Did you have an internship while in school? If so, you have a great resource there.
If you want to do concert lighting, you will need to look at rental shops over venues. I assume that the "purple door" festival did not own all of their own gear, so look at who rented the gear to them and see if they have need of your services.
Also, just because you have more experience than everyone you know doesn't put you as an "experienced" designer or technician. You have to sell yourself, but don't get too full of yourself. Remember, you want people to want you to work with their team. If you come off as better than them, they won't see it that way. Make sure that you can offer specific examples of your work including photographs. Be prepared to defend your design decisions. What unique skills do you have to offer that all other aplicants won't?
Definitely read through the threads, you will find many young technicians who feel as strongly about their abilities as you do. If you are dedicated and have the right attitude, you will find work. Remember, you will have to work your way up, and as has been said, that may be extremely difficult in this economy. Here in Las Vegas, shows that have been running for decades are closing (as well as those that have only run a year or two) which sends seasoned technicians back out job hunting. Are you prepared to go up against them? Unfortunately, this isn't limited to the Vegas market and yes there are some new shows to replace them, but I hear of established theater companies folding weekly across the country. Are you able to compete against those technicians? Not only is there an increase in out of work technicians, but that also means a decrease of available jobs. You may be a
prodigy, but how are you going to sell that to prospective employers?
You need to not only be searching job sites like
BackstageJobs.com or others like them, but also you need to search for specific companies. Before the big boys like Cirque or Disney or many others post on general sites, they will post them on their own site. Make sure to be checking them weekly if not daily.