Generative art (Processing, p5.js, etc.) has been a hobby of mine for 15 years or so. During that time, a handful of people were truly able to make a living out of it -- or even get paid for doing it. I ran workshops, taught people to code, helped students learn, etc. and it was all for fun, as a hobby, to get people interested in computer-based art and to learn a bit about programming. (Incidentally, p5.js is excellent for teaching programming to kids b/c of the immediate visual feedback.) Making a living or even getting paid to do this type of work was extremely difficult prior to the emergence of NFTs.
There's now an accessible marketplace for me to sell that work, thanks to NFTs. I do it as a hobby, not relying on the income, through Hic et Nunc, which runs on the Tezos blockchain. I do it for two reasons: it feels really good to sell my work, even if it's just for a few dollars. My entire family, including kids, get really excited when I sell something for just $3 or whatever.
The second reason is that it has vastly accelerated my ability to connect with communities of similar artists. For most of them, this has been a hobby for many years. Through them, I've joined some of the most positive, fun, and creative communities I've ever found on the Internet. Most discussion is not NFT related, but just about techniques, helping each other, fun and friendly weekly coding challenges, etc.
Say what you will about NFTs. I'm not blind to the issues they bring along with them. For a lot of digital artists, however, the accessible marketplaces and creative communities are truly groundbreaking. Honestly, the past 6 months of participating in these communities have been some of the best times of my life, full of new friendships and the occasional small financial reward. I'm very thankful for NFTs providing this because I know that, even if the marketplaces go away, the new creative communities will persist.