Sunday ☕ : The Need for Speed

There I was, teeth chattering like a cartoon character, watching what looked like a tall building deciding it had had enough of Earth and was choosing to peace out into space. The rocket’s red glare wasn’t quite what Francis Scott Key had in mind — less “bombs bursting in air” and more “controlled chaos in a bottle.” Million-gallon cocktails of rocket fuel doing their thing, creating a symphony of rumbles that had every windowpane in Florida doing the cha-cha. And then, like a magician’s finale, the thing just ... lands. Straight up lands! Like a 1950s Buck Rogers prop, but actually real. All this cosmic theater, visible from my little slice of beach paradise.

The Lazy River

This past week has been my personal rebellion against adulthood — living in PJs and swimsuits, treating responsibility like a distant relative I’ll see “someday.” But tomorrow the holiday hangover ends, and I’m supposed to transform from beach bum to business mogul. Challenge accepted — I’m planning to hit Monday like a caffeinated kangaroo.

Painting with Friends

Before Christmas I had a holiday shindig, painting a model with my local artist buddies. Someone dropped a temporal bomb on us: “Hey, remember when we started this 15 years ago?" Fifteen years? I could’ve sworn it was ten! Then one of our “young” guys pipes up that he was 30 when we began. THIRTY. My brain still has him filed under “new kid.” Then I really twisted the knife: “Just think, the next 15 will zip by even faster!” Nothing sobers up a painting party quite like an existential crisis.

The Need for Speed

Speaking of time being a sneaky little thief, I’ve declared 2025 the Year of Speed. Not the illegal street racing kind — more like the “stop overthinking everything until it dies of old age” kind. In my Christmas letter to the team, I basically said, “Perfect is nice, but done is better.”

I’m Almost Done

Here’s the thing about thinking: It’s like quicksand for productivity. Ask any author at a party how long they’ve been writing their “almost finished” book. Chances are they’ll start counting on their fingers and run out of hands. That extra 10% to get it perfect? It’s usually just procrastination wearing a fancy hat.

It Almost Didn’t Happen

Take this recent example: During one of my online art conferences, folks in the chat suggested having an event about marketing and selling art. My first instinct? "Oh, that’ll take months to plan!" But then I had this middle-of-the-night epiphany (you know, the kind that feels like your brain is screaming, “YOU’RE BEING STUPID!”). I called my marketing colleague at 9 a.m., insisted on a website by 3 p.m., and announced the event at 4 p.m. Boom! Hundreds of signups. No overthinking, just doing.

Writing Fast

Same deal with my books. First one? Sixty days from concept to print, including a thousand rare photos, multiple trips, getting married somewhere in there. Second one? Wrote it during spring break road trips, probably while my kids were arguing about who crossed the invisible line in the back seat. When you set impossible deadlines, your brain doesn’t have time to come up with excuses.

So here’s your existential homework:

What are you overthinking to death?
What’s your “impossible” thing?
Why are some authors still “almost finished” with their first book while others are cranking out bestsellers like a literary assembly line?

Last year vanished faster than free cookies at a staff meeting. June showed up approximately 3.7 seconds after January. At this rate, if you don’t start moving at ludicrous speed, you’ll be writing your 2030 resolutions wondering where the last five years went and your book will never be done.

Fear Fear

Most overthinking is just fear wearing a fancy disguise. Fear loves to play dress-up as analytical thinking, strutting around in its “What if?” costume. But here’s the real deal: Sometimes you need to tear off that elaborate disguise and sprint forward as fast as you can run. Me? I’ve discovered there’s a special kind of magic in launching projects at 4 a.m. just because the universe hasn’t filed any formal objections. After all, who said game-changing moments only happen at 9 a.m. on a Monday?

PS: This Friday, I’m cramming a year’s worth of marketing wisdom into one marathon session. Artists, photographers, sculptors, or anyone who wants to turn creativity into cash — come join us. For $47, you can’t even claim it’s too expensive to learn how to make money. The irony of that excuse would be too much.

Sign up here now.

2025 Art Adventures: Your Journey to Artistic Mastery

January | Watercolor Live Online Art Conference | www.watercolorlive.com Immerse yourself in four transformative days with watercolor masters who will unlock the secrets of this ethereal medium. Watch pigments dance across paper as world-renowned artists reveal their most cherished techniques. Begin your journey with our Essential Techniques Day, where even complete beginners will discover the magic of watercolor.

February | Winter Art Escape Artist Retreat | www.winterartescape.com Escape the winter’s grip to a sun-drenched paradise where creativity flows freely. This all-inclusive haven offers more than just painting — it’s a week of artistic revelation, gourmet meals, and lasting friendships. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just beginning, you’ll find your place in our creative sanctuary.

March | Acrylic Live Online Art Conference | www.acryliclive.com Discover the boundless possibilities of acrylics through the eyes of international masters. For four inspiring days, learn to harness this versatile medium’s power to create stunning works. Our Essential Techniques Day welcomes beginners into the vibrant world of acrylic painting.

May | The Plein Air Convention & Expo | www.pleinairconvention.com Experience the grandeur of Tahoe and Reno in this epic gathering of outdoor painters. Five days, five stages, countless breakthroughs. Our massive Expo Hall buzzes with innovation, while a thousand kindred spirits paint together under vast skies. This isn’t just a convention — it’s an artistic revolution.

June | Paint Adirondacks Artist Retreat | www.paintadirondacks.com Step into a million square miles of pristine wilderness where every vista tells a story. Paint crystal-clear lakes and majestic mountains by day, then surrender to evenings filled with music, portraiture, and warm camaraderie. Two painting locations daily ensure you capture the Adirondacks’ ever-changing light and mood.

September | Pastel Live Online Conference | www.pastellive.com Enter the luminous world of pastels with masters who will guide you through four days of color-rich instruction. From Essential Techniques Day to advanced methods, discover how to capture light and emotion in this timeless medium.

Fall Color Week Artist Retreat | www.fallcolorweek.com Paint where the masters have painted for over a century: Door County’s dramatic Lake Michigan cliffs. Autumn’s symphony of colors provides your inspiration, while all-inclusive amenities let you focus purely on your art. Evening activities spark joy and forge lifelong connections in this artists’ paradise.

October | Prepare to be amazed — two extraordinary new adventures are in the works! Stay tuned for announcements that will take your artistic journey to unexpected heights.

November | PleinAir Live Online Conference | www.pleinairlive.com Join the world’s most celebrated outdoor painters as they share their passion for capturing nature’s beauty. Learn to translate the poetry of landscapes onto canvas in this immersive online experience that brings the outdoors to your studio.

Each event is crafted not just as instruction, but as a transformative experience that will elevate your artistic journey. Reserve your spot early — these profound artistic adventures tend to fill quickly with passionate creators like yourself.

Who Is This Guy Eric Rhoads?

Eric is the founder and publisher of PleinAir magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine (both on newsstands nationally), author and host six of Art Marketing instructional videos and has a blog on Art Marketing, and is author of the Amazon best seller Make More Money Selling Your Art. He produces newsletters American Watercolor, Fine Art Today, Plein Air Today and RealismToday, Creator of; The Plein Air Convention, The Plein Air Salon $30,000 Art Competition, The Figurative Art Convention & Expo, Plein Air Live, Realism Live and Watercolor Live Virtual art conferences. Art instruction video with Paint Tube.TV (art instruction on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV) and host of several painting retreats: Fall Color Week, Paint Adirondacks and PaintRussia, plus an annual collector Fine Art Trip, Rhoads hosts a daily art broadcast on Youtube and Facebook (search Streamline Art Video). He is a plein air , landscape and portrait painter with works at Castle Gallery. He is also heavily involved in the radio industry as founder of Radio Ink, as well as Radio and Television Business Report, the Radio Ink Forecast Conference, Podcast Business Journal, and the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference. He is the author of a best-selling book on the History of radio; Blast From the Past: A Pictorial History of Radio's First 75 Years. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his bride Laurie and they are the parents of triplets. Learn more at EricRhoads.com or see Everything We Do.