Early days yet …

Things have been remarkably busy since announcing that I’m going solo. So far:

• Case Study Jam has been announced
• I’ve had some calls from and chats with people interested in partnerships
• I’ve gotten involved in developing an incredibly exciting video project with some very talented people
• I’ve done up a proposal for some social media and “branding” work for a tremendous Canadian musician
• I was asked to drop a CV in for a local choir to do their PR (sure, it’s not the biggest job in the world, but SOMEONE needs to do it)
• I’ve paired up with some partners to do an RFP for a government project.
• I’ve been asked to speak at a conference on social media
• I’m doing a guest speaking gig at a marketing class this Saturday.

The one I can say the most about right now is Case Study Jam. The idea came from the fertile brain of Joe Boughner, and I’m really excited to be working on this idea with Melanie Bechard, Della Siemens, Amy Boughner, and Nick Charney.

Is all of this directly linked to cash in the wallet? No way. But the good news for me is that there’s lots of activity out there. I think that if you follow your passion, the money will follow.

Seeking balance.

A few years ago, I went through a period where routine and balance became very important to me. While I’ve tried to keep that as a priority, I haven’t always succeeded.

But since it’s time for a new start, I’m setting up a few goals for myself that will hopefully establish a routine, and also help me to keep a balance between all the parts of my life. I think a balanced Bob will be a more productive Bob.

So here’s what I’ve come up with. Every day, I will take and record:

• At least one action to further my communications business
• At least one action to further my music interests
• At least one action that is focused on the community (defined pretty broadly)
• At least one action for my brain.
• At least one action for my body.

I suppose you could argue that ALL of this is for me. But I want to ensure that I keep myself in balance and contributing to not only my success, but the success of others.

It’s easy to use “busyness” as a success marker. But I don’t want to just be busy. I want to be productive.

Anyone else out there who’s wrestled with this and won a best-2-out-of-3 Texas cage match? The discussion starts here.

Photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilest/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

A new baby…

Wanted to let you know that I am leaving Algonquin College after a year or so here to embark on a new / not-new adventure.

From 1994-2000, I worked as an independent PR consultant, and I’m going to return to that career. That’s the not-quite-new part of this adventure. I’m looking forward to being able to do work for clients in a direct way, with a bit more freedom from some of the organizational hoops that need to be jumped through, and also to the slightly intimidating and also freeing sensation of being responsible for myself in a way that’s not possible when working on staff for an organization.

What can I do for an organization?

• Help create communications plans for an initiative or for the organization as a whole
• Consult on social media strategies and tactics
• Support internal communications
• Carry out media relations for an event
• Manage projects or events
• Manage the work of talented colleagues in allied fields like Web design, graphic design, etc.

This is stuff that I’ve done for a number of people in the past, with what I think is a pretty reasonable record of success.

I’m also moving into a slightly new area for me, with hopes that it will be provide some economic fulfilment while it feeds my soul. Most of you know that Cathy and I have been doing house concerts over the past three years. Spending time with Canada’s and the world’s best roots musicians has taught me that while there is no shortage of talent in Canada, there are shortages of services to support that talent.

So I’m hoping to branch out into working with some folks in the music business — the parts of it that I love, at least — to create some opportunities for roots musicians to play and to help roots musicians get their music and their ‘brand’ in front of people. There’s already some stuff happening that’s exciting. Whether it’s enough to starve on is another question, but it sure is fun.

I’ll be operating under the name Translucid Communications. That word goes back as far as Ralph Waldo Emerson, who used it to describe how a poet can use his imagination to reveal the true nature of things to others.

As a communicator, I see the word more as a combination of two other words — translucent and lucid. As a communicator, I’m strongly against organizations being opaque and not communicating with their publics; but that doesn’t mean that you throw open all the doors, open the books, and tell EVERYone EVERYthing. The balance between being totally opaque or closed and totally transparent or open is where I want ot help organizations live. And to communicate effectively with audiences or publics, an organization needs to be lucid — to be clear, understable, coherent. Hence, Translucid.

I think I have some skills to share with organizations and individuals. If you know of someone who might require my services, please recommend them to me or vice versa. I’ll have a web site up very soon at Translucid.ca; in the meantime, you can check out the temp site at Translucid.

Oh — and while I think Flacklife will get rolled into the new web site and may at some point even lose its name, BobCat is eternal, and will continue to offer great musicians the chance to play in front of great people, with all the money going to the artist. Wish me luck! As the post title says, “Change can be frightening. And good.” So yay (shudder).

An introduction

This is the new – and still developing – site for Translucid Communications, a public-relations consultancy owned and operated by me, Bob LeDrew. Bear with me as things get populated, OK?