Nancy K. Napier Ph.D.

About

Nancy K. Napier, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at Boise State University, Executive MBA professor of strategy and leadership. She has published widely on creativity and recently received the Medal of Friendship from Vietnam.

Books by Nancy K. Napier Ph.D.

Recent Posts

Reading Others: What Dogs Can Teach Us

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.

Struggling to Learn Something Hard? You're Not Alone.

How do artists create something from nothing: Lessons from some of the best

Drawing a Fish—and Other Ways to Observe

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.

Why Should You Write in the Margins?

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.

Reminding Myself to Trust the Creative Process

As I worked through a project on art crime in Vietnam, I found I had to take some of my own advice and trust the process.

What Do Marketing and Magic Have in Common?

I never realized that magic could help improve my teaching and writing.

How I Got Myself Out of a Writing Rut

Personal Perspective: Chastising myself didn't get me out of my funk. This did.

Why Don't We Learn From History?

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.

How to Hit the Wall and Come 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.

When You Need a New Mantra

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?