Tag: art

Wes Anderson Directs & Stars in an Ad Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Montblanc’s Signature Pen

Wes Anderson, known for his meticulous craftsmanship in filmmaking, was chosen to direct Montblanc’s commercial for their hundred-year-old Meisterstück writing tool. Filmed in Germany, the short features Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, and Rupert Friend, who portray mountain climbers inspired by Montblanc’s products.

The ad transitions from the snowy Mont Blanc to a warm chalet, which required 50 takes. Anderson surprised Montblanc by presenting a prototype pen he designed, the Schreiberling, and requested its production. The company agreed to produce 1,969 pen copies, referencing Anderson’s birth year, 1969. Anderson’s career has evolved from his early days in Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums to influencing film and luxury goods industries.


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Using Photography as a Writing Tool

black dslr camera mounted on black tripod
Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com

Photography allows me to reevaluate my linguistic and narrative choices from a fresh perspective and reframe the central questions of my work.

Jennifer Croft

Jennifer Croft, a recipient of literary grants and a founding editor of The Buenos Aires Review, discusses how photography can be used as a tool to inspire and improve writing. Croft highlights various considerations in photography, such as format, frame, contrast, texture, and depth of field, that can be applied to literature in productive ways. By adopting a fresh perspective and reframing the central questions of their work, writers can experiment with different techniques and enhance their storytelling.


The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!

Some days are sad days…

funeral

“Don’t wait until the fourth Thursday in November, to sit with family and friends to give thanks. Make every day a day of Thanksgiving!”

— Charmaine J. Forde

It’s been a week here at the Paul house as we processed the passing of my wife’s grandmother. Most days are great, but some days are sad days.

Anyway, here’s this week’s 10 things:

10 Things Worth Sharing


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The 1-Bit Great Wave

I’m sure you’re familiar with Hokusai’s “Great Wave” or have at least seen this image:

Hokusai's great wave
By Katsushika Hokusai – Metropolitan Museum of Art: entry 45434, Public Domain

I’ll go ahead and say that this print is one of the more famous art pieces in the world. It’s part of a series of 36 views of Mt. Fuji.

If you’re looking for ideas for student projects, a good starting point is having them recreate public-domain works in their own ways using whatever materials they choose.

For example: let’s say they wanted to use old software to create a 1-bit version (black and white) of this image. It might look something like this:

1-bit great wave by @hypertalking

A very cool project from @hypertalking. He’s briefly recapped his process here and could inspire you or your students to get creative in unexpected ways.

Sing A Note

Do you remember the old Sesame Street song that encouraged all of us to sing a song?

C’mon, if you’re the same vintage as me, you know what I’m talking about. This one?

Ah, a stroll down memory lane. On that note…

What if you didn’t sing a song but just had to sing one note? I imagine it would go something like this…

Louie Zong asked his viewers to send in a single singing note and received over 200 responses! He then organized and assembled these notes, keeping them as true to their original form as possible, and added some beats, creating an entirely new song from their community’s voices.

What might this look like at your school?