Author: seth

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Hello friends. I have been working for over a year planning a big project for this summer and I’m finally ready to share it with the world.

I am running a creative arts program in Wroclaw, Poland for kids 8-15. It is called Creative Summer / Kreatywne Lato

Please have a look creativesummer.org

Update in 2025: Creative Summer has been running for 9 years now and we have expanded to include a young group called the Playmakers for 5-7 year olds.

Crash Course Theater has arrived. I was so excited for this. One episode in and I am not disappointed. Add it to the syllabus.

Here is a round up of things I am using or liking or proud of right now. Click around or have a listen.

•Recent accomplishment I’m proud of: Seth Compton (VI)’s IMDB page. Yup. I finally got a credit.

•Funniest video I watched this week: While it was a disappointing finish to the Super Bowl this guy’s preparation is hilarious.

•Podcast I’m listening to this week: Interview with Scottish professor at Brown University. Mark Blyth State of the Union from Open Source Radio. This podcast kind of rocked me. Maybe it was his accent. Open Source is consistently fantastic.

•How I map the Internet: Remember that website you were looking at last week? It was loaded with all that good “information?” Did you write it down? Did you email it to yourself? Or bookmark it (which computer was it?)? Bookmarking services solve this problem. I used del.icio.us for a long time. I loved it. Along with an RSS reader it basically mapped the Internet for me. When the creators of YouTube bought it I thought it would someday be the center of everything somehow. But they lost interest. And sold it. And it started breaking bit by bit. I was aware of Pinboard back when it was free. But I am a Larry-and-Magic kind-of-loyalist so I resisted. Then Pinboard added a subscription, and then I really dug my heels in. For the past year or so I haven’t added anything to my bookmarks (or been reading many blogs for that matter). Just this year I realized it had been bought. By Mr. Pinboard himself. So now, I’m in. I like the minimal design. I like the business model and the pricing is fair (this service is not going away and I bought a 5 year subscription). I haven’t imported my old links yet (since they probably need a lot of weeding).  I also like his sense of humor. From his blog: “I know there are lots of rival bookmarking services out there. I will consume them, one by one, like I consumed the pie.” Read the blog here.

•Handy web tool if you looking for that perfect emoji: Emojipedia.org helped me formulate this for my 6 and 7 year old Shakespeare Fun students. Note to self: never use Eggplant emoji unless you really mean it.

Storytelling, music, theater fun, games.

After collecting hundreds of donations of great chapter books, the American School and Aardvark Arts is opening the library on the weekends. I will be telling stories and doing theater activities. Then if families would like to sign up they can pay a fee of 30zl and deposit of 20zl and borrow up to three books. (The fees are waived for ASW families.) We are opening this weekend. Books every child should hear.

Christmas Wreaths by Wiki Tiki. I was at a family event in the fall and saw this wreath making activity. I spoke to Monika, the woman in charge and a few months later she brought her team to ASW for the Holiday Performance. Aardvark Arts sponsored the event. It is awesome seeing people get into it. Putting a wreath together makes you to think creatively and make aesthetic decisions. It is a beautiful idea and a big success at family events.

A Door In the Wall – this is a book set in Medieval England. It is… slow. Not much happens. A boy has an illness and loses the ability to walk. It is about his recovery and his growth. I’m in a moment in my life when I am jamming on a keyboard, tapping on tablet, and swiping on my phone constantly. When I come home from work and want to go deeper with my projects, I have a hard time focusing and committing extra effort. This book is an excellent reminder that patience is a good teacher and hard work is a virtue in itself. I told my mom about this book and she remembered reading it over 40 years ago. 

Creative Summer / Kreatywne Lato is a Summer arts program for 8-15 year olds next summer in Wroclaw (creativesummer.org). Last week a landing page went up where I’m collecting email addresses for anyone who is interested. In January, I will be releasing full details and plans and opening up enrollment. #bigproject

Concourse. I have been a long time fan of Matthew Butterick’s Practical Typography for years now. It is a constant inspiration for me. I finally bought his sans serif font Concourse. It is beautiful. With such a generous license it will feature heavily in Aardvark Arts posters (see above), web design and newsletters.

Recaps, highlights or summaries of NBA, NFL and NHL on YouTube allows me to watch a sports game in under 10 minutes. This is perfect amount of time. These video channels are sparking a renaissance for my interest in American sports. For NBA games it is almost exclusively offense. So it’s frustrating when your team is losing because you don’t see if the other team is making great defensive stops or your team is just missing. Also in these NBA edits I miss the commentary which fills in a lot of info about players and the season they are having. The NFL and NHL game summaries are the best because so much exciting action is not just touchdowns and goals. Also, no commercials!

Shakespeare Club is back in 2018. We are expanding to open activities up for younger students (6-7) in Shakespeare Fun and we will be creating a space for adults to come and learn a bit about Shakespeare through The Bard Book Club… And we will be taking an international field trip…

What: Two drama groups for 6-7 year olds and 8-15 year olds. The older group will present an original adaptation of a Shakespeare play and will travel during spring break to Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon.

When: 8-15 group Tuesdays 4:30-6:00 6-7 group Thursdays 3:00-4:00

Where: the American School of Wrocław, Partynicka 29-37, 53-031

Why: Lots of reasons. Shakespeare can be fun and lead to a whole lifetime of enjoyment. Giving primary students the mindset that they can read and understand Shakespeare before they get to higher grades gives them a head start and builds confidence. Performing is a great outlet for students with lots of energy and even for those who are more timid but want to take safe risks. And finally, imagine your six year old quoting Shakespeare on a bus. Bragging rights.

How much: 50zl per session.

Contact: Interested families should send an email to hello[at]aardvarkarts.org

In order to really feel in charge of my days, weeks, and months, I need to start making clearer goals for myself. Bullet Journaling perhaps? Gratefulness meditation? I’m going to have to come up with something.

Art Making

This month a teacher brought in some sculptured dolls she made which were inspired by Alice In Wonderland. She said I could play with them. So I made a 20 minute performance which had a moral of treating other people with kindness.

Teaching

Neutral Masks. I am not sure how this unit is going. But my middle school students have had real physical breakthroughs.

Producing

The wheels are turning on a Commedia work. It surrounds a Polish company who are sent to Empress Anna of Russia in honor of her coronation. Loosely base on Jan Potocki’s “Pageantries.”