Professor of creativity Juan Munoz published his newsletter for 162 weeks consecutively. These are the results of his experimentation. off. |

What if school got learning wrong? Find out how University Creativity Professor Juan Munoz is making more impression as a creative by beginning by becoming a better learner.

The first day of classes, creative and innovation professor Juan Munoz said to his students that they were free to submit their work in any way they wanted.

"It can be written down, it can be written by hand, it can be typed by a computer. It may be a video or it could be a podcast. You are free to do what you wish to accomplish. If you want to send a messenger to do your work you are welcome to do so. There's no need to be restricted by a piece of paper and Google Doc," he advised.

Even with that freedom the students at his college submitted identical PDFs using identical formatting each and every time.

"I was so frustrated," Juan remembers. "I considered this to be the simplest task to complete. How are they going to discover creativity if they are unable to even get this done?"

While the sequence continued, Juan wondered if there an issue of greater importance in play.

"Students are taught to be a certain way of thinking over a period of ten to 15 years of school. We've taught them that no matter how great or great, you'll get a worse grade if you deviate from whatever guidelines your teacher has given them to follow. It's a fear that's inherent in breaking away from the norm."

Juan could see the fact that internalized programming had a negative impact on creativity and he wanted to change things.

Juan enjoyed teaching but He was apprehensive about regulations at the university. While at home and reading TechCrunch and other entrepreneurial publications and was given the idea to start an enterprise.

There was no thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in his home country, Costa Rica, so Juan was determined to assist in getting things moving.

"I have a civil engineering degree, and I knew the people who would ask me, "What does this guy know about business?' So the first thing I did was I recorded all of my ideas down in a blog and shared them with. My creator journey began by putting my thoughts on the internet and sharing what I can accomplish."

In the present, Juan teaches creativity, setting goals, entrepreneurship, and business via his online education platform called Epico Academia . It offers online courses and a library of free workshops, as well as a weekly newsletter via email to help individuals live more imaginative and life-changing lives.

This is how trying new things, exploring unexpected paths, and continually studying helped Juan build a thriving online company and gain access to an approach to business which is enjoyable and fulfilling.

How do you provide information without making it feel like school

Based on his previous experience in creating courses in his position as an university professor making content wasn't a challenge for Juan. He just had to figure out the most impactful way to deliver that information.

"The most difficult thing is getting people to consume the material we create," Juan shares.

"People will buy a course and only a handful of them will take it. It feels like school. Even if nobody's making me do it and I'm really curious, my brain switches back to school mode. There's a teacher, there are classes, and there are classes."

And Juan was experimenting with new ways he could get his content to his audience.

"What do I do if I take the electronic course in which you receive a cool weekly email for the duration of a year ? Perhaps TikTok-type content with 30 second videos. Do I have the ability to create a course with tons of videos that are 30 seconds long? Maybe. I'll try it out to see if it's effective."

"I love how allows me to create content that is basically what I'd like in any sequence I'd like. I can create an entire course consisting of 100 30-second videos, that let students go through them."

One test that was successful was a pro-Monday email newsletter

When it comes to experimenting, Juan experimented with something that went against the norm and found himself creating one of his most-loved assets: The Monday newsletter .

When he first started his online business, Juan noticed a trend.

"Every Sunday night and Monday morning, people would make memes of how they dread Mondays." Juan says. "I realized that there is every day going to be one Monday. You can't escape it. The question is, why do you remain hung up on this?"

"I began to realize that these are exactly the people who call me to say"I'm not happy with my life, I don't love my job and I'd like to get better,' and there was the same regularity. I am a huge fan of branding and marketing I also thought that this could be an intriguing branding idea since it's so easy to get bored on Mondays. There's already a group for that, and it's a big club. But how do you do reverse that?"

Juan started a newsletter all about how much he loved Mondays. He would offer a tip, concept, or thought that can assist his readers in getting the most of their day.

"It was a popular topic with a lot of people due to people being unsatisfied about something in their life and I was talking about strategies to make their lives better. People were able to ask, 'Why I do I get so annoyed on Mondays?'"

Today, this experiment-turned-newsletter continues to grow through word-of-mouth referrals, and Juan still loves writing it every week.

To be a better creator, learn as much information that you can on subjects you're interested in.

Not every idea comes together in the same way like the Monday newspaper, and Juan discovered that the most effective way to get clarity on product and content ideas was to be a student again.

"I'm constantly amazed by how fortunate we are to be a part of a community in which we learn from everyone and that anyone can learn from us. It's amazing. If I'm a marble enthusiast, I can find someone that's so much more into marbles that they'll help me learn new things. They could be from Singapore and I may have no idea who they are however I could benefit from their writings."

To become a successful creator now, you must learn as much as you can on the topics you love.

"I encourage people to read everything they're interested about," Juan recommends. "Often you'll find no-cost content on social networks. When you are consuming material, you realise that it's not all that complicated. He's discussing marbles. You don't have to have the Ph.D. in a subject."

"There used to be specialists," Juan explains. "There were people that knew everything about one subject because there was a small quantity of data available. There wasn't infinite information like the information we get today. the information was kept in a place. There was a person who had all the information and was experts. But that's not the case anymore."

"There are plenty of individuals who know lots, and there are a lot of people that are a bit knowledgeable however there's always somebody with less knowledge than you. So you can make videos for them, and be able to make an impact."

In essence, the more you get out there and discover, the greater wisdom you'll impart to others around you. If you're struggling with what or how to teach take a break and try becoming a student again to rekindle your passion.

What if you created things solely for the purpose of creating them?

One of the most important lesson Juan learned in his entrepreneurial experience is the fact that there are a variety of avenues people could take to express their passions.

It shouldn't just be about achieving some specific result, financial milestone, or number of followers. Find a way to strike a balance between Telic goals and the Atelic.

"Telic goals are things that have a very fixed outcome that you can measure. These goals are great to pursue for the purpose of accomplishing them. The way to think about creating with both types of goals in their minds," Juan shares.

"If you're actually helping individuals, it doesn't matter if you help one person or a million."

Additionally, there's value to your work simply existing on the planet.

"If you post tweets, an Instagram post  or video but nobody is able to see it, it's there. Somebody will find it. Also, getting likes on a post and helping people with your blog post are two very distinct aspects. I enjoy a lot of things that I don't double-tap. Just because nobody double-tapped your post or shared your tweet, can't be a reason to dismiss it as not beneficial."

"Creating is an emotional thing. It's emotion, it's extremely vulnerable and honest," Juan relates. "It's a picture of who you are and what you think about yourself, and then putting it on the internet and not having anyone take it seriously is a travesty."

"But even if nobody buys it, it's still valuable. The lessons you learned are still valuable. It can be used in consulting or your next job, or in any other. No one can ever take it from you. That's soul bound."

In order to stay connected to what is important, Juan explains how important to keep in mind where you came from and be proud of what you've accomplished so far.

"I recommend that creators keep journals, and reflect on what you're doing now in the perspective of five years ago, ten years ago, or 20 years back. Consider what you'd consider your current work. Since in the past you'd likely think it's great."

And lastly, Juan reminds creators that the most important thing is getting the work there. The goal is not to make record-breaking sales, likes, or clients.

"I consider it arrogant believe that nobody will want the product you offer. It's arrogant because you're making an assumption for another. You let them decide. If they're interested, they'll buy it. If they don't want it, they won't. Just make it available to the people who need it. Get more blown away by the world, and learn the most you can and then make decisions that others will take their own choices."

"Create your idea and get your work out there," Juan tells us. "You never know what will take place in the future."