Since the beginning of human history, art has been made by humans, for humans.

Then came Algorithms.

The initial deal was implicit: give the algorithm what it wants and get free distribution to a global audience. At first, these machines merely categorized us, but now they control how, where, and why we create.

Art disappeared, replaced by content. Art lovers became second class citizens to the mechanisms that decide what has value.

We lost something precious in the process: Time. Time as a raw material of craft, of imagination, and quality. In a heartbeat, time became a liability. Create fast or get left behind.

Lovers of art and creative expression have been forced into the role of consumers of the fast.

We all feel it. The loss of slowness.

A musical artist used to spend years on a concept album. Now we get a waterfall of random singles and fifteen second snippets, only deemed worthy of completion if the machines allow it.

A writer can't afford to labor over a new original script idea. Instead the industry pumps out franchises and remakes from an age when we allowed artists the time to craft.

When humans create for machines, both artist and audience become strangers to one another, serving the same invisible god.

And this was just the dress rehearsal.

Now, human creators aren't even needed. Machines create "art" for machines. Synthetic noise floods every feed with ever-increasing velocity.

But it's not too late…

We can exit this.

We can return to humans making art for humans.

To change the future, we must pull from the past.

The oldest model for supporting great works of art:

Patronage. The before-times of artists engaging with people, not platforms. Where funding bought the one thing their craft requires: time.