Lolita Wolf's Predictions & Predilections

This year, South Plains Leatherfest asked five people to deliver mini-keynote speeches.  I was honored to join with Mark Frazier, Midori, Master Skip and Master Larry on the podium.  This is a pared down version of what I said.  I did quite a bit of ad-libbing and the speech was longer, but this is the general gist of it.

When I was first asked to teach at South Plains Leatherfest, I was very flattered because the line-up at this event is incredible. One of the best bunch of presenters out there. Of course, I was, and still am, positively thrilled.

There are a bunch of reasons that I like to teach. I like to travel and meet people. I like to pass on the knowledge that I have learned. Also, teaching, for me, is part of the process that allows me to learn.

But there is another reason. It’s a bit of a secret. I am a little bit shy. I have a tough time meeting people and talking to people. I thought that teaching would be a good way to put myself out there and attract people to me. It worked in the beginning. However, I fear now that it is backfiring.

Let me tell you a true story. I was at an event a short while ago. A woman told me that someone was in service to her at that event *precisely* because she had been inspired by one of my classes, where I had spoken about a certain type of service. Details don’t really matter. But the woman told me that she (let’s call her Jane)… Jane was too timid to approach me and talk to me about it.

Well, this kind of sucks. I don’t try to be intimidating. So, that weekend, I went out of my way to be approachable and friendly to Jane. And, finally, on the last day of the event she spoke to me about it and we had a good conversation.

This story is rather typical of how things go. So, the point I am trying to make here is that presenters are a lot like everybody else. We come to an event like South Plains to learn, to play, to hang out with our friends and also to meet new people. So, please don’t be intimidated by us. Please don’t put us up on some false pedestal. We are just like you. Talk to us!