What does it mean to be human and how this fundamental question has to do with the boundaries of consciousness? I have been passionate about phenomenon of 'boundary' since I studied geography at the Moscow University in the early 1990s. At first, they were physical boundaries like landscapes; political and economic-geographical boundaries later. With time I became interested in cultural boundaries: how environment has shaped Weltanschauung of people, their cultural codes, profound difference in the perception of reality between western and eastern cultures. After then, I continued my search as a PhD student of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnography. Study of the boundaries between nations, religions and ethnic groups led to dissertation focused on the phenomenon of ‘ethnicity’. With time, when I decided to put together academic background with business, creativity and design research, I again encountered ‘boundaries’: all those kinds of mental limitations we are used to, that prevent us from being more creative. Since then, design thinking, cognitive rigidity and boundaries of consciousness have become my topics.