So, I’m participating in a wine tasting class in Honolulu and observe all of the interesting guests who are a mixture of tourist, wine aficionados, locals who want to learn about wine, and everything else in between.  Keep in mind that I am just doing what I do:  research.  And usually along the way, sooooomething happens.  In this particular case, I discovered that the featured winemaker is a young man originally from Hawai’i who now makes wine in Los Olivos.  What are the odds?  So, not only do I discover that the young man is gifted with the grapes and that his wines are simply brilliant?  But in just a local-to-local person conversation, find out that no one is handling his p.r.  We chat a bit more, exchange business cards, and we’ll hopefully meet soon to discuss future possibilities.  All this over the love of really good tasting wine.

Another L.A. story:  I have a dear friend who has an amazing skin care business.  Although she has concentrated on the East Coast mostly and has her products in only very high end retail stores, in a conversation one day over where I was (physically) and what I was doing, the subject came me up that she was now beginning to research ways into getting her amazing little items into the luxury resort hotel and spa market.  What was even more interesting was that many of the hotels she was dreaming about having her products in, were properties that I’ve worked at or have colleagues in.  I thought to myself, “How crazy is it that I actually understand the process on the hotel side and know exactly what she has to do in order to get them in there.”  And the only reason I would know that was because of my long and storied (and sometimes manic) history with high-end hotels.

On a work/play trip to San Francisco a few months ago, I was out having lunch with friend of mine who is a television producer with a prominent station there.  We got together to visit, eat, and get caught up since he had recently gotten married.  While we were walking and looking for an ideal spot to eat, we started talking about restaurants and what’s new in the city.  Then my friend started telling me about a restaurant that is being renovated and how they are looking for someone with a background in F&B (food and beverage to you non hotel and restaurant types), but that they aren’t looking for a firm, but rather a one-man shop and someone who understands how to work with a small business.  Hmmmm…..  I love food.  I can promote food.  Perhaps this could be something?  We exchange info and the next thing, phone calls are made and a meeting is in place.  

I started to see a pattern in something that works for me, and I’ve touched upon this a bit in a past blog, but I often wonder if the pattern could also work for other folks?  What I mean is, in these crazy economic times, aren’t we all looking at other ways to find good, interesting, meaningful work?  And especially work that can provide us some kind of income so that we can be upstanding citizens and pay our bills yet still stay inspired and creative?  So, if you work in pr and marketing but have skills in other areas, isn’t it time to use really use them?  For instance, I have a background in advertising, publishing, arts, photography, dance, choreography, theatre arts, am great with kids and babies, am very used to public speaking and have led many a pr/marketing workshops, and best of all-  I can type like a ‘mofo’ at 126 w.p.m.  Technically speaking, I should be able to find work in any of these related fields, no?  And still have fun, no? 

Hmmmmm…  by now, I’m sure you’re wondering to yourself, “What the heck has gotten Trace to think about all of the above???”  Well, its the economy for sure, but more so from something I read recently about adapting your skill set when one skill or related industry may be in a lull or in shift.  The sentence I read was something to the effect of “…Be like a seed that is blowing in the wind.  Bloom where you land…”  Just a simple line, but to me, very profound.

Now I keep that in mind, constantly.  I’m like a bad-ass ninja with Ugg boots, making my way through the city with my laptop in hand and my gig bag slung over my shoulder.  And, I repeat this mantra over and over and over to myself.  Whether I am working in my birth state of Hawai’i, or my adopted home of L.A., or on travels to San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and…  not as sexy but, ok- Florida, I have put myself “out there” in order to find new opportunities.  They may be pr related, they may be marketing related, they may be sales related, etc.  But the point is that in these times, we no longer can just sit back and wait for the usual and favorite gigs to show up on the beloved work docket.  We have to go beyond our own comfort zones and find other modes of… finding ideal work, in an unusual time.  Now sit and make a list of all of your skills and you’ll be surprised what other new opportunities are out there waiting just for you, but in other areas of industry.  Go on, do it now.  And don’t make me say “I told you so.”