Hey there. Back yonder we began this blog to (a) lift the collective spirits of arts and culture colleagues when the virus that still shall not be named put us in lockdown, and (b) recognize all the amazing bold arts brands out there changing the world as the world is changing. We almost turned a corner and started talking about more “normal” things again, but we never really emerged; maybe we actually re-submerged. The quagmire of loss, confusion, irritation, and honest to God anger is as swampy as the Everglades where the pythons live. And we know about this, because as you all know, we dwell in Florida — the hot bed of hot mess.

Only one of our team was born and raised here. Two are transplants from Maryland and Montana. They both followed their parents here who were drawn down, down, down by the sun and lack of a state tax. And drinks in coconuts. Really, Florida is the melting pot within the melting pot. We’ve got all kinds here, which means our culture — and our art — is incredibly diverse and rich. It runs from the Greek sponge divers of the Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum to the Miami City Ballet to the City of Fort Walton Beach Indian Temple Mound Museum, one of the finest collections of Southeastern Native American artifacts you’ll ever lay eyes on.

We also have culture wars here, played out in our politics and urban v. rural attitudes that captivate worldwide attention. We know the rest of you SMH at us but watch for the next news alert to throw out another “Florida man loses two toes to giant green iguana” story. We understand. It’s like reality TV. It makes you feel better about your own crazy stuff. We just ask you to judge us by our art, not our legislators.

Last thing today (don’t worry, we’ll never stop talking about Florida) and we’ll end this with a laugh because song lyrics are art too, amiright? A local school district superintendent didn’t make it two weeks before his first public apology. Now, the man’s had a lot to deal with on the virus that still shall not be named issue running rampant in the 10th largest district in the nation. He’s probably a little punchy. So, he pulled out a Warren Zevon line when questioned what our community could do to support him. Get this answer: “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money.” Props that he went there with Warren even if folks weren’t laughing. But if that doesn’t paint a portrait of Florida as colorful as the royal poincianas painted by our roadside heroes The Highwaymen, it’s gotta be close. Free us, don’t free us. We’re happy to entertain.

Below from The Highwaymen: Wheeler, Charles “Chico”, American, born 1946

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Flory Kahn in memory of Wolf and Tybe Kahn

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

AASLH/AMA is about to land in Little Rock, AK for its annual meeting next month. The American Association for State and Local History is a bedrock organization for museum professionals, assuring the leadership, support and resources needed to advance the field.

In its registration email recently, AASLH promised its participants a provocative experience in the historic city of Little Rock, but we were just as impressed with AASLH’s bold pre-con setting of other expectations:

“Let’s make plans to travel and convene safely. Let’s experience the history of Little Rock, and our nation, at the intersection of justice and injustice. Let’s challenge the status quo of our profession and get inspired with a renewed passion for telling all of America’s history. Let’s commit to a better understanding of the difficult but essential road to bring justice to history.”

Mic drop. Rearrange your calendars now to be there September 22 – 25.

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

Is your brand mic-drop-worthy? Suitable for framing? Say hello@thedrmtm.com. Up on all the conversations and always ready to help you break through.

Let’s have a meeting on the beach,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com

WTF.

We love this acronym, as much as we don’t like acronyms in general, because, jargon. But this one really gets the job done whether you are excited, confused, annoyed, angry or really happy. And it’s mostly SFW, similar to its partner, AF, which DRMTM actually uses in our professional messaging, because, audience! (And no, our name isn’t an acronym. It just doesn’t have vowels.)

Somehow society morphed the use of the “f” word from being strictly mean and repulsive to being a word, when used with “what the,” that conveys something extremely cool, strong, questionable or horrendous — add your own list of adjectives here. They go on and on. It’s the emphasis and accent that you place on the “f” that makes all the difference. You know what we’re talking about here. Say it slowly with a question mark on the end. W   T    F  ?

What once was a salacious and profane word is now pretty mainstream. Not that you want to hear the non-acronym version rolling off the tongue of your six-year-old, but we can tell you that as far as our own kids, hearing “wtf, mom,” raised no alarms, and got a hearty reply of “wtf, kid,” and perfectly captured whatever we were trying to say to each other, no matter the issue.

Our grandmas might still object on some levels, but we think they actually get it. Now they can say the “f” word in public, too. As in my older neighbor lady (who is always proper and genteel) stating her dissatisfaction over the current level of unvaccinated people in our state: “WTF is wrong with Florida?” Well said, neighbor lady, well said.

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

WTF also means Wolf Trap Foundation. The only national park devoted to the performing arts, Wolf Trap is nestled in the grand outdoors of the DC area and is reveling in the live audience experience once more. As stated in this recent news clip, “the most noteworthy sound wasn’t heard until the music stopped. The audience had finally returned.” Wishing you all the best as your audiences return.

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

Is your brand expressing wtf in a good way or a bad way? Say hello@thedrmtm.com. Live audience ready and the best at what we do.

WTF as in “wow!”,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com

July 4th weekend is coming up, the nation is in a heat wave, and it’s 8,000% humidity outside right now. To know what that feels like, imagine stepping out of a hot shower and putting your clothes on without drying off first. Gross. It’s kinda nice to know there are other places hotter than South Florida right now (like Portland??!!), but we also wouldn’t wish that on our worst enemy.

Speaking of things that happen in the heat of the heat: the number of typically demure women going commando is rising as high as the red mercury in the outdoor thermometer. We blame Lilly Pulitzer, famous for bold colorful design and going without underneath. It all got started when she opened a juice stand on Palm Beach and needed a uniform that covered up all the citrus stains. She took some knockout fabric to her seamstress to turn into a shift dress, and a legendary style was born. Lilly’s school chum Jackie Kennedy would make it legit famous. The bonus of having the dress fully lined meant no undergarments required, which on days like today, makes things a little cooler.

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

We hope you enjoyed some PRIDE this month! Keep standing with the LGBTQ+ community even though June is over. RAINBOWS FOREVER. If you didn’t have a chance to join a local celebration, there are still can’t-miss art exhibitions going on through the summer, with several currently online. Thank you to museums, galleries and the web for sharing gay liberation through the arts. Check out current exhibitions at artiholics.com and start with the online tribute to photographer Leonard Fink’s work of the NY movement, who documented West Village life and culture from 1967 to his death in 1992.

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

Is your brand in need of liberation? We’re right here at hello@thedrmtm.com. Fully vaccinated, EDI, and best of all, the best at what we do.

Clear skies ahead,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com

Come what may, we will forever remember George Floyd and honor the life he sacrificed to move justice forward. We will not grow tired, apathetic, or passive in our duty to realize liberty and justice for all in America.

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Or like, “Come What? May!!”

Magnificent, beautiful May. That time of life-giving warm sun and fragrant fresh air that too quickly turns to 100 degrees of hot terror, humidity, and damp-clinging clothing. May was always a month to love, but did you, by chance, see the film Midsommar? May has never been the same.

The picture in my mind of sweet little kids in white linen tripping around the pretty Maypole [hold up, did anybody really do this? not in my hometown] ran away screaming with my unresolved and dashed dreams of never being crowned May Queen. You can have that shiz.

So besides making May scary, the Midsommar May Queen inspired some GLORIOUS ART. People really took to this genre. Just Google “midsommar may queen” and see what comes up. So much art there you can buy a costume or get it on a t-shirt. Just watch your allergies. Here’s a quick peek (art is hyperlinked to credits). We just ordered the color by number coloring book on Amazon.

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

Fayetteville, AR, that’s who. They’ve got TheatreSquared. DRMTM fell in love with this bold brand and cultural landmark of a building, which invites the community to be inspired by the art of every angle and aspect in its architecture. Your heart beats heavy just watching this video. Besides sheer beauty, inspiration is derived from a brand that encourages its patrons to “give through, not to” the mission by intimate involvement in the dreams and destiny of a true community art resource. This, we’ve got to see. CAN’T WAIT TO VISIT.

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

Is your brand ready for the reformation? We’re right here at hello@thedrmtm.com. Fully vaccinated, serious fun, and best of all, the best in the business.

Clear skies ahead,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com

Another month dedicated to a great cause! April was Earth Month. We hope you got some time to commune with nature this spring sans-mask. Did it seem like more people were in tune with Earth Day this year? Feels like it. Our appreciation levels over the past year seem to be increasing in the right direction.

Ahem. Not to brag, but we’re going to brag. We can’t help sharing a stellar, bold arts brand DRMTM is privileged to work with. Meet Resource Depot, South Florida’s creative reuse and environmental education center. Our Love Your Mama Earth Day campaign incorporated sassy admonitions from our original mother and directed cause converts to live ENF and adopt green ways by following the ENF Playbook. Check out all the moving parts. This was an all-out Earth Day attack from the website to carefully-calculated email messages.

YOU, TOO, can build a bold, BadA** brand like this!

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

Continuing the Earth theme, how many more ways can we feel suffocated by plastic? If you need help realizing the extent of the plastic crisis, award-winning Brooklyn-based artist Robin Frohardt created The Plastic Bag Store as an immersive installation designed to take place in a storefront retail space made up of hand sculpted items — all made from discarded plastic bags. A premiere film was created as a reimagination of a visit to The Plastic Bag Store. It’s available on demand through May 2nd, so see it now! Thank you CAP UCLA.

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

Is your brand what it should be? Is it built on information, strategy, and bold vision? When you’re ready to punch through, reach out to DRMTM. We’re right here at hello@thedrmtm.com. Fully vaccinated, serious fun, and best of all, the best in the business.

Clear skies ahead,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com

Step back, everybody. This was Women’s History Month, and guess what. Despite our off-the-chart-smarts, abundant appeal, and stellar contributions to society across the ages, women are still getting kicked to the sidelines. We’re pissed off and have been for a long time. Nothing new about that. We hear all the time how pissed off we are in every corner of the globe. We actually birthed and raised the very people who are sure to remind us how pissed off they think we are.

We like to think us gals are historically fed up and ornery for all the right reasons and that it makes us better fighters for a better world. Better workers. Better moms and friends. Better artists. Better everything. Because we love calling out the stuff that’s plain wrong and doing something about it. We’re good at fixing what doesn’t work. We don’t mind being happily and effectively PO’d. It’s a pretty righteous position to be in while we plan the take-over.

So to wrap up Women’s History Month, here are links to a 2018 article that will never grow old: A Brief History of Rage in Female Art from our friends over at CNN Style (for the censored version) and Artsy (for the uncensored version). Keep it up, ladies.

LOOK WHO’S BOLD AF

We are BIG advocates for arts and culture improving mental health. The National Institutes of Health has a partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts called Sound Health: Music and the Mind, to expand on the links between music and mental health. It explores how listening to, performing, or creating music involves brain circuitry that can be harnessed to improve health and well-being. Here’s the NYTimes article.

And a BONUS. There’s nothing like getting bold about our fundraising brand, ‘cause bucks mean business and we need them to run. But what’s the real cost? Click the quote to read a powerful piece, including an intro standing up for our Asian American sisters:

“We need to acknowledge that the things that most donors care about, the things that make them feel good, are often the things that will LEAST LIKELY change the systems of oppression and exploitation that make philanthropy necessary.”

READY. SET. REIMAGINE.

MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE. Will the real Slim Shady  — So it’s been brought to OUR attention that Friday afternoon is not everybody’s favorite time to join the DRMTM live Bad A** Brand Chat. We thought it would be a great way to end the week, but too many of you are working like crazy before the weekend whistle blows or you’re knocking off early at noon.

Take this fun survey to tell us if you’d likely join us on another day and time or like, never.

Until then, we’ll show up on FRIDAY from 3 to 3:30pm EST HERE. Zoom Passcode: DRMTM

Don’t leave us lonely AND pissed off, please.

Keep on DRMing,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl
Research + Messaging + Design

If you don’t want different, you don’t want DRMTM.

thedrmtm.com