wear immediately.

šŸ–¼ļø Posters & Wheat-pasting

Classic activism. Big, bold, impossible to ignore.

Design Posters

Digital:

Hand-made:

Principles:

Content ideas:

Print

Home printer - Multiple pages, tape together

Campus print shop - Sometimes free/cheap for student groups

Staples/FedEx - $2-5 per poster, various sizes

Local print shop - Support local, sometimes give activist discount

Wheat-pasting (DIY Street Art)

What is it? Pasting posters to walls with wheat paste (flour + water = non-permanent glue). Old-school, punk, effective.

How to:

  1. Make wheat paste - Mix 1 cup flour + 1 cup water, heat, stir until thick, let cool
  2. Print posters - Black and white is fine, regular paper works
  3. Scout locations - Abandoned buildings, construction fences, legal walls (ask around)
  4. Apply - Brush paste on wall, apply poster, brush more paste over top
  5. Go at night - Less confrontation, technically illegal
  6. Work in pairs - One applies, one watches

Ethics: Donā€™t paste over other peopleā€™s art. Donā€™t do private property. Donā€™t block important signs. Wheat paste is removable (rain/pressure washer).

šŸŽ­ Guerrilla Theatre & Performance

Use your body and voice. No supplies needed.

Die-ins

What: Group lies down and plays dead. Symbolizes casualties.

How:

  1. Pick a location (campus center, busy plaza)
  2. Coordinate timing (everyone drops at same moment)
  3. Lie still for set time (5-10 minutes)
  4. Someone reads names of victims or facts
  5. Stand up together, hand out info
  6. Document it (photos/video for social media)

Impact: Stops people in tracks, very visual, powerful in person.

Flash mobs

What: Sudden coordinated action, then disperse.

Ideas:

Living Installations

What: Human bodies as art/protest.

Example: ā€œWallā€ of people blocking path, forcing others to walk around (like checkpoints)

Example: ā€œCheckpointā€ roleplay - ID checks, questions, delays

Warning: This can be intense. Debrief afterwards. Respect participantsā€™ comfort.

šŸŽŖ Fun Events That Organize

Make organizing feel like a party, not work.

Craft Nights

Set up:

Result: New materials for actions + community building + fun.

Screen Printing Party

What you need:

Make: Matching shirts for your group, fundraise by selling them.

Clothing Swap for Palestine

How:

Why: Boycott fast fashion, build community, raise funds.

Open Mic Night

Structure:

Vibe: Coffee shop, campus space, someoneā€™s basement.

Palestine Movie Night (But Make it Fun)

Not just film screenings (see weekly actions).

Add:

šŸ§µ Patches & Embroidery

Wearable, shareable, meaningful.

Make Embroidered Patches

Materials:

Designs:

How:

  1. Draw design on fabric with pencil
  2. Embroider (YouTube tutorials if new)
  3. Cut out
  4. Add iron-on backing OR sew directly onto clothes/bags

Host embroidery circles - Craft together, chat, build community.

šŸ“ø Social Media Content Creation Parties

Donā€™t make social media alone. Make it social.

Gather:

Make:

Result: Weekā€™s worth of content in 2 hours + actually having fun.

šŸŽØ Palestinian Art & Culture

Center Palestinian artists - Donā€™t just make art about Palestine. Amplify Palestinian artists making their own work.

Follow:

Study:

Never appropriate - Amplify, donā€™t appropriate. Credit sources. Pay artists.

šŸ’” Quick Ideas

Chalk the campus - Draw on sidewalks (washable chalk), write facts, QR codes, messages

Origami - Fold watermelons, attach facts, leave around campus

Seed bombing - Wildflower seed balls, ā€œPlant Liberationā€, distribute

Photo booth - Set up at events, props (keffiyeh, signs), share photos

Painted rocks - Hide around campus, ā€œFree Palestineā€, QR codes

Banner drops - Large fabric banner, hang from building/bridge (legal/illegal depending)

Projection - Project messages on buildings at night (guerrilla projector)

Sidewalk stencils - Spray paint stencils (use cardboard template)

šŸ“¦ Resource Library

Printing:

Design:

Learn:

Inspiration:

šŸ¤ Combine with Strategy

Creative activism isnā€™t separate from ā€œseriousā€ organizing. Itā€™s a strategy.

Use art for:

Integrate with campaigns:

āœØ Remember

It doesnā€™t have to be perfect. DIY ethos means done is better than perfect. Wonky zines, messy posters, wobbly embroideryā€”itā€™s all valid.

Have fun. If organizing isnā€™t joyful (at least sometimes), youā€™ll burn out. Make time for creativity.

Build community. The point isnā€™t just the art. Itā€™s making it together.

Related: Weekly Actions, Campus Organizing Hub, Role Templates

Letā€™s make some art. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. šŸ‡µšŸ‡ø