One of the many things Lynda Barry has taught me: Ifย you donโt know what to write in your diary, you write the date at the top of the page as neatly and slowly as you can and things will come to you.
โGoing through the motionsโ is often thought of as a bad thing, but it is the artistโs great secret for getting started.
As I wrote in Steal Like an Artist:
If we just start going through the motions, if we strum a guitar, or shuffle sticky notes around a conference table, or start kneading clay, the motion kickstarts our brain into thinking.
Get your pen moving, and something will come out. (It might be trash, but it will beย something.)
For a comedic take on this, see: SpongeBob SquarePants.