Dear Dreamers and Doers,

August is typically a time for rest and rejuvenation, but we know many of you are feeling anything but refreshed. The chronic organizational pain that’s been building over the past few years has many arts and culture leaders wondering: Is this just our new normal?

We don’t think it has to be.

This month, we’re offering a special three-part prescription for the most persistent pain points plaguing arts organizations:

This Week: Where It Hurts – Diagnosing the real sources of organizational pain
Week 2: The Path to Wellness – Strategic healing over quick fixes
Week 3: Your Treatment Plan – Holistic health for sustainable success

Each week, we’ll explore how your brand serves as the heartbeat of organizational health, and how addressing root causes rather than symptoms can lead to real, lasting healing.

Where Is This Pain Showing Up Most?

We’ve been speaking with arts organizations about their struggles to serve their mission and audiences. As cultural causes, they’re feeling the dull, numbing ache of a chronic illness they can’t shake.

It comes in the form of shrinking funds cutting off circulation, the overwhelming brain fog of never knowing what’s coming next, and the persistent tension headache of constantly fighting for relevance.

This pain is showing up most in the brains of our operations — our boards — and in the gut — with our budgets, leaving many organizations feeling chronically unwell and unsure of the cure.

Board dysfunction manifests as confusion about purpose, disagreement over direction, and an inability to make decisive moves forward. Budget stress shows up as the constant scramble for funding, cutting essential programs, and the exhausting cycle of crisis management rather than strategic growth.

The Temptation of Quick Fixes

When the pain increases, the easiest thing is to give in to distraction — a temporary fix, like reaching for another aspirin instead of addressing the underlying condition. This shows up in chasing new ideas that creep away from mission, pursuing grants that only add taxing programs, or focusing on shiny projects that aren’t creating stronger community connections.

We see organizations constantly exhausting themselves with solutions that treat symptoms rather than causes.

What’s the Real Diagnosis?

The truth is, most arts organizations are treating individual symptoms rather than building systemic health. They’re putting band-aids on budget problems without addressing the underlying brand confusion that makes fundraising difficult, while struggling with board dysfunction that stems from unclear organizational purpose.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and more importantly, you don’t have to stay stuck in this cycle of chronic pain.

Next Week: We’ll explore the path to organizational wellness and why your brand might be the missing piece in your healing plan.

Feeling the Pain? If your organization has been operating in chronic pain mode, we’re here to help. Schedule a consultation with DRMTM to discuss your specific pain points and explore solutions that address root causes, not just symptoms. Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com.

Here’s to Healing, Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

We’re back from an incredible month immersed in the heartbeat of American arts and culture. From the healing harmonies at Chorus America in St. Louis to the powerful advocacy conversations at AFTAcon in Cincinnati, we witnessed something extraordinary: a field that refuses to be diminished, no matter the challenges.

And we have some thoughts.

Stop Being Surprised. Start Being Strategic.

Here’s what we need to talk about, arts family: We have got to stop acting shocked every time we’re attacked, unfunded, or dismissed when politics and priorities shift.

Yes, robust government funding speaks well of a nation, and yes, we’ll keep advocating for it fiercely. But here’s the truth of where we are: We must do a better job of ensuring our communities first know about — and believe in supporting — the arts organizations that enrich their daily lives.

This isn’t about abandoning advocacy. It’s about expanding it beyond the halls of power into the hearts of our neighbors.

The Pivot Problem

Too many of our organizations are stuck in permanent survival mode, constantly pivoting when tough times hit instead of proactively building the community connections that create resilience. This is especially brutal for smaller organizations whose budgets lean heavily on government and NGO grants.

Less pivoting. More pro-activity. That’s the mantra we’re bringing home.

The Healing Power of Connection

At Chorus America, we were reminded why this work matters so profoundly. Soprano Renée Fleming’s presentation on the scientific role of music in physical and mental health through neuroarts research was nothing short of revelation. We heard stories of people recovering from dementia, Parkinson’s, and traumatic injuries through the power of musical engagement.

But perhaps even more powerful was witnessing how choruses are healing our cultural divisions. We were moved by decades-old multicultural choirs and multi-generational women’s chorales exploring stories together through song. No matter how divided our country may be, the choirs of St. Louis and America are holding a glowing torch for what the cultural arts mean to our healing and our future.

When voices unite in harmony, something magical happens that transcends politics, generations, and difference.

“Art Tells the Truth”

This quote, displayed in Cincinnati’s Duncanson Foyer at the Taft Museum of Art, perfectly captured the spirit of AFTAcon 2025. The return of Americans for the Arts after COVID and leadership restructuring was nothing short of the not-to-be-missed event of the decade.

Hearing new CEO Erin Harkey repeatedly say “Tell me what you need” made it clear: this new AFTA is in service to its organizations and the creation of “a just, inclusive, and accessible nation.”

“The road ahead requires courage, collaboration, and our consistent and persistent advocacy,” she declared. And you know what? That’s exactly what we witnessed. Courageous conversations. Deep listening. Bridge-building over challenging currents.

We all left as advocates, aligned with purpose and passion.

The Truth We’re Taking Home

Despite our struggles — maybe because of them — the arts are more inclusive, more resilient, and more connected than ever before.

But resilience isn’t built on hope alone. It’s built on strategic action. On brands that create community connection. On messaging that moves people to action. On relationships that weather storms because they’re rooted in authentic value.

This is where strategic branding and consulting creates the sustainability that addresses community connection essential for resilient operations. This is where the work we do at DRMTM becomes more than pretty logos and compelling copy — it becomes the foundation for organizations that thrive rather than merely survive.

Now Get Back to Work!

The conversations are over. The inspiration is gathered. The path is clear.

It’s time to stop waiting for the next crisis and start building the community connections that will carry us through whatever comes next. It’s time to transform our advocacy from asking for support to earning it through undeniable community value.

The road ahead requires courage. Good thing we’ve got plenty.

Here’s to Building Bridges,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

P.S. Ready to get courageous with your brand? Our virtual door is always open. Sign up for a complimentary bold conversation with our team today! Click HERE to schedule.

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Summer is here and we are PUMPED!

There’s nothing quite like the energy of arts and culture conference season, and we’re hitting the road to connect with our favorite people – YOU – at two incredible gatherings this month.

First stop: St. Louis! We’re beyond excited to be leading a Bold Brand Pre-Conference Workshop at Chorus America this Wednesday. Getting to work directly with choral leaders who are shaping the future of vocal music? Chef’s kiss. We can’t wait to dive deep into what makes choral brands bold, captivating, and absolutely irresistible to singers and audiences alike.

Next up: Cincinnati! We’ll be soaking up all the brilliance at Americans for the Arts National Convention (AFTAcon) next week. This gathering of arts advocates, leaders, and changemakers always leaves us inspired and energized about the incredible work happening across our field.

Here’s the thing – conferences are great for learning, but they’re even better for connecting. If you’re attending either event, we’d love to meet up! Whether you want to talk brand challenges over coffee, share war stories about board meetings, or just geek out about the power of arts and culture, we’re here for it.

Shoot us an email at hello@thedrmtm.com and let’s make a plan to connect in person. Trust us, it’ll be the highlight of our conference experience.

When we’re back in July, we’ll be sharing all the best ideas and inspiration we’re seeing bold arts brands bring to the forefront of our field. Get ready for some serious knowledge bombs!

Here’s to summer adventures and arts connections,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

P.S. If you’re not at these conferences but want to chat about your brand anyway, our virtual door is always open. Let’s talk bold brands anytime! Click here to schedule.

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Last month, we spoke about courage in the face of uncertainty. Today, we shine a light on the extraordinary advocacy happening across our field — the passionate, determined efforts of arts and culture leaders who refuse to be silenced or sidelined.

Across our nation, arts leaders are doing exceptional work keeping us informed, connected, and mobilized. From grassroots organizing to national campaigns, the response to these unprecedented challenges has been nothing short of inspirational. You’re not just preserving institutions — you’re resisting the destruction of creative expression in public life.

Florida’s Front Lines

Here in Florida, where DRMTM is based, we’re facing additional attacks at the state level that cut straight to the heart of cultural sustainability. Last year’s complete slash of arts funding, though somewhat restored this year, was just the beginning. The threat to tourism tax dollars designated for cultural arts still looms large over our communities.

We barely escaped the dismantling of tourism development councils statewide before the legislative session ended, and we’re not out of the woods yet. You can imagine what tourism in Florida means to the support of our arts and culture. It’s intertwined like seagrass or coconut husk — much like an old married couple that has sewn its years of love and labor into a magnificent tapestry that can’t be torn. Divorce between these two is unthinkable — our structure would simply crumble.

Your Power Remains

Art isn’t a passive language. It is the most powerful of all human expression.

Much of the art we honor today was created in resistance to the same threats we are facing right now: censorship, control, and weaponization of the values that hold us together. Shame on any government or group willing to sacrifice their support of the freedoms art and culture represents.

As we wrote last month [LINK], we will all continue to stand in our humanity, doing what arts and culture does best: bring people together. When your autonomy is threatened, arm your board and staff with the tools of advocacy. When your funding is cut, rally your community. Build your foundation on them.

Although unhindered government funding of the arts should remain a hallmark of a great nation, we know our community cultural organizations have always been cared for most by the people they serve. Keep your brand’s higher purpose in the center of everything you do. Communicate your values again and again, inviting people to belong.

The Eternal Flame

You are resilient. Arts and culture will prevail. Always has, always will. The human spirit’s need to create, connect, and express is unquenchable — it outlasts regimes, survives censorship, and emerges even from the darkest periods of history with renewed vitality.

In dividing times, you create spaces of connection. In fearful times, you inspire courage. In times when identity is weaponized, you remind us of our shared humanity.

In resistance and resilience,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

DRMTM is your thought partner in these challenging times. Reach out to schedule a conversation about strengthening your brand’s voice and values.  https://scheduler.zoom.us/laura-morse/drmtm-bold-brand-conversations

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

We stand with you in what has become an unthinkable moment for arts and culture in America. The very expressions of humanity that have carried us through our darkest hours — our stories, our music, our creative spaces — are now caught in the crosshairs of a widening cultural divide.

From national art institutions to your local children’s library, we’re witnessing unprecedented challenges to the foundational belief that human expression deserves to be protected, honored, and shared. Many of you have reached out, voices filled with a mixture of determination and concern, asking how to navigate these treacherous waters while staying true to your mission.

When the Ground Shifts Beneath Your Feet

The language that once united us in our efforts to create inclusive, representative spaces has been weaponized. Words like “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” — which at their heart simply acknowledge our shared humanity — have become lightning rods in the current storm.

But remember this: The politics of the moment may claim certain words, but they cannot claim the timeless values behind them or the actions you’re employing. When your museum shows ancient artifacts from multiple civilizations, when your theater produces works from varied perspectives, when your dance company incorporates diverse movement traditions — you’re not being “political.” You’re being human. You’re being arts and culture.

It’s still true: actions speak louder than words.

Return to Your Higher Purpose

When you don’t know what to do, go back to basics. Just as the overwhelmed fundraiser goes back to the simple task of working the money, arts leaders must return to the work of focusing on their purpose.

Your mission probably hasn’t changed. The world around it has. Again.

Ask yourself: What is our higher purpose? What human need does our organization serve? How do we articulate that need without getting blown to bits in today’s verbal minefields?

Flexibility Within Firmness

Every organization’s situation differs. Some will gain more by holding firm in resistance, making bold statements that honor their values regardless of consequences. Others need strategic flexibility to remain resilient and continue serving their communities through uncertain times. There is no single right answer. Only the answer that aligns with your organization’s unique role, community, and circumstances.

Reimagining Our Language

If certain terms have become weaponized in the war on woke, consider alternatives that carry the same values: unity, representation, community, pluralism. We have other great choices. But remember—it’s not about finding perfect terminology. It’s about focusing on people and acknowledging their humanity.

Words matter, yes. But people matter more.*

Listen Before You Leap

Now more than ever, understanding your community’s mind is essential. Use surveys, focus groups, and roundtable discussions to listen deeply. Then serve accordingly.

The data you gather may surprise you. In tumultuous times, people often crave connection and meaning more than ever — precisely what arts and culture organizations are uniquely positioned to provide.

You’ve Weathered Storms Before

Remember: You survived a global pandemic. You activated strategies, pivoted programs, reimagined delivery methods, and continued your work when the world shut down. The resilience you demonstrated then lives within your organization now.

This moment calls for the same courage, creativity, and commitment that brought you through before.

The Path Forward

As you navigate these uncharted waters, consider these guiding principles:

1. Center on your values without becoming entangled in terminology wars
2. Strengthen community connections when divisiveness threatens
3. Focus on human experiences rather than political positions
4. Tell stories that transcend the current moment
5. Find strength together with other arts organizations

We don’t pretend to have all the answers. Every organization’s journey through this landscape will be different, influenced by factors that may be invisible to outside observers.

But this we know for certain: The arts have survived centuries of challenge precisely because they speak to something essential in the human spirit. It will survive the destruction of DEI and the woke wars. What you do matters profoundly. Perhaps now more than ever.

Here’s to Standing Strong,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

 DRMTM is your thought partner in helping to solve these issues and more. Let’s talk. Reach out to us at https://scheduler.zoom.us/laura-morse/drmtm-bold-brand-conversations to schedule a conversation.

 *We love how VocalEssence captures this perfectly in their messaging:

Mission: VocalEssence draws upon the power of singing together to nurture community, inspire creativity, affirm the value of all persons, and expand the influence of choral music.

 As a professional choral organization, we live our values in order to:

• Bridge societal difference,
• Remain open to continuous learning,
• Celebrate singing as an essential human expression

For more, see VocalEssence Who We Are.  

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Honesty Zone – this article is a good 4 to 5-minute read and worth it if you’re even THINKING of working on your brand in the next couple of years. If you’re both time-pressed and hungry for strategic insights, this article is perfect for that coffee break epiphany moment!

The hard truth about cultural branding? Timing is everything — and most organizations leap before they look.

We’ve all felt that brand itch: the nagging sensation that your visual identity doesn’t quite match your ambitions, your messaging sounds like everyone else’s, or worse—your internal team can’t consistently articulate why you matter. But before you race toward that shiny rebrand horizon, pause to consider whether you’re truly ready for what comes next.

At DRMTM, we’ve guided numerous arts and culture organizations through transformative rebranding journeys, and we’ve learned one critical lesson: the most successful projects begin with honest self-reflection, not color palette debates.

The Brand Readiness Revelation

Your brand is intensely personal — your collective identity, your mission embodied, the foundation of your uniquely important message. And yet, we consistently see organizations dive into rebranding without fully understanding what they’re committing to.

The pattern is predictable: initial enthusiasm gives way to resistance when the process challenges preconceptions. Team members who swore they wanted “bold and different” suddenly retreat to “safe and familiar” when faced with truly breakthrough ideas. The board that unanimously approved the rebrand starts second-guessing when they see concepts that push beyond their comfort zone.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Successful rebranding requires more than a cool new logo or catchy tagline — it demands organizational readiness to embrace change, challenge assumptions, and get vulnerable with your authentic purpose.

How to Know If You’re Actually Ready

Before embarking on a brand transformation journey, ask yourself these revealing questions:

1. Is your leadership stable and aligned?

Brand evolution requires steady guidance. If your executive director is leaving, your artistic director is battling the board, or you’re undergoing significant structural changes, pause the rebrand conversation. A brand project led by a leadership team in flux almost always results in wasted resources and half-measures.

2. Do you honestly know what your community thinks?

Not what you hope they think—what they actually think. Most organizations operate on assumptions rather than evidence. Are you regularly gathering objective feedback from audiences, non-audiences, donors, and partners about how they perceive your organization? If not, you’re building on quicksand.

3. Can your organization handle healthy disruption?

Transformative branding should challenge assumptions and push comfort zones. Does your culture embrace informed risk? Can you have productive debates without descending into drama? Do you retreat to “we’ve always done it this way” when faced with new perspectives?

4. Are you resource-ready?

Branding isn’t just a creative exercise — It’s an investment with ongoing implementation needs. Beyond the initial development costs, consider:

• Will you need to update signage, materials, and digital platforms?
• Do you have staff capacity to manage consistent application?
• Is your budget realistic not just for creation but implementation?

A beautiful new brand that’s inconsistently applied or that sits unused because you can’t afford to implement it is worse than your current imperfect brand.

5. Are you seeking evolution or validation?

Perhaps the most revealing question: Are you genuinely open to change, or are you secretly hoping for external validation of what you already believe? The most successful clients approach branding with genuine curiosity rather than predetermined conclusions.

The Readiness Assessment Approach

At DRMTM, we begin every potential brand partnership with our Brand Readiness Assessment — a diagnostic tool that evaluates an organization’s capacity for meaningful brand evolution across multiple dimensions:

• Alignment between internal identity and external perception
• Clarity about current brand strengths and weaknesses
• Organizational culture and change-readiness
• Resource capacity for implementation
• Leadership stability and decision-making processes
• Research foundations and community understanding

The assessment isn’t about grading your efforts — it’s about setting up for success. Sometimes the most valuable outcome is recognizing you need six months of groundwork before launching a rebrand.

Whether your organization is large or small, DRMTM’s expert consulting support can create your readiness plan and position your branding project for success.

Your Next Steps

If you’re contemplating a brand evolution, start with honest self-assessment. Remember, delaying a rebrand until you’re truly prepared isn’t time wasted — it’s strategic wisdom that will ultimately lead to more transformative outcomes. Sometimes the bravest decision is recognizing you need to strengthen your foundation before building your beacon.

When you’re genuinely ready to create a brand that boldly articulates your mission, authentically connects with your community, and strategically drives your future growth, we’re here to guide the journey.

Want to review your brand readiness? Schedule an appointment to talk it over by clicking HERE. 

Here’s to Ready, Set, Go!

DRMTM