People who could afford to create art in past ages could do it only if a) They had benefactors, such as wealthy patrons, and b) They were independently wealthy.

It wasn't until the printing press that artists could look to the public to pay for their artistic endeavors. Shakespeare wasn't wealthy, but he could get by thanks to patrons and a devoted paying audience. Chaucer, on the other hand, needed his patrons, while Lord Byron was independently wealthy.