Sunday ☕ : The Chain of Service

Pellets of hard rain are slamming onto the old octagon-shaped roof above my head, here on the lakefront screened porch. The air smells like wet pine and woodsmoke — that mineral, electric smell that only comes right after lightning. My coffee has gone lukewarm in my hand, but I don’t move to refill it. The noise is deafening, yet it’s comforting that I’m dry, and safe, under the same roof that has protected families here since 1885, its old cedar shingles silvered by 140 years of Adirondack weather. High winds are taking tree branches across the lake like confetti, but the house holds steady, the way it always has.

Seeking Shelter

Through the screen I watch a couple on a sunrise cruise, paddling a long green canoe fast for shore, their calm, clear morning trek interrupted by this sudden thunderous outburst. Their paddles flash white with each stroke, cutting little furrows into water that was glass an hour ago. A tradition here in the Adirondacks is the lean-to, a simple log structure with a roof and one open side. Most of us have one on our property near the lake, allowing canoes to get out of the rain, or campers to spend the night. That’s where they're headed.

At the heart of the lean-to concept is looking out for our fellow man, anticipating a time when shelter may be needed, and building that shelter before you ever meet the stranger who will need it.

In Search of Meaning

For all my years on earth, I’ve tried to figure out the meaning of life. I’ve chased dreams, I’ve chased business, I’ve chased vanity, I’ve chased relationships and love, and my conclusion, so far, is that we’re here to serve God and others. Period.

I know that probably sounds a little insignificant, but it’s really big. It should never be all about you and me but should always be about service to others. Jesus put it plainly in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If that was His purpose, it’s a fairly good clue about ours.

Biblically it’s about serving God, and service to God is loving our neighbor, which happens through the act of service to others. Paul says it even more directly in Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another humbly in love.” Not grudgingly, not when it’s convenient, but humbly, and in love.

Family Commitment

As a husband, I have to put my giant, out-of-control ego aside to serve my wife. Her needs should come before mine. That’s a hard concept to embrace when we all want our needs met first, but our needs are more likely to be served back to us when we’re serving others.

As a dad, my job is to put myself last, and serve my kids. That means being there for them when they need me. It’s not about giving them everything they want — what they want isn’t always good for them, or practical, or affordable. But it’s always affordable to show up, to listen, to offer advice when asked, and to let them know you’re there for them. Looking out for them, helping them, is service.

Living Business with Love

The same is true in my business. Though they work for me, are employed by me, my job is to serve them by giving them a fair wage for their efforts, allowing them what they need to support their families; encouraging them to share their ideas and their passions; and making sure I’m being the best boss I can be. Yes, there are times when I have to strongly suggest a direction, because my decades of experience can occasionally see things they cannot, or perhaps I’ve tried what they’re suggesting multiple times before. Yet I also serve them by considering their suggestions, which are important to hear and often act on. I can’t always give everyone everything they want, because it’s not always practical. The business has to be profitable, because without profit, it cannot continue. And if it cannot continue, the customers cannot be served.

Making Customers Succeed

If we’re doing our job at work, we’re being of service to our customers. Yes, of course we want to be paid a fair price for our ideas and our products and hard work, but if we don’t listen to the customers, don’t give them what they need, they won’t return. Notice I did not say “give them what they want.” Sometimes they need something they don’t know they need, and sometimes what they want isn’t what they need.

For instance, we study how the mind learns, and we know what works best for artists. They may think they need to study something, when we know there are three steps they should follow before they’re capable of doing that next thing. Of course we want to give what they want, but if we don’t give them what they need, they won’t progress, and they won’t accomplish their goals.

For the artists we teach, if we don’t serve them well, they may not be prepared to serve their customers and fans. If I can teach an artist how to make a sale, I extend their ability to support themselves longer, which means they can inspire more people with their art and serve their own family. If I don’t teach them how to paint or draw well, their career won’t go as well. So our responsibility is to help them live out their goals.

The Ultimate Purpose

The chain of service goes further still, because a well placed piece of art serves the buyer, who is inspired, motivated, or soothed by a piece that hangs on their wall, serving their family, serving their friends, making the house feel more like a home, which then helps them serve their own family. One painting, one small act of service, ripples through a household for years.

Life is a circle of service. How you serve others has an impact on people you will never know and never meet. Much like what we teach our kids, or how we ask our employees to treat others, the full impact is never known this side of heaven. Mother Teresa said it simply, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” That’s really the whole point. You don’t need a title, a platform, or a fortune to serve someone today. You need attention, and love, and the will to act on it.

So that’s my conclusion, at least for now, after all the years of chasing the wrong things before finally understanding the right one. Service is the goal of life. Not accumulation, not applause, not comfort. Service to my maker, and to those He has made. And here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait for a storm to build your lean-to. You don’t have to wait until you feel ready, or worthy, or capable. The shelter can go up today, in the smallest of ways, for the very next person who crosses your path.

Where is your service? What are your ways to serve? Who can you serve today? Someone out there is paddling hard for shore right now, hoping somebody built a roof for them. Be that roof.

PS: Serving Up Top Artists This Month

A couple of years ago I recognized a trend. Some of the top artists are painting in gouache, a water-based medium that looks like oil paint but doesn’t have the chemicals or drying times. When I started with gouache I fell in love, started using it for travel, and wanted to share it with others. So I launched an online training event for artists who want to learn it or master it. Gouache may be the best medium for learning to paint, period. The event is Gouache Live, coming August 20. Seats are filling fast, and if you can’t make the live dates, online replays are included with most tickets, so there’s no reason to miss it. Reserve your spot now at StreamlineArtEvents.com.

What to Do Once Summer Has Passed

Because I live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of colorful trees in the fall, I made a commitment years ago to go somewhere every year to paint fall color. And I’ve turned it into a retreat, one week of painting all day, every day, with meals and lodging included, new friendships made, and evenings spent singing, doing crafts, and just having fun. A lot of us never got to go to summer camp as kids. This is fall camp for adults. I’ve been doing this for 12 years now, and most people come back year after year, but there are always new faces, and they always integrate fast. This year we’re returning to Acadia National Park, one of the most stunning places we’ve ever held the event. I limit it to 100 people, and we’re already more than halfway sold, so this will sell out. You don’t have to be experienced, and no one will judge you — everyone will encourage you, support you, and serve you all week long. Don’t wait until it’s full. Learn more and claim your seat at StreamlineArtEvents.com.

An Unexpected Encounter

Once we’d sold out our China plein air painting trip, someone reached out wanting in at the last minute. They’d heard about it and decided to come, but were too late. So we called our on-the-ground travel partners in China to see if we could get one more seat. To our surprise, they decided to add an extra bus, giving everyone more room and more space for luggage. Not only did that mean they could let the latecomer in, it means we can now open a few more seats on the trip. If you’ve been on the fence, this is your sign. This will be a lifetime memory, painting throughout China, sightseeing, meeting and painting alongside some of the top Chinese artists in the world — an opportunity you’re not likely to get again. Seats are limited and going fast. Learn more and grab yours at PleinAirTrip.com/China.

Who Is This Guy Eric Rhoads?

Eric Rhoads is the founder and publisher of PleinAir Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine (both on newsstands nationally), author and host of six Art Marketing instruction videos, writes a blog on Art Marketing, and is the author of the Amazon bestseller Make More Money Selling Your Art. Additionally, he produces the weekly e-newsletters American Watercolor, Fine Art Today, Inside Art, PaintTube ArtNotes, Pastel Today, Plein Air Today, and Realism Today. Eric hosts the in-person Plein Air Convention & Expo, the Fine Art Trip for art collectors, and painting retreats including Paint Adirondacks, Fall Color Week, and the Winter Art Escape, as well as online virtual events Acrylic Live, Pastel Live, PleinAir Live, Realism Live, Watercolor Live Digital Painting Live, Gouache Live, and Art Business Mastery Day. He is also the producer of the PleinAir Salon Online Art Competition and art instructional courses through PaintTube.tv. Each weekday Eric hosts Art School Live, a YouTube show featuring free demos from a variety of artists, and he is host of the PleinAir Podcast and Art Marketing Minute Podcast. Eric is a plein air, landscape, and portrait painter with works at Castle Gallery. He is heavily involved in the radio industry as founder of Radio Ink Magazine as well as Radio + Television Business Report, the Radio Forecast Conference, and the Hispanic Radio Conference. He is the author of the bestselling book Blast from the Past: A Pictorial History of Radio’s First 75 Years. Eric 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.