Creativity Without Borders

Innovation from East and West

Environment
Go Deeper, Learn More

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on February 27, 2026

Personal Perspective: For a non-outdoorsy person, even I learned more than I expected on a recent expedition to one of the world's most remote sites.

Personal Perspective: For a non-outdoorsy person, even I learned more than I expected on a recent expedition to one of the world's most remote sites.

Gratitude
Small Bits of Gratitude

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on November 17, 2024

A Personal Perspective: Finding quick and easy ways to be anonymously kind can make the day a tiny bit nicer.

A Personal Perspective: Finding quick and easy ways to be anonymously kind can make the day a tiny bit nicer.

Animal Behavior
Reading Others: What Dogs Can Teach Us

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on September 1, 2024

When parts of my life mesh—like coaching and being around my therapy dog—I try to notice. It's especially useful when I can transfer lessons.

When parts of my life mesh—like coaching and being around my therapy dog—I try to notice. It's especially useful when I can transfer lessons.

Attention
Drawing a Fish—and Other Ways to Observe

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on February 27, 2024

We often drift through our world without really observing. Two essays, written more than 100 years apart, make the case for deep observation of what might seem mundane.

We often drift through our world without really observing. Two essays, written more than 100 years apart, make the case for deep observation of what might seem mundane.

Creativity
Why Should You Write in the Margins?

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on November 25, 2023

With so much talk of loneliness, are there simple ways to overcome it? Maybe marginalia, writing notes to ourselves (and others) in books, can help.

With so much talk of loneliness, are there simple ways to overcome it? Maybe marginalia, writing notes to ourselves (and others) in books, can help.

Learning from the past
Education
Why Don't We Learn From History?

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on January 6, 2023

Why do humans insist on doing the same things that didn't work in the past? A small book offers ideas on why we don't learn from history—and how we could.

Why do humans insist on doing the same things that didn't work in the past? A small book offers ideas on why we don't learn from history—and how we could.

Education
How to Hit the Wall and Come Back

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on November 8, 2022

A Personal Perspective: The thrill of climbing up a learning curve on a new skill can give way to frustration when you hit a wall. Don't quit. Try doing what you know how for a while. Then go back.

A Personal Perspective: The thrill of climbing up a learning curve on a new skill can give way to frustration when you hit a wall. Don't quit. Try doing what you know how for a while. Then go back.

Gratitude
When You Need a New Mantra

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on August 4, 2022

A Personal Perspective: On safari, I see animals I'd never see at home, from elephants and giraffes to monitor lizards and cape buffalo. It's exhilarating until the animals don't appear. Then what?

A Personal Perspective: On safari, I see animals I'd never see at home, from elephants and giraffes to monitor lizards and cape buffalo. It's exhilarating until the animals don't appear. Then what?

Fantasies
Now They Tell Me: Yes, Fiction Writing Is Hard!

Nancy K. Napier Ph.D. on June 9, 2022

When a long-time academic shifts from writing up research to writing mysteries, the path can be tough. The hardest part is adjusting to a new way of thinking.

When a long-time academic shifts from writing up research to writing mysteries, the path can be tough. The hardest part is adjusting to a new way of thinking.

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Magazine
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May 2026
The Best Ways to Begin Again

The best way to begin something new—in love, work, and life.

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Tests
Self Tests
Self Tests

Self Tests are all about you. Are you outgoing or introverted? Are you a narcissist? Does perfectionism hold you back? Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.

Self Assessments
Quizzes