TBH, this might be the best place to talk about this. I posted this on r/artbusiness but, that might not have been the best place.

Hey guys! Im an artist and a Software Engineer. Recently, I have decided to take the ambitious approach to tackling an idea that I came up with early in my learning in comp sci. A little backstory, I started out drawing for much of my high school years before switching to comp sci but, still drawing now and again. I tried the concept of making money through my art but, I did not like the chaotic landscape of social media and just having a bunch of different platforms to manage was overwhelming. It was difficult to get commissions and I felt that the amount I made was not enough to do this full time. Sad part is, I am not the only one who does this. I watched some family members try to make it as an artist but, the money did not back up their dreams and thus had to put it aside for better paying jobs. I did not like that and I wanted to come to you with help on brainstorming along with the idea I had. Especially in this day and age of AI and being at the forefront of it, I am watching this thing evolve everyday. And let me tell you something, in my honest opinion, the government can't keep up. Cause it just develops so fast. So I want to come up with a way to do something proper with how we as Artist can maintain a level or relevancy in this era. I don't think artists will "become obsolete". Mathematicians protested the calculator and yet they still exist. We need to evolve and be properly protected. I looked at other platforms like Cara, Artflo(I think Im saying that right) And some things perked my attention but, one thing I did not see was a way to create some form of consistent income. But I did see one way that helped and that was some type of digital art market or art investment. Someway were the artists gets their art some valuation and another where the people investing in their artwork feels like they have more of a reason to be engaged with the artist. One such platform that does this is Masterwork but, they buy physical artwork. One of the dillemmas I am trying to solve is digital. One of my friends is using what we have now but, I'll be honest, some of us don't like the current tech that exists because at first they were going to help but, people started making it a cash grab. Ahem NFT, AHEM Blockchain. Technologically speaking though, Blockchain is the only thing that makes sense for proof of ownership. I can't say it's bad, it's just the people. Im not gonna talk about NFTs. The problem is these are sensitive topics and I don't think anyone wants to talk about it but, if we don't, I dunno what will happen. That being said, I love the Anti AI scrubbing and Art glitching or data like Mist. I read the research paper for Mist and I like how it goes through the image and recreates a near 1 to 1 replica of the piece but, if an AI tries to use it for training data, it'll be some glitchy mess. And I want to help artists any way I can but most importantly, I want to find a way to help artists make stable money with their art. Like how YouTubers get a check every month based on watch time. I know Patreon, Subscribestar, etc exists but, unless it hits peoples dopamine, it's nothing other than a subscription platform. I thought the best way is to have people feel like they have skin in the game so that artists feel like they are getting the attention they deserve as well as people/clients feeling more involved with the artist's career and portfolio. What do you think? Would this help? Does this make sense? I am more than willing to tell you everything that I thought could help with the hopes of really hearing some criticism. I can't post this on r/ArtistLounge, it'll be flagged as a survey. Hopefully this helps.

TLDR: I'm an artist and a coder who's seen the struggle artists face to make a living from their art, including in my own family. In this era of AI, Blockchain, and NFT. Authenticity is being taken away from the artists from something I literally gag when I look at it. Tech like blockchain could help, but its misuse has made many artists wary. I want to spark a convo on how we can create a platform to help artists earn a stable income, kinda like how YouTubers get paid. Open to any ideas that would let artists focus on their art while also getting the support and engagement they deserve from fans and investors. Looking for real, trust-building solutions to help artists keep doing what they love! Someway for Artists to have stable income, protected from AI scraping, and have real relevance in this era of Tech.

Side note: Am I the only one who gags when I see AI art? Or is that just me....It just looks so....hollow. :[