This time last year, I was attending my final in-person event before lockdown. I remember it well.

It was a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in the Upper East Side. Between what I was catching on the news and the worried texts and calls from family, it was obvious the city was beginning to shut down. Like most people, I was anxious to get my book signed and head home.

However, a very sweet woman named Maresa approached me and asked if I’d take her picture with the author for her. At first I wanted to say no and that I had somewhere to be. But she asked me so kindly, I felt compelled to say yes.

Following the picture, Maresa then asked if I could assist her with directions back to her hotel. She mentioned she was from The Netherlands, traveling by herself and didn't know her way around too well. Ugh, how could I say no?

I hopped on the subway with her where we rode together to Grand Central. The subway was packed (I wished I had jumped in a taxi instead). While waiting to arrive at our destination, Maresa excitedly shared about her work as a Dutch children’s book author, her husband Stefan and daughter Ivy, how she likes to travel to NYC once a year for research, and that earlier in the day she stumbled upon a salon and spontaneously decided to dye her hair blue! On this crowded and grim subway ride, Maresa and I laughed.

Maresa’s creative spirit made the subway ride feel much less terrifying. I’ll never forget that. We now connect via House Party at least once a week where we chat about our professional and personal challenges. Though we live on different continents, I know Maresa will be a life-long friend of mine.

Maresa demonstrates the impact creatives have on our teams and communities. They have a unique ability to take a difficult and sometimes even scary circumstance, and brighten the situation.

When it comes to our ideas and businesses, it's easy to focus on the things that scare us. We can often find ourselves lying awake at night stressed about the challenges we've yet to overcome.

This is why I started Coratives. Creative spirits are essential to help ideas turn into thriving businesses.

You can connect with Maresa on Instagram @maresaj

Author: Michelle Flynn, CEO & Founder of Coratives

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