In partnership with
Hello Cultivators,
Support is one of those words that many people throw around until you start looking for it when you are building your dream project.
For some people, it’s a phone call or a repost.
For others, it’s showing up to the event, buying the ticket, or recommending your name in a room you haven’t entered yet.
I learned this lesson the hard way early in my creator journey. I remember when I launched my first website in the late 90s—people said they “loved what I was doing,” but very few actually clicked, shared, or showed up. I used to take it personally. Now I understand: everyone supports in the way they know how.
The focus of this week’s Siembra Connect is about that spectrum… how we give, ask for, and receive support as small business owners and creators.
Because when we learn to see support through different lenses, we stop keeping score and start building systems that sustain us.
Let’s keep growing and know that I support you.
🌱 Siembra Lessons
Quick, practical takeaways for creators to grow their brand and business.
In our recent post we asked the question… “Do you know who your ideal client is?”
Support isn’t just likes, shares, and clapping hands in the comments.
Support is currency. It’s time, energy, and attention that can help a creator or small business owner stay in the game when things get tough.
If you’ve ever said, “Let me know how I can support,” this one’s for you.
How to Support a Small Business or
Creator You Believe In
1. Start with engagement that matters
A like is nice.
A comment with a few words? That’s gold.
Algorithms reward conversation—so when you leave thoughtful comments, you’re literally helping that person’s visibility grow.
Say things like:
“This helped me a lot, thank you.”
“Love this perspective—keep sharing more like this.”
“I shared this with my team/friend.”
or simply sharing an experience that connects with the story they told.
That’s how we beat silence with substance.
Share it in your group chats. Tag them in your Stories. Forward their newsletters.
Creators are always fighting algorithms that hide their work. You can be the bridge that helps their message reach the right audience.
Don’t wait until they’re “big enough.”
Your early support is what gets them there.
3. Say their names in rooms they haven’t reached yet
Real support isn’t always public—it’s what you do when they’re not in the room.
Mention their names in meetings, panels, or conversations where opportunities live.
Introduce them to people who could use their talent, services, or story.
That’s how doors open—when someone advocates for your magic before the world catches on.
Support isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about bridge-building.
4. Buy what they sell
If a creator sells merch, digital products, consultations, or events—invest.
Even small purchases keep the lights on and show them their work is worth paying for.
If you can’t buy right now, you can still help by:
Leaving a positive review
Referring a client
Joining their email list
Telling a friend who can buy
Support isn’t always money…it’s movement.
5. Credit them properly
If a creator inspires your idea, say their name.
If you use their work as a reference, tag them.
Visibility is the oxygen of creative work.
Don’t just consume—contribute to the visibility of the people who made you think, feel, or act.
6. Collaborate instead of compete
Creators thrive in collaboration. When you uplift someone else, you expand your reach too.
Invite people into your process. Do joint Lives, co-host events, exchange newsletters, or shout out your peers publicly.
Collaboration creates momentum that competition never will.
How to Ask for Support as a Creator
It’s easy to tell people what you do. Harder to tell them what you need.
Start practicing clear asks:
“I’d love if you could share this post with one friend who’d benefit from it.”
“I’m looking for podcast guests—know anyone I should talk to?”
“If you’ve learned from my work, please leave a review on my site.”
Be specific, be real, and don’t apologize for it.
Your supporters can’t help if they don’t know how.
Support is how communities grow roots.
It’s not charity…it’s reciprocity.
When you show up for creators, you invest in stories, culture, and voices that deserve to be seen.
So this week, take one action:
Buy, share, credit, or say someone’s name in a room they haven’t reached yet.
Open a door that could change everything for them.
Because when we support each other, we all grow.
🧠 Mental Health Moment
Simple practices and reminders to support balance and well-being.
Pause & Breathe
Square Breathing has been very helpful for me to reset during my day.
Exercise Take 60 seconds to inhale deeply, hold, and exhale slowly. Small resets protect big dreams. Thank you to GrassRootsSSP for this video.
🌟 Featured Creator:
Spotlight on a creator showing up for their community, with lessons you can learn from their journey.
Today’s featured creator is Adrián Viajero Román
I will start by saying that I’m deeply moved by this Adrian’s work…it feels like home.
His installations don’t just honor Puerto Rico; they breathe it. Every salvaged object, every scent, every color tells a story that reminds me of our shared love for the island and its people. The way he captures memory, migration, and identity transforms the pain and pride of the Puerto Rican experience into something sacred and universal. His art feels like a love letter to our ancestors, our elders, and every Boricua who carries the island within them, no matter where they live. It’s rare to see work that speaks so directly to both history and heart, and I feel immense admiration for how he preserves our stories with such reverence and power.
I know because we lived this moment together…
Adrián Viajero Román
Biography
Adrián Viajero Román is an interdisciplinary artist and advocate living and working between Brooklyn, NY, and the island-archipelago of Puerto Rico. His practice spans portraiture, assemblage, installation, painting, and sculpture, and explores issues of race, migration, memory, sacred materiality, and identity. Through his signature fusion of drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation, Román reimagines traditional portraiture by creating environments that offer potent cultural and historical context for understanding the current socio-political issues faced by Puerto Rican community members on the island and in New York City. He is as dedicated to paying homage to complex narratives of collective and individual strength, resistance, resilience, and dignity as he is committed to confronting the systemic issues his communities are up against.
Román was a finalist in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Portrait Competition in 2016, and the winner of the Outwin’s 2016 People’s Choice Award. He has presented solo exhibitions at the El Museo Del Barrio, New York, NY; Seed on Diamond Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Blind Whino Gallery, Washington DC; Este Lado De Paraíso Taller Puertoriqueño, Philadelphia, PA; ArtWhino, National Harbor MD; Ashay Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Galeria Candela, San Juan, PR.
Román has exhibited in group shows at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; the Nathan Cummings Foundation, New York, NY; the Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC; El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; Museum of South Texas, Corpus Cristi, TX; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; African American Museum, Philadelphia PA; Sala Municipal De Exposiciones De San Sebastián, San Sebastian, PR; and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, Chicago, IL; Caguas Museum of Art, Caguas, PR; and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, New York NY, among others.
He completed a residency with Google X in 2016, and a Facebook Artist in Residency in 2017 with a permanent installation at their NYC headquarters. He also was Facebook’s first artist in residence to exhibit in their public display space at their headquarters in 2020. Román regularly facilitates public offerings such as this Dia de Muertos Ofrenda presented in partnership with the Bard Graduate Center at Green-Wood Cemetery.
(source: https://www.viajeroart.com/)
I had the opportunity to check out his new installation “Archivos Vivos” at The National Puerto Rican Museum in Chicago. I thought I would give you a quick glimpse…
🚀 Growth Opportunities
Resources, grants, and programs designed to help you expand and monetize.
FREE RESOURCE - SCORE
Color Congress is an ecosystem-builder that is committed to organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color across the United States and US islands. We are a membership organization that includes film festivals, artist support and narrative change entities, micro cinemas, filmmaker collectives, and public media. We serve this ecosystem by supporting, resourcing, connecting and championing these organizations to build their collective power. Our vision is to actualize a reimagined documentary landscape toward one that strengthens people of color visibility, voice, and power, laying the groundwork for a future of the field that is a more powerful force for social change.
Learn More: https://www.colorcongress.org/
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📅 Upcoming Events
Workshops, summits, and community gatherings you shouldn’t miss.
Name | Dates & Location | Focus | Registration URL |
|---|---|---|---|
Content Marketing World 2025 | September 15-17, 2025 • San Diego, CA | Content marketing, storytelling, digital marketing strategy. (Digital Agency Network) | |
Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala | October 22-24, 2025 • Phoenix, AZ | Scaling businesses, peer networking, leadership. (Salesforce) | |
Small Business Expo | Multiple coming up: e.g. October 8, 2025 in Los Angeles at the Pasadena Convention Center (Small Business Expo) | Networking, marketing, resources for small business owners. (Small Business Expo) | |
Digital Marketing Conference & Expo North America | October 13-14, 2025 • New York, NY | Digital marketing insights, strategy, networking. (#DMWF World Series) |
🛠️ Tech Stack
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📰 Creator News
Quick hits on the biggest shifts shaping the creator economy—so you know what’s changing, who’s investing, and where the opportunities are.
Here is my personalized creator news drop for 10/12/25
📚 Mental Health Resources
Curated guides, tools, and mental health support to strengthen your creator journey.
