Sunday ☕ : My Happy-O-Meter

Twisted, gnarly oak trees are projecting interesting-shaped shadows onto the dry fall grass below. Pink and purple clouds are glowing from the morning light, blending into the distant purple hills. The hot Texas sun is taking a fall break and we’re experiencing what we call “California Weather,” which is about as perfect as it gets here and one of the few signs of fall we experience.

Like being wrapped in a warm blanket, it’s good to be home after weeks of travel. There really is no place like home. Or is there?

A Formerly Crazy Life

I have to admit that as much as I’ve jumped back into life post-Covid, I’ve resisted my former travel habits of being almost continuously a road warrior. After slowing down, the thought of waking up in hotel rooms for 120 nights a year wasn’t very appealing. And though I’ve traveled to my convention, retreats, and art & painting tours, which is part of doing business for me and more fun than most things I do, I’ve avoided all the extra travel I used to do that wasn’t mandatory.

After summer in the Adirondacks, I was home in Austin for exactly 48 hours before catching a flight to California, where I spent the better part of three weeks at my retreat, judging an art show, and speaking at a few events.

Instead of being exhausted, I was invigorated because I encountered people I’d not seen in years.

Missing You

Especially eye-opening to me were the friendships I’ve missed. For instance, before my Fall Color Week retreat, I visited with my great friends Mitch and Shelly to stay in their oceanfront estate. We spent lots of time catching up, but best of all, Mitch had arranged a surprise for me by inviting our old weekly painting group to go painting together again after at least a decade. Our time together was as if we hadn’t missed a beat. Including the bad jokes. We picked up where we left off. The only difference — absence makes the heart grow fonder. I appreciated them more and was sad when it ended.

This of course was just one of many special moments reconnecting with friends I’ve missed seeing.

As I was packing up to head back to Texas, I had a spring in my step and a big smile on my face. It was apparent to me how much I love being around friends, making new friends, and being around the art world, speaking at and judging events … in person.

My conclusion: It was such a joy, I need to be “out there more.”

So, after years of declining speaking gigs and requests to judge major art shows, I’ve decided to make myself available to travel more. But never at the pace of travel before Covid. Of course, there is a problem … I’ve got a company to run and a few dozen employees to feed. So when I’m traveling and not at my desk, I tend to fall into a black hole. I’ll have to figure out a solution to that problem.

Don’t Let the Gremlins In

When we get set in our ways, gremlins somehow creep into our psyche. Before a trip I would find myself saying things like, “I’ve traveled for 40 years on business trips. I’m done,” or, “I can’t spend one more night away from home in a hotel room.” Or, “I wonder if I could wait a couple more days.”

Pretty grumpy, huh?

In what ways have the gremlins entered into your head?

What stories are you telling yourself about the things you don’t want to do?

I have to admit, before some trips I tell myself, “I don’t want to get on an airplane tomorrow.” Yet once I get there, and get engaged, I’m at my happiest.

Where are you your happiest?

I’m pretty happy wherever I am. It’s people that fuel my happy-o-meter, and I’ve decided to keep the meter pegged at 100% for the foreseeable future. I’m thinking I need to go on a world tour 🙂

Of course, once I’m home and I fall back into my routine of great meals and healthy eating, working out daily, and good-quality desk time, I’ll probably change my thinking.

What pegs your happy-o-meter?
What causes you to wake up with a giant smile on your face?
What causes you to be grumpy?
What can you do to avoid the things that don’t make you happy?

There is no rulebook.
There is no manual on how to live your life.

Just because we grew up with a certain mindset does not mean we have to keep it.
Why not change it?
Why not get radical and chase what you love, and stop wasting time with gremlins?

PS: Responsibility is a part of my DNA. I’m loyal to my family and their needs; that always comes before my rogue ideas. But sometimes you gotta shake things up a little.

Everyone remember to vote. Vote your heart. Don’t vote the way you think you’re supposed to. But vote.

What I’m focused on at the moment…

Do you ever have that feeling that you know something that no one else knows … and you’re just itching to tell them?

I’m working on a project that could be the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my career. But if I told you, I’d have to put a pillow over your mouth, so you’ll just have to be patient.

What else?

1. Since we’ve had several printings of my best-selling book, someone mentioned to me the other day that it was selling for $100 on Amazon. I discovered that is because they are out of them and it’s time for another printing. So, stop the presses. The next edition will be updated to make sure it’s all 100% relevant to today. As you know, things change. So the book will change soon. Keep an eye out for a new edition.

2. A dream prompted the idea for our online art conferences. We have trained thousands of people, and we will again soon … our next one features art instructors from all over the world. It’s called REALISM LIVE. It’s our most well-rounded general conference on art … covering all subjects like landscape, figures, portraits, still life, and more. And it features styles ranging from classical academic realism to impressionism. It’s THE one every artist should attend in November.

3. Snow used to be my enemy. Especially around February. So I’ve created a new retreat called WINTER ESCAPE. I announced it three weeks ago and it’s already 40% sold out. It’s for people who want to escape the cold and snow, and come to Florida to paint with me for a week. WINTERARTESCAPE.COM.

4. Somewhat of a surprise is how many people are registering early for the PLEIN AIR CONVENTION & EXPO, to be held in May in Lake Tahoe and Reno. I just visited there and picked some amazing places where a thousand of us can paint together. This one can’t be missed.

So much more around the corner … Stay well.

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.