Re: Subject: Re: Finding Places To Speak

**M* M* <g*@yahoo.com>**

You know, sometimes I'm slow to realize things about
my life. This thread has clarified for me why I feel
so burned out on lecturing and teaching! 

Yvonne Cunnington discussed the perils of gardening
clubs not wanting to pay even a few hundred dollars,
which has also been my experience. Botanical gardens
vary, but, for example, Meijer Gardens (I believe the
biggest garden in Michigan) only pays $100 and doesn't
compensate mileage. Someone from the Toronto Botanical
Garden was interested in my gardening for cats talk
but changed their mind when I listed my fee as $150
plus travel.

Plus, enrollment is down all over and there's the risk
of preparing material only to have the class canceled.

I have spoken at various master gardener conferences;
county-wide ones can afford around $200 but the
Michigan-wide one doesn't pay at all. The last
international MG conference did not even waive the
registration fee for speakers, let alone pay you to
speak.

I teach at Hidden Lake Gardens ($150 plus mileage and
great staff support), through community education (no
mileage and half of the takings; iffy support), and at
Washtenaw Community College (no mileage and just under
$100 after taxes; iffy support), all for a 1.5 to
2-hour talk. I try to talk on the same, say, five
basic topics so that the huge amount of time that goes
into putting the initial presentation together pays
off each subsequent presentation.

A wise friend suggested I have enough experience to
speak more "off the cuff," hence shortening my prep
time. Being German (ve are orderly nicht wahr?!) that
seemed all wrong, but when I came to think about it,
yes, I probably could get away with a lot less prep
than I've been doing.

I do have a booklet on winter seed sowing that I sell
if I speak, and frankly, that earns more than my
speaker fees.

Graham Rice said "...for me the deterrent is the
unpredictable response to simple requests to make the
lecture go well." I didn't know whether to laugh or
cry in agreement with this. I don't think I've given
ONE talk/lecture/class/presentation where something
did not go wrong with the equipment. And I bring my
PowerPoint on a CD, a jump drive, and posted online!
It's almost comical the number of things that can go
wrong, that one would never even think about! I think
I have had a working remote control (that I ask ahead
of time each time to be tested) twice in my life!

I do all this in addition to my full-time job, hoping
to make a career change. But as the sole income earner
in my household, I don't think this is going to be
viable and wI'm worried that what used to be my life's
greatest enjoyment (gardening) is now losing some of
its appeal. Anyone else been there, done that?

Monica Milla
www.thegardenfaerie.com
gardenfaerie.blogspot.com
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