Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Exotic locations inspire writers to great writing. Well, sometimes that happens. What I find more important than location is attitude.

A few years ago my wife and I went on a short cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. It was great fun. Such an exotic experience. Who could not help but be inspired by such a location? Then I noticed a few members of the “ship’s crew.” They swept the floors and collected the dirty dishes. They didn’t look too inspired.

The last couple of years, I walked 1,100 miles from my home in Northern Virginia to New Orleans. I saw miles of wonderful landscapes and charming small towns. There was inspiration everywhere. Yet, there were those same people that I saw on the cruise ship. They cut grass and gathered the garbage. They lived in these exotic locations, but they didn’t look too inspired.

Location can spur inspiration, but location doesn’t guarantee it. In the two exotic locations I mentioned above, some people were inspired but other people felt imprisoned. Maybe there is something to inspiration other than location.

I find that attitude is as important as location. I find that attitude is almost always more important than inspiration. There were moments on the cruise ship and days on the walk when I was the farthest from inspiration that I could be. Boredom and fatigue were all I had. Then a few moments or hours later I was inspired. Same location, same situation, but a different attitude.

Location isn’t magic. It can be fun; it can be many positive things, but it isn’t magic. Attitude is more than magic. It is the root of inspiration – at least for me.