Michael Shivers + mdshivers Creative Media » Blog

Well as you can see, I've been using Twitter more lately to update my website on what I've been up too. It's just so easy! I have it on my iPhone or computer. I probably use the iPhone the most- just because I can Tweet while I'm rendering or waiting at a red light or in an elevator. Blogging software is a little more laborious to say the least. But blogging does have it's purpose and it still has it's purpose on my website. Speaking of purpose and my website.... I've been trying to update it a little the past few days. It's really about to get overhauled- through what pages I have and what sections I have. The structure for me needs a little revamp, because I am not using certain sections like I use too. When I first made the "links" page in 2001, there was no software that let you bookmark your web browsing favorites and then have it sync to multiple computers. You either had to email the link, or export your entire bookmarks and then email that attachment to yourself. Well- I just started making links on my website that I went to a lot. I was traveling all over Europe and the States and this is was the best way. Now- I've got Mobile Me for Safari and Xmarks for Firefox. And when I don't have either, I go to iGoogle and save links there. So the link page the way I have it now will be disappearing.
Also going to just do a general clean up of other things as well. I've been so busy working on client stuff that I've failed to keep my site the way I want it. So here's a heads up. :)

Also you will notice that I finally have a real print store up and running. You can now order prints directly from my website and have them professionally printed and shipped right to your home. I plan to add a lot more of my prints on there, so keep a look out.

I'll write a separate post about the print store soon. But in the mean while, take care and thanks for stopping by.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fun little video I made about men blowing up things with Potato Guns while at a Men's retreat. The retreat was great and something I really needed. This little break in the day was much needed and glad that we could shoot something while at it.
the direct link to the HD version is http://vimeo.com/3502746

Men with Potato Guns. from Michael Shivers on Vimeo.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just wanted to give a quick post as it will be my last for 2008! Lots of things have happen over this year but over all it's been a good one.
I had some prints made yesterday of some photos that I worked on over the past two years and it was pretty rewarding. They have only lived on my computer and so it was nice to see them in print. As I was looking at the colors and textures in the analog format, it provided a warm and inviting experience.
Life is kinda like that too. Something lives in your head - an idea for a short film, a poem, a book or a photo. It lives in you for a while and you start to develop that idea. Then at some point it reaches it's fullest potential without you acting on it. And from there you either act on it, or let the idea die. It's not like you are telling it to die, but it's more of a slow process. Like decaying fruit, but there is no smell or sign of rotting. It just starts disappearing.
So at that moment you should really think if it's worth making it live. For me, yesterday was the moment that I needed to see some of my photographs printed. I needed to see it live outside of my computer and I needed a physical representation of it. So my idea hasn't died and I am seeing it through. Same with a video. I've got a lot of footage that I need to edit. It's just a little artsy piece to show off some HD footage and to show off some coloring ideas that I have been working on. But it's just sitting there and hasn't come to life. So hopefully this post will jump start that project :)
Well- I need to get back to friends and family and start kicking some some but on the Wii.
You guys have a Happy New Year!!

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How it can change your day to day life.

1. Driving to work- listening to the radio and they are talking about how Miss America fell down the night before and how embarrassing it must have been. I proceed to pull out the iPhone and watch the clip on Youtube (while at a red light of course).

2. Going to a new store in a different part of down
Where is that turn again?
Google maps with GPS on iPhone... thanks.

3. At Home Depot
Shopping for a new Weed Eater. Straight shaft or Curve? What the heck?!
Google it on the iPhone and find some dude in Texas that knows a lot more about that than I do. (I bought a Straight Shaft)

4. Wife is late for a party and needs directions quick and of course our printer doesn't work.
Google maps with directions

5. My neighbor SMS's me to get together.
It use to take me 10 hours to write one sentence. I hated that. Now it's fun to get them. Looks just like iChat.

6. Bored waiting in traffic
Games
I have had time to play games of late.
Now since the iPhone is usually with me everywhere, so are the games.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been on the ground running the past few months, traveling, editing, shooting, traveling and you kind of just wake up every day seeing what the next thing will be. It may be new words coming out of a loved one's month, a new piece of computer gear that may be released or something that just goes missing. I've been reading blogs on the net for a long time- some I follow every day, some I follow every other week. It's amazing how this information machine keeps going and going- new things everyday, or something being hashed out over and over.
I'm currently at the phase of being here but not here, listening but not listening, seeing but not seeing, doing but not doing. I kind of like it. It's relaxing, yet I still am getting a lot of things done, but time is just moving faster and faster- which can be a little scary.
So i've got a huge backlog of things that i've been reading,listening,watching and studying. And why keep it all to one self?
Another thing that I've been thinking about is enagement. Not marriage, but people to people. People should engage their neighbors. People should engage their old college classmates. People should engaged their preachers. We all need that extra little kick in creativity, and friendship never hurts.
So it's sometimes funny to think about that one can get a lot of "engagement" through some random blog that you found one night while doing some crazy surfing, and luckily, oh luckily thought to create a bookmark.
While the blogs are a valuable resource, a little good ol fashion get together never hurts.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

the windy city, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

I can see this from my hotel. My first impressions of Chicago are amazing. What a wonderful city. It's big and busy but not as much as New York. It's still pretty cold though and it's the end of March. But pretty busy up here, not much internet time :)

Posted by Michael Shivers at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So after thinking about it for a while, I changed my mind about the last post I made about the new Radiohead album. I figured they are going out on limb to offer the album for what ever I would pay for it. The money counts now. It also counts when the CD is released, but this is the big tester- ie offering it for download and potentially free.

So I made decided to pay the reasonable I-Tunes pricing for a new album, $10 U.S or 5 Pounds. Will I still by the CD for $15 dollars? Probably. Why- Because they deserve it.

I'm on track two-Bodysnatchers now.

Good stuff.

Here is the album art if you want it for your I-Tunes/I-Pod

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

geezzz. get the flu for a week and a half and the world keeps on going. Bills are stacked, projects are due, and I've got to clean my office. Well.. starting to feel better now, but got my worked cut out this weekend.
At least it's been raining. It rained for 15 minutes for an entire month between July and August. My garden was really struggling and even the trees were starting to look horrible. But now, for the past week it's been raining off and on. I love it.

Oh and Georgia Football get's started this weekend. Who wouldn't get excited about that?

I've got the new I-Life and I-Work. Both are impressive. I think now I'll make a fancy little budget with Numbers. I've got one with Excel, but Number's just looks so good.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Thinking about the mundane; the hum-drum of daily living. Life is not less than this, but always more. Seems to me though that most of the time our lives are made up of the not less, and not the more. There should be both a level of acceptance and dissatisfaction with this. Accepting that this is daily life and dissatisfied that we don't yet see God face to face. All the while hoping that God injects the more in what we do. We shouldn't be consumed with the not less as the injections of the more also need to be in evidence. If not, I start scouting around for ways to escape where God has called me to live. "

Dr Gregory J. Laughery

photo by Michael D. Shivers

Posted by Michael Shivers at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few weeks ago I was asked by a client to create a documentary about Heart Transplant patients. It is going to be a video about what goes through their minds and really focus on the emotional aspect of getting a transplant. It sounded exciting and I was happy to do it. The next day I was asked to visit a patient who was waiting on a Heart Transplant. I have met several people in my life that have had transplants, but never like this. So I brought my gear in and set up - introduced myself and talked with the family. It was a tough time because the person had been waiting a while for a transplant and they were not sure when a heart would become available. The interviewer asked the person questions about what they were going through, what they were feeling and what they would like to do after the transplant. As I stood there staring through the view finder, I began to really look at life in a very different way. The things this person wanted so badly, I took for granted. Taking walks with my wife, playing with my daughter- all the freedoms that I forget everyday. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and as I packed my gear, the person's preacher came in to see him. It brightened everyone up having him in the room.

Several weeks went by and I wasn't really sure what was going on with the patient. The client wanted to have interviews before and after the operation and I was just hoping that I was going to get a call to come back and film. I think since that moment that I had met the patient, I just started thinking about my own life more and my own health. Just this past week I got a message saying that the person got the transplant and that they were doing really good. I was so excited for this person!! It just brought joy to my heart to know that the patient was doing good.

I went back and filmed the person yesterday and they looked so much better. I told the family that I had been thinking of them and glad that everything is ok. I set the camera up again, this time more excited and more encouraged about the situation. As the person began to talk about the experience, the wait, the family's experience, you could see life at it's grandest right in front of me. This person was fighting to live. They wanted to live. The interview lasted about 40 minutes and it was a very emotional time. The person talked about the importance of being a donor. How even if you say you want to be a donor make sure your family knows. Everyone in the family needs to be in agreement to donate. They talked about wanting to live and being so grateful to the doctors and staff. The person just really shared their thoughts and it was a great thing to for me to hear.

I hope that this documentary will help people understand heart transplant patients and what goes all into the process. I am not sure of the distribution, but I think even with this one interview, it could be really influential to people and their families who need transplants. It was for me!

Posted by Michael Shivers at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

reaching out to life, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago while in Flordia. It is just amazing to see her grow and explore. Every day is something new. Either words or movements or both at the same time!

Posted by Michael Shivers at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amelia, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Enjoying my work/break here in Amelia Island. I've been able to take some fun pictures of my fam and the nature around me. I've also have been enjoying Lightroom a lot. It runs great on my 12inch Powerbook. It runs pretty fast and I've enjoyed the RAW settings and having advanced post processing abilities.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First time at the beach, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

We're in Florida now, and it's the little one's first time at the beach. She really really likes it. We are enjoying our time off (though I am still working) but it's good to have a change of scenery. Yay for oceans and suns.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wasn't aware that once you have a kid, that you get about every sickness under the sun. Well, I am aware now. I've been sick for about a week and a half now and starting to fully recover. I tell you what, it will really put it too you.

So not much updates around here or flickr... or video stuff. Just trying to survive. Speaking of survive.... Lost season 3 final episode is tommorow. I am not sure if I can watch it tommorow night due to scheduling conflict. If not, I-Tunes better get on the ball and put it online to download. I have the season subscription, for the just in case times. But sometimes they pop it out the next day and sometimes it's two day later. Bah! Also to top it off, they just started showing the latest episode on ABC.com for free and it's full screen. I know that I won't be buying the subscription to I-Tunes next year!

anyway.. getting better, ready for an upcoming break and time to relax. Check back for photos and such.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Arcade Fire in ATL, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

I've been really excited for the past few months to go to the Arcade Fire concert here in Atlanta. It was yesterday, May 1st and so the day had finally come. My friend Jeff Weaver and I left work to head to La Fonda (a small little Latin food joint) on Ponce de Leon. I got my salmon burrito and a couple of beers. Jeff didn't really know much about Arcade Fire so I was happily telling him about the group, yada yada. Well next thing I know, the lead singer Wim and his brother Will (guitarist and keyboardest and so much more) come inside for dinner! Wow is the least I could say.

So i saw them and really wanted to talk to them, but I didn't want to be the freak show all up in their buisness. Decided to go for it and struck up a quick conversation. Great guys indeed. They are really nice people and down to earth. No one recognized them in the restaurant, so it was pretty relaxed and such.

anyway- asked to get a picture with them, and they were really cool about it. So it just amplified my great impression of them and their music,. We parted ways and I told them i'd see them in a few hours....

The concert rocked! It was such a great show and the energy was amazing. This group is really talented and have a lot to offer to the music scene of today.

I'll be posting pictures of that soon....

Posted by Michael Shivers at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

That's right! Going to the Arcade Fire concert tonight in Atlanta Civic Center. Should be awesome. If you haven't heard of the Arcade Fire, go listen now. Truly one of the best indie/rock/something really new music in the past 20 years. I've really enjoyed listening to their new album, "Neon Bible". Anyway I am out the door now, so I'll write up more a review of the concert in the next couple of days.

I'm excited!

Posted by Michael Shivers at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

peeling the layers off...., originally uploaded by mdshivers.

it's spring time again and everything is buzzing. I'm trying to get in the creative, feelin' good mode, but I am having a hard time. either I am too tired or too busy. Strange thing is that I have found some of the best music I have listen to in years. They've been around a bit and I've listen to them before, but now at this moment its just so fresh. the band... Arcade Fire. If you haven't listen to them, it is some of the best rock i've listen to in years.
I'm in the process of implementing this major video installation project, something that will give me new opportunities for video production. I'm really excited about it, but it's just taking so long on the builder's part.

But with all this, I'm dying to teach myself some new tricks, mainly with some design stuff, photoshop and css.

it's coming along, but the stuff can take a bit.

Oh and I am eating my oatmeal drinking V8. yum.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

reflections pass by, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Taken during last weekend's trip to the mountains, this photo struck a cord with me. The symbolism here is that I took this photo and the raw version really didn't come out the way I wanted. But after some tweaks and work, it came out better than I imagined .

Posted by Michael Shivers at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

fill 'er up, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

this past weekend we took a trip up to the mountains in North Carolina. It was one of those times where you are just dying to get out of the city. Seems to be a recurrent theme lately. But the mountains were excellent. So quiet that my ears rang. I've got some more pictures coming of weekend so stay tuned :)

This photo is in Rosman NC, at a antique shop right on the river. We have to drive by it to go to the National Park, or to my favorite restaurant in Bervard.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

still farming, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

I was able to take a quick trip out to the country and see the ol' kicking group. I have quickly forgotten how pretty the country side of Georgia can be. I'm going to make a trip back soon, and spend all day taking photos. Its great to get away from the city hustle.

As on flickr, I've gotten a little frustrated with it lately. I feel that I am limiting what I am posting because I am trying to think about what everyone would like to see. And that just isn't fun. So I am going back to what I want to post. so the next few photos are some fam shots that i took a few weeks ago.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lake Geneva, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Lake Geneva (Lac Laman) in crisp day. This is taken from Montreux, Switzerland looking across Lake Geneva towards France. You can rent boats, go swimming and take long walks along the lake. The lake was formed by thousands of years of glaciers melting from the Rhone Valley.

One of my favorite things to do is get a Turkish Kabab and sit on the side drinking a Denner. :)

Posted by Michael Shivers at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

living with fresh air, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

This chalet just signifies a lot to me. First it was my brother's home for a long time and second I spent lots of holidays here. third waking up and seeing this view in the morning will just really make you humble. and for me really demonstrate that there is a God and that he is creative and that he finds natural beauty a good thing.

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hanging with Ben Stein, originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Today was L's bday and so I took her out to dinner. Went to Twist and had lots of good sushi, humus, mussels, and other yummy stuff. After we finished we walked around Phipps Plaza, and there a Community Childrens display and no one around except three people sitting at this booth. And one of those guys totally looked like Ben Stein. Well we ended up talking to them and it was Ben Stein! He had finished giving a talk and was waiting to get dinner and saw the booth for children in need. He decided to stick around and see if he could help out. So he just sat there and read his book and drank his starbucks... just hanging.

Ben was a very nice guy- totally friendly and warm. Very pleasent guy to meet. Amazing that I totally want to be in the production world and this guy could make it happen. But of course I wasn't going to ask for a job or something like that.

anyway- didn't have my 20D, but i had my trusty cell-phone! Too bad. it would have been a cool picture blown up. But this will do!

Posted by Michael Shivers at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the past two years I have seen a co-worker of mine leave work often. I first saw him in his wheel chair and laptop waiting to be pickup on a side street that is near my car. I noticed the laptop off hand that was mounted to his wheel chair and thought that was pretty cool. He couldn't move and he could really look around. But he had his laptop there to communicate. I thought to myself- hey if i was in that situation- i'd want a laptop too! So days go on and I see him again being picked up in his van- while his lab dog wait patiently for him.
It was amazing that he still went to work, and still went through his day. HIs body was frail- his skin was pale and I really didn't have a clue what was wrong with him. I though maybe he had gotten in a bad car wreck and that he had paralyzed himself... or something to that degree. I was just so impressed that he kept doing what he was doing.

So today when I was about to leave work for the weekend, I checked my email one last time and saw that a person at work had past way and they would be holding a memorial service. For some reason it triggered that memory of him (i hadn't seen him in quite some time and he slipped my mind) and thought maybe it was him. It said that he had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. I quickly looked his name up and there popped up his picture. And boy was it different than the man I saw in the wheel chair.

My heart saddened and I knew that it was him who had past away. I looked at his picture and saw a young healthily man- probably my height and weight at the time of the picture.

It was just so odd to put the two together- to see what he looked like before hand and to know what he looked like recently. I have never paid much attention to Lou Gehrig's disease. I heard that it was bad- but couldn't put it to mind.

"Approximately 30,000 patients in the United States currently have ALS. The disease has no racial, socioeconomic, or ethnic boundaries. The life expectancy of ALS patients is usually 3 to 5 years after diagnosis. ALS is most commonly diagnosed in middle age and affects men more often than women."

But now i do... and now i know. the emotion of that- of seeing that person- of knowing that nothing could be done.... that makes me very sad. But when i saw his picture today- before he was sick- i could see beyond that -- see inspiration in his eyes.

It makes me think of my own health and how i am doing. I need to understand that i am completely blessed by what I have been given.

its amazing what death can bring- sadness, joy, so many emotions. But for a person I never really knew, I'll miss him.

For more reading.....

Posted by Michael Shivers at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)