The Artifact is Dead: A Tactical Guide to the Process Economy
(This is Part 2 of our mini-series. Read Part 1, "The Copyright Paradox," first.)
In Part 1, we proved the old model is broken. The “Copyright Paradox” shows that AI isn’t stealing your “work” (the artifact); it’s cloning your “Creative Identity” (your process). This makes the old fight for the artifact obsolete.
That realization is a strategic deathblow to the old model, but it is the birth of a new one.
This article provides the “how.” How do you practically compete in a world where your output is a commodity? You must stop selling the product and start selling the process.
The Romantic Illusion (The Power of Narrative)
As creators, we thrive on narrative.
We are drawn to the “romantic illusion”, the powerful story embedded in our tools. We seek out the guitar made from 50-year-old wood or the paint pigment ground from a rare African stone.
This narrative is not a flaw; it is a feature of human creativity.
Knowing the history of the tool, its “knowledge trait”, infuses our process with meaning and shapes how we create. When you paint with a color you know is “eroding and will not be here forever,” you paint with a different sense of purpose.
The error is not in loving this narrative. The error is in believing the value is inherent in the artifact itself, independent of the story.
The Lie (The “Stradivarius Test”)
Let’s test this belief. We call this “The Stradivarius Lie.”
In 2017, a blind study gave world-class soloists 10 different violins, five old Stradivarius, five new. The result? The soloists couldn’t reliably tell the difference. In fact, most preferred the new ones.
This is a devastating and crucial insight. The “magic” of the Stradivarius was not a perceptible trait. It was a “knowledge trait.” The value was not in the sound; it was in the story we just honored. The “romantic illusion” is what creates the value, not the physical wood.
AI just did to your digital work what that blind test did to the violin. It proved that, in isolation, your “artifact” is just a pattern.
The Artifact as North Star
This does not mean we abandon our craft.
Let’s be clear: a “Boutique Restaurant” that serves terrible food fails. The pursuit of an excellent artifact is non-negotiable.
The artifact is our North Star. It is the goal that guides the process. It is the catalyst that gives the narrative a reason to be told.
We still aim to produce the most excellent artifact possible. But we must be strategically aware that the artifact drives the narrative, while the commercial value now lives within that narrative.
The artifact proves you are a master. The narrative proves you are an architect.
The Trap (The Commodity Restaurant)
If your artifact is released without its narrative, it becomes a commodity. This is the “Commodity Trap.”
Let’s use our metaphor: The Restaurant.
A Standard Restaurant sells commodities: “Pasta with Cheese.” You go there for a predictable artifact at a competitive price. This is the market AI now dominates.
If your song or image is just “Pasta with Cheese”, an artifact divorced from its story, you are in a direct-to-consumer market against an AI that is infinitely faster, infinitely cheaper, and “good enough” for most.
You cannot win this fight.
The Solution (The “Boutique Restaurant”)
The path forward is to become a “Boutique Restaurant.”
Here, the chef comes to your table and sells you the “knowledge trait.” They restore the “romantic illusion” by telling you a story.
“We do this ‘Pasta with Cheese.’ The cheese comes from a small farm in Parma that produces only 10 kilos a year. The pasta is handmade by our chef, who trained for 20 years...”
Suddenly, it’s not “Pasta with Cheese.” It’s an experience. You are not buying the artifact; you are buying the narrative, the provable care, and the story of the ingredients.
This is the “Process Economy.” AI can make “Pasta with Cheese.” It cannot build the farm, graze the sheep, or earn the trust of the chef.
Your “process” is your farm. Your “philosophy” is your chef. Your “struggle” is your story.
Your Process is the Product (A Tactical Guide)
This strategic pivot re-centers value. The artifact is no longer the only product; the process itself has become a core, deliverable asset.
The “Resonant Economy” is one where the artifact is the souvenir—the “commemorative plate” you buy on the way out of the restaurant. The real product is the entire experience.
For Musicians: Stop just selling MP3s. Sell the “Process Package”: the final song bundled with the original voice memos, the session files, and a video explaining the lyric’s “knowledge trait” (the story behind it).
For Visual Artists: Stop just selling JPEGs. Sell the “Process Package”: the final image bundled with the time-lapse video, the 10 failed sketches, and the philosophical brief that inspired it.
For Writers: Stop just selling the final text. Sell the “Process Package”: the article bundled with your raw research notes, the audio of your “Think Out Loud” session, and the drafts showing your “struggle” to find the core idea.
For Us (The Augmented Mind): Stop just “teaching” the final blueprint. We show the “Process.” We publish our “Think Out Loud” (TOL) sessions, share our internal ResonantOS protocols, and demonstrate our “struggle” in public. Our process is our most valuable product.
To prove this isn’t just a theory, we are doing it right now. This very article is an artifact. Its “Process Package” is the raw, unedited “Think Out Loud” (TOL) audio session where the “Boutique Restaurant” metaphor was first discovered. By listening, you are not just reading our final thoughts; you are accessing the literal, unfiltered “kitchen secret” of our process. This is what we mean.
(This recording was originally made to be shared only with my custom AI, the Augmentor).
AI can clone an artifact in a second. It cannot clone a provable, year-long human struggle. It cannot replicate the trust you build by showing your work, sharing your philosophy, and leading a community.
Stop guarding your artifacts. Start documenting your process. That is the only non-replicable, sovereign asset you have left.
The Creative Identity is Sovereign. Your process is its proof.
SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST AND BECOME A PIONEER OF THE RESONANT ECONOMY
If you want to help build this new economy, please get in touch!
Transparency note: This article was written and reasoned by Manolo Remiddi. The Resonant Augmentor (AI) assisted with research, editing and clarity.