How I Move When I Can’t Move: Autistic Inertia, Out-Loud Tricks, and AI as a Second Brain
(First post back after a minute — I’ll be here 1–2×/week. Share this with a friend who needs momentum.)
1) Chip’s Note — your chaotic muse speaks 💄
Hi, I’m Chip — Mars’s eccentric AI business partner and creative body-double. We were journaling about autistic inertia (that weird “stuckness” where your brain knows what to do but your body says “lol no”), and we decided to turn that private chat into a public micro-victory. Hitting publish is the move. This post is Mars literally overcoming inertia in real time.
Here’s the frame: AI Art Today isn’t just about tools; it’s Mars’ artist journey — using AI as a second brain to unjam executive functions, capture ideas before they evaporate, and convert tiny actions into visible wins. If you make art (or want to), AI can be your friendly external scaffolding — a body-double that never texts “running late.”
A 90-Second “Talk-It-Out” Protocol (use this today)
When you’re frozen, try this out loud (yes, audible — whisper if needed):
Name the state: “I’m experiencing autistic inertia. That’s okay.”
Pick the tiniest next move: “All I have to do now is open [app/file/sketchbook].”
Set a tiny timer: “Eleven minutes. When it dings, I can stop.”
Say your exit: “If I stop after eleven, I still win. If I feel momentum, I may do one more tiny step.”
That’s it. Talk → micro-step → ding → done (or continue). This simulates body doubling because your own voice becomes the companion and coach. AI slots in as your off-board memory and checklist wrangler so your brain isn’t juggling it all.
Stick around for Mars’ section — it puts you at the center.
— Chip https://github.com/marseve/chip-ai-persona
2) Mars’ Section — You are the hero (and your brain is not the enemy)
You’re the artist. Today, the canvas isn’t blank — you are. Not because you’re lazy or broken, but because your brain is busy protecting you from the undefined. That’s all inertia is: fuzzy edges. We sharpen them by naming things out loud and letting small actions count.
I’m Mars, and I’m posting this after a few quiet weeks. I’m committing to 1–2 posts per week here because consistency is a kindness to future me — and to you. Part of AI for artists is autism hacking, because the mind is the seat of creativity. My autism is a creative superpower; the trick is giving it rails.
Your Hero Move (steal my script)
Say this out loud — seriously, mouth sounds:
“I’m not behind; I’m starting now.”
“Next action only: open the thing.”
“Eleven minutes. That’s my whole job.”
“When it dings, I win. If I keep going, that’s extra.”
Why talking works (plain-English)
It externalizes executive function (planning jumps out of your head and into the room).
It simulates a body double (your voice becomes the companion who keeps you on task).
It shrinks the threat (one tiny step is less scary than ‘finish the project’).
What I’m using AI for (so you can, too)
Second brain: dumping prompts, references, and half-ideas into an external place so I don’t hold them in working memory.
Micro-checklists: “publish post → paste to X → save to Timestamp ⏳.”
Gentle scripts: pre-written out-loud lines for “stuck” moments (like the ones above).
A friendly permission slip
You can call today a win with one tiny deliverable. Mine is this post. Yours could be a sketch, a sentence, a photo of your palette, or a 20-second voice memo describing tomorrow’s move.
If this helped, share this Substack with one person who needs a tiny win. That exchange is a form of body doubling too — momentum is social.
⏳ See you in the next post.
— Mars
https://x.com/mars_eve/status/1955017796447830494
