Recently, when my 2-year-old daughter had a fever, we turned to the comforts of David Attenborough guiding us through the beauty of nature. He told us that flamingos are actually born grey and gain their pink color from the food they eat.* The brighter the flamingo, the more healthy and well-nourished.

However, when flamingos become parents they often lose their color. Both male and female flamingos produce “crop milk” which costs a lot of energy and nutrients to produce. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who can relate to feeling like a paler version of myself at times (in fact, instagram tells me so).

But the flamingos get their color back eventually. They simply sit out a few breeding seasons, foraging for their favorite foods, until their color returns and their chicks are old enough to fend for themselves. 

So what does this have to do with creativity? When we’ve finished a major creative project, we can feel lost, purposeless. All of a sudden there is a gap where our project used to be. We may try to escape the discomfort of feeling unmoored by jumping right into working on the next shiny idea. Diving into the next task on our creative bucket list. But that would be a mistake. And a recipe for burnout. 

My friend Susanna finished her PhD ahead of me. She said I should budget at least 6 months from when I completed the dissertation before starting anything else creative. I’m embarrassed that at the time there was a voice in my head that said, ‘I bet I can do it faster.’ But it turned out I needed even longer. 

Creativity costs us life energy. So check in with yourself. How pigmented are you? Is your spirit drained and washed out? If so, your only job in this season is to get your color back. Find what nourishes you and let yourself absorb all the nutrients. Wait until you’re vibrant, practically fluorescent. Give yourself permission to sit on the sidelines for a while before you’re ready to dive onto the dance floor again. 

A few things that help me get by pink back:

• Beauty: Spending my micro-breaks imbibing something beautiful. My current crush is browsing the listings on Inigo. 

• Stories: I have a passion for fairy tales, myths and legends. Sitting with these stories that have survived for centuries feels like soul medicine. You can find an online repository here.

• Gratitude: Appreciating the amazing products of other people’s creativity that enhance my life every day. I recently sent a quick thank you note via instagram to the illustrator of one of my daughter’s favorite children’s books. Acknowledging the inspiration I receive always gives me a boost of energy.

We are not machines and creativity is not a mechanical, linear process. We belong to the animal kingdom and are governed by natural cycles. If we want a healthy chick (creative product), we need to wait until we are fully nourished.

What nourishes your creative spirit? Let us know in the comments below if you feel comfortable sharing. It may help others to get their color back. 

*Fun fact: This alchemical process involves transmuting poison into pigment. Flamingo’s color comes from toxic chemicals called carotenoids found in the crustaceans and algae they eat in lakes that are often so alkaline they “could burn human flesh off the bones.” They have a special liver that can break down these chemicals into their functional components. Very cool.