Carl Horton

Carl Blaine Horton is a creativity researcher and PhD candidate at Columbia Business School, where his work explores how people generate, evaluate, and present ideas. Drawing on a rich background as a professional performer and choreographer, Blaine's research bridges psychology, management, and communication—examining how beliefs, behaviors, and context shape creative outcomes. His work has been published in journals such as Scientific Reports, Self and Identity, and Academy of Management Discoveries, and spans topics from AI-assisted creativity to entrepreneurial pitching and authenticity in self-presentation. Passionate about making creativity feel more accessible and grounded, Blaine brings a rigorous, process-oriented lens to questions that sit at the intersection of expression and influence.