Replay: Daniel Handler shares Five Things He's Learned about Creativity – That Turn Out To Be Wrong
Check out the first five minutes of his recent class.
“I’m wrong almost all the time, about all sorts of things, and I’ve learned to enjoy that somewhat, at least most of the time. I like where being wrong leads me, and I keep a notebook and a mind full of scraps of things I can’t stop thinking about. I make my books from these things.”
– Daniel Handler, Five Things I’ve Learned about Creativity – That Turn Out To Be Wrong
On April 22nd, Daniel handler joined us to share Five Things He’s Learned about creativity – or the five things he thought he’d learned, until life and experience suggested otherwise.
Daniel is a prolific author known both for his literary novels—such as We Are Pirates and Why We Broke Up—and for his wildly popular children’s books written under the name Lemony Snicket, including A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has sold over 60 million copies and inspired major screen adaptations. He’s also a screenwriter, music collaborator, and critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Believer, and elsewhere.
Beyond books, Daniel has worked in film, music, and stage, contributing to projects like The Composer Is Dead with the San Francisco Symphony and a musical for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, illustrator Lisa Brown, and their son.
Five Things I’ve Learned about Creativity – That Turn Out To Be Wrong is the fourth session in a six-part series exploring the often challenging balance between an artist’s creative work and personal life, hosted by poet and teacher Matthew Zapruder.
In his class, Daniel invites participants into his eclectic creative world to explore the myths and misconceptions about the creative process. Drawing from a career that spans novels, children’s books, screenwriting, music, and memoir, Handler shared how embracing failure, uncertainty, and the unexpected has been key to his artistic life. With humor and vulnerability, he offers insight into how he gathers fragments of ideas, wrestles with doubt, and ultimately shapes those scraps into stories that resonate.
Whether you're a writer, artist, or curious creative, this class offers both inspiration and permission to approach your work with curiosity, playfulness, and a little less pressure.
And: Click the button below to watch Matthew’s introduction to the series, then follow the links at the bottom of the page to explore more and view personal invitations from each guest. Tickets are available for individual conversations, or take advantage of special series pricing for all six sessions.
Thanks for being part of Five Things I’ve Learned on Substack. Visit myfivethings.com to view personal video invitations from more than 120 more writers, thinkers, and artists we admire – and to get special discounted pricing with our Five Things I’ve Learned Multi Pass.