Written by For our prompt of “Mountains” today, I’ve sketched one with this mountain goat standing on it. As I was thinking about this prompt, the song “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from the musical The Sound of Music leapt into my head and frankly wouldn’t leave. It’s a bit of an earworm. And, has rather lovely lyrics. These include “Follow every rainbow, ‘Til you find your dream.” That’s pretty much the gist of it as it’s rather repetitive, but it’s basically several different ways to say DO! So I love it! I actually thought in my head that it also said to “Follow every moonbeam,” which would be rather nice as well, but that’s totally imagined. The word moonbeam appears in a different song about dealing with Maria, the difficult nun. Maria is creative and unusual and doesn’t follow all of the strict rules. The other nuns sing their dismay with the line “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” while revealing she’s actually quite charming. They fail to solve the mystery and simply end the song with “How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?” I’m rather confident that all parents of super creative people can relate to this feeling at some point during the process of raising a child like that.
Yeah, that song is totally stuck in my head making it rather hard to type. But, I remember seeing the movie as a very little kid and being moved by the song. At that point in my life the song was about being really little and wishing I were bigger and could DO all of the things I saw my brother and sister doing. Though the mountain seemed high, I was determined to climb it. Later in life, the song became about leaving college and worried about starting my adult life. So, I climbed every mountain in my path. That part of my life began in fits and starts that came from following every rainbow I saw. And, I have no regrets. Though, sometimes I do wonder what my life might have been like if I’d committed to just doing one thing, I would never trade in the thrill of experiencing so many different things. So, today, I’m just a professional DO-er. I don’t have a specific talent that defines me. Am I a writer? I write, so sure. Am I a sketcher? Check. Am I an artist? This is the big questions that we all ask ourselves at some point isn’t it? And the answer depends largely on how we define what being an artist actually means.
In the simplest definition, an artist is someone who makes art. But then, we have to argue over what is and isn’t art. What I far prefer is the actual dictionary definition of artist and the one that Doodlewash was founded upon. The “official” definition simply states that an artist is “a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby.” That last bit is crucial. Yep, just the act of making art makes you an artist! For my writer friends, who’ve not yet published a book, the definition of writer is “a person who has written a particular text.” So, yay! I’m a writer as well, along with most of my friends reading this. My goal from the start has been to remove all of the magic from these labels and bring them back to their core definitions. And that’s the very reason for our Doodlewash Manifesto. There’s nothing to discuss on this matter in my world. No worry over whether one is or isn’t an artist, a writer, or whatever you want to be. Instead, everything is incredibly simple. If you DO, you ARE! Once you embrace this unabashedly childlike philosophy all of the challenges get much easier. For my own part, I set out each and every day to conquer nothing at all. Instead, I just keep walking along the path, excited for everything new that comes my way, as I happily climb every mountain.
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Another nice post, Charlie! Thanks for continuing to encourage us to DO without thinking too much!
Thanks so much, Zertab! 😃💕 Thank you my friend for posting and inspiring us all!
Excellent post, Charlie!! Cute goat too!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕
That is the problem with labels – it’s all to easy to give them a very narrow definition when they’re just a convenient way to refer to something. I love your mountain goat. Now I must be off to see if I can get ‘Climb ev’ry mountain’ out of my head. Earworm begone!
So true, Sandra! 😃💕 And hehe… you’re welcome! That song never really leaves! lol
Fantastic, Charlie and yes you are an artist. We all are here. You are also a writer. That is not my calling. I do love my art. As for the song if could be far worse but I would tell you the one that comes to my mind as it will get stuck for days. 😞
Thanks, Karen! 😃💕Yeah, there are so many songs that just get stuck there. Some are actually good! lol
Oooooh so beautiful!!!! I will have you know I got that song going around in my head now too lol. I adore musicals.:)
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 Yay for musicals! I adore them as well!
Wow your posts are so encouraging and uplifting..and I’m sure like others we are all singing Climb every mountain….in our heads or even out loud…Thanks Charlie!
Thanks, Priscilla! 😃💕 Thrilled you enjoyed this post! I hope everyone is singing with pride!
Nice work Charlie! We are all artist Charlie we are thought to draw when we are in school, but yes later on as we grow we know what to choose, some become artist, musicians some writers like you 😀 and on and on…keep going Charlie!
Thanks, Jerson! 😃💕 I couldn’t stop now if I tried! hehe Too much fun!
Great painting! And yes, If you do, you are! I love that definition. A little kid brings his painting to his mom and says look mom, I’m an artist. She would never say no you’re not.
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕 I know, right? Moms know best, I say! We are ALL artists!
LOL I also totally thought that there was some following of moonbeams. Thanks for another fun post and reminder to “DO”. I most certainly have a tendency to think to much and am striving to change that as well as defining myself as an artist though I’m endeavoring to ‘paint’ with thread
Thanks, Mary! 😃💕 yay!! I’m so happy to know I wasn’t the only one imagining moonbeams with those mountains! hehe And yeah, overthinking is such an adult problem for all of us! But, yes, you ARE an artist!
Hahaha, I still have Disney brain. This reminded me of the goat on Thunder RR. “Don’t look at his eyes!” Yours looks a bit more groomed than the shaggy one on the attraction.
haha! Yeah, I “think” you can safely look in this one’s eyes! Though I can’t make any promises. lol 😉
Its looks original and very natural superb thanks
Thanks so much, Adnan! 😃💕
Charlie says, “If you DO, you ARE! ”
That pertains to life in general, to the good, the bad and the beautiful.
It kind of restates the golden rule if you think about it. At the very least
it puts things in the proper perspective and guides us all to a better path.
Thanks, Charlie!!
Thanks, Sarah! 😃💕 yeah, it pretty much is the golden rule restated. And, true, it can be good or bad. So, always best to DO good. 😉
Nice painting of the mountain goat, it looks like he has a good foot holding on the mountain. I like how you used warm yellows to imply the sunlight hitting the goat, and grass around the goat.
Thanks so much, Shawn! 😃💕 Thrilled you enjoyed my colors! I have a habit of making them too realistic, but sometimes colors with a mood are even more realistic.
Beautifully done, Charlie ❤️. I adore the goat and the scene made me think about a prompt : Flying high. Yeah, I’ve had thousand times to think Am I an artist or not. However, if we don’t believe in that thing, we will not do it day by day 😘
Thanks, Loan! 😃💕 So true! Each day we need to wake up thinking, I’m an artist and I’m going to make something wonderful! Sure, day by day, some things are more wonderful than others, but the act of creating it is the real experience to love!
Actually, the act of making art makes you an artist! Keep it up with your dream.
So true, Kiera! 😃💕 That’s all it takes to become an artist!